By: Sean Crose
WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson took on the widely unknown Josh Padley Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Stevenson was supposed to have fought Floyd Schofield before Schofield had to drop out of the bout due to an illness. The 15-0 Padley subsequently took the fight on beyond short notice. The question, of course, was whether or not Padley could possibly give the 22-0 Stevenson a real fight.
The southpaw Stevenson dominated the first with his superior skill set. Stevenson went on to land clean in the second. Although Padley certainly didn’t come across as amateurish, the defending champion was able to fire some stinging combinations in the third. Being defensive by nature, Shakur wasn’t one to charge forward. Still, by the fourth it seemed like Stevenson was working towards a stoppage win.
The fifth was a slow, quiet affair. Stevenson worked the body well at the end, however. He then fired at Padley’s head before the bell rang. Padley, to his credit, fired back with bad intentions. By the sixth, Stevenson looked as if he was working to end the fight. He wasn’t hurting his man, though, which may have disappointed some fans. Still, Stevenson was showing extraordinary skill.
Stevenson’s hand appeared to be hurt in the seventh. Although he looked sharp in the eighth, it seemed as if the condition of Stevenson’s hand would prevent an early ending to the fight. That didn’t prove to be the case.
In the ninth, when it looked like the fight would go the distance, Padley was dropped with a body shot. He got up, but a second body shot put him down again. Padley got up for the second time, but the fight was all but over. Indeed, Stevenson put his man down a third time before the round had ended. Padley’s corner, having seen enough, threw in the towel, giving Stevenson his early victory.
