Josh Padley has come to the rescue for Saturday’s mega card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, stepping up with three days’ notice to fight lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson.
Following the withdrawal of Floyd Schofield, who fell ill on Tuesday, organisers were left scrambling to find an opponent who was up able to make weight, was fit, up to the required standard and able to get to Riyadh at such short notice.
In comes Padley, a British lightweight from Doncaster, England. Here’s everything you need to know about Stevenson’s next opponent.
Who is Josh Padley?
Padley is a 29-year-old lightweight from Doncaster, England. He had his first professional fight in 2019, a points win over Jamie Quinn. His biggest win came in September, on the undercard of Daniel Dubois’ heavyweight clash with Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium. He beat Mark Chamberlain, a favourite of Turki Alalshikh, in an upset points victory. That was most definitely the biggest fight of his career, until now.
What is Padley’s record?
Padley is unbeaten in 15 fights, with four knockout victories to his name.
In his fight against Chamberlain, he dropped his opponent in the eighth round on his way to a dramatic upset win.
Before the Chamberlain fight, he had earned three-straight KO wins.
What are Padley’s chances against Shakur Stevenson?
There is no doubt, after the unfortunate events surrounding Schofield’s withdrawal, that Padley is being heralded as the hero of the hour.
Stevenson is desperate to fight and kick off his 2025, and a cancellation for him would have been devastating.
While Padley can be heralded for his willingness to step in, he does so against one of the best fighters in the sport.
Stevenson, (22-0, 10 KOs) has been WBC lightweight champion since 2023.
He is ESPN’s No. 9 pound-for-pound men’s fighter and No. 3 in the lightweight rankings.
A Padley victory would surely rank as one of the greatest upsets boxing has ever seen, but in a sport where a single punch can change anything, there’s always a chance.