RIYADH :Three-times world champion Shakur Stevenson retained his WBC lightweight title on Sunday after stopping stand-in Josh Padley, a British electrician who had three days to prepare for the fight, at the end of nine rounds.
Padley, 29, flew to Saudi Arabia only on Wednesday as replacement for American Floyd Schofield who withdrew from the fight in Riyadh due to illness.
The previously unbeaten Yorkshireman, now 15-1, had been on a roof fixing solar panels when he got the call. He left his van at the airport, such was the short notice to make the flight.
“It was a standard week, working the day job. Obviously still training the boxing because that is what I live and breathe,” he told ESPN.
“Tuesday night the dream phone call would come in… world title shot, Shakur Stevenson on late notice. Can you do it? I went ‘yes please.'”
Padley’s gutsy performance in the ring won admirers but the task against an unbeaten champion proved too great and his corner threw the towel in at the end of the ninth after he was dropped three times.
Stevenson took his unbeaten record to 23-0.
Former WBO world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker stopped another late replacement Martin Bakole in two rounds in their WBO Interim bout.
Bakole was drafted in at even shorter notice than Padley after IBF world champion Daniel Dubois went sick and withdrew on Thursday from what would have been a scheduled title defence against Parker.
The Congolese, fighting in gloves borrowed from Dubois, hit the canvas after a counter-punch to the head and could not get up. The fight was stopped two minutes and 17 seconds into the second round.
“Who’s next? How can I fight for the world title next?,” said Parker, thanking Bakole for accepting the challenge of flying in from Kinshasa.
“If (WBO, WBA and WBC champion Oleksandr) Usyk wants a dance partner. I want to fight for a world title, I want to be champion of the world again.”
