- Padley left his van at the airport on Tuesday to take this fight last minute
- Stevenson moves to 23-0 with the victory
Shakur Stevenson outclassed Josh Padley in Saudi Arabia, forcing the Brit’s corner to throw in the towel after a ninth round onslaught.
However, it was Padley who won the hearts of the crowd in Riyadh and boxing fans all over the world.
Padley may have been the ultimate underdog heading into this clash with a three-weight world champion, but he adapted fairly well to the conditions in the opening round.
Stevenson was feeling out the Yorkshire fighter, but it only took the second round for the champion to land some significant blows with his sheer speed and accuracy.
Nine rounds past with Padley’s bravery lighting up the contest before Stevenson finally put him on the canvas with a spiteful body shot. Sadly, it was only a minute later before Stevenson put him down again with the exact same shot.
Padley gave as good as he got through nine rounds. His will was certainly not the problem
Thirty seconds later and Padley was put down by the same shot again and his corner didn’t want to see anymore. The towel was thrown in, but Padley’s stock only grew in defeat.
Padley came home from a shift as an electrician and left his van at the airport in order to make the last-minute dash to Saudi Arabia and take his place in this world title contest after Floyd Schofield fell ill.
Padley sports a tattoo of Mike Tyson in action all across his back, ironically the victim of one of the biggest upsets in boxing history when Buster Douglas dethroned him in 1990.
Padley valiantly got up despite the severe damage being down to his mid-section
Stevenson letting the ref know that Padley’s corner had called it a day
Despite some brave, enterprising work from the underdog, he wouldn’t be able to carve an upset of his own in Riyadh.
It marks the first defeat of Padley’s career. The 29-year-old is now 15-1, but he will no doubt secure more opportunities after this brave showing.
A reported £500,000 bumper payday for his efforts will surely offer a little solace.
