Josh Padley found himself in a world title fight following the withdrawal of Floyd Schofield versus Shakur Stevenson.
Although Stevenson doubted Schofield’s withdrawal, he would find himself sharing the ring with Yorkshire’s Padley (15-1).
Padley is a part-time electrician but was able to give pound-for-pound star Stevenson a heartfelt challenge.
The two competed for the WBC World Lightweight title, as both men put their undefeated records on the line.
Padley was granted the short-notice opportunity after an underdog victory over Mark Chamberlain last September and accepted the Stevenson fight on just days’ notice.
Gaining the respect of the fans, Padley performed much better than many people anticipated.
Fans react to Shakur Stevenson defends WBC World Lightweight title
It was a clearly hearty and brave performance from Padley, who showed enthusiasm and dedication over the course of the fight. Having never fought an opponent of the calibre of Stevenson before, Padley was eager to defy the odds.
However, it would be Stevenson who would prevail, extending his record to 23-0.
Seemingly a step ahead for the majority of the fight, the accumulation of damage would be too much for Padley, who was stopped in round nine.
After showing frustration following being knocked down for the first time, Padley would go down a further two times before his corner threw in the towel.
Despite the loss, fans applauded the performance from Padley, saying the fighter showed “True grit” in the fight.
One X user wrote, “Padley impressed me the most. He gave an excellent account of himself for nine rounds,” while another added, “Padley has heart.”
As well as there being praise for Padley, many were unimpressed by Stevenson’s performance.
Critical comments of the champion included, “He’s one of the worst champions I’ve ever seen,” and “It took him to round 9 to beat an electrician who took the fight on Tuesday”.
- READ MORE: Who is Shakur Stevenson? Learn about the world champion drawing comparisons to Floyd Mayweather
Gervonta Davis to beat Shakur Stevenson according to fans following Josh Padley performance
Much talk has been had over a huge fight between Stevenson and Gervonta Davis.
However, following Stevenson’s performance at ‘The Last Crescendo’, many people thought ‘Tank’ would be the victor of a hypothetical fight.
“Tank kills this fraud,” and “I don’t want to hear no more Tank talk”, were among the comments about Stevenson and Davis on X.
Davis is currently the WBA World Lightweight title holder, so should he fight Stevenson, the bout would be a unification bout.