Shakur Stevenson rocks replacement foe Josh Padley

For Shakur Stevenson, a matchup with Josh Padley was just what the doctor ordered.

Stevenson delivered the sort of entertaining performance he needed to kick-start the latest chapter of his career, stopping the game British fighter at the end of the ninth round on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Stevenson, 23-0 (11 KOs), put Padley down three times in the ninth round – all on body shots – to force Padley’s corner to throw in the towel. With the victory, Stevenson retained his WBC lightweight title for the second time, while delivering just the third stoppage in his past nine fights.

Padley, a Doncaster, England, native who accepted the fight on just four days’ notice after Floyd Schofield withdrew from the fight due to illness, dropped to 15-1 (4 KOs) as a pro.

It was clear from the opening bell that Padley, 29, was game but outgunned against his 27-year-old opponent. Padley, who worked a full shift at his electrician day job before accepting the fight, came out guns blazing in the first round, attempting to get some respect from his more experienced opponent. Stevenson was the physically larger opponent, in addition to having edges in speed and power, and wasn’t shy about making use of those advantages.

Stevenson hurt Padley for the first time in the third round as right hooks to the body set up a straight left that knocked Padley’s head back. Padley continued to fight back gamely, though without the power necessary to make a dent in the Newark, New Jersey, native.

Stevenson exhibited confidence in his surgically repaired right hand as he continued to dig away at the body and rip hooks upstairs in the fifth. Sensing that his opponent was beginning to weaken, Stevenson put together his best offensive flurry in several fights, ripping Padley with body shots before opening up with straight lefts and right hooks to the head.

That pattern continued into the sixth and seventh, as Padley would bring the crowd to life momentarily with his ineffective flurries, after which Stevenson would walk him down and land shots to the head and body. Stevenson nearly doubled over Padley with a straight left hand to the body in the eighth, which would give Stevenson the right idea for how to end matters shortly after.

A minute into the ninth round, Stevenson landed a similar left hand to the body, this time putting Padley down on all fours. Padley beat the count but was down once again moments later with a right hook to the body. Padley pounded the canvas defiantly but was in over his head. Another straight left to the body put Padley down for a third time, which compelled his corner to pull the plug on the fight.

Padley, who was rated in the top 15 by three of the four major sanctioning bodies, will likely get another opportunity down the line, given the fact that this performance, without the benefit of a training camp, won’t be held against him.

Stevenson, a three-division world champion, was fighting for the first time since signing with Matchroom Boxing after competing under the Top Rank banner since beginning his pro career in 2017.

Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.