Padley steps in to face Stevenson on Saturday

Josh Padley has answered the call to meet Shakur Stevenson on three days’ notice

With Floyd Schofield out due to illness, Josh Padley has officially stepped in to face Shakur Stevenson on this Saturday’s Beterbiev vs Bivol 2 show in Riyadh.

Padley (15-0, 4 KO), best known for upsetting Mark Chamberlain last year, was named as a potential replacement yesterday when news first broke first broke of Schofield’s exist. All things considered, he’s about as good a Plan B as you could ask for; he’s ranked by three sanctioning bodies and is coming off a legit win. Sure, I’d have preferred someone with a genuine chance at beating Stevenson (22-0, 10 KO), but those are in critically short supply even without the ultra-short notice.

I’m sure a good chunk of you were relieved at the possibility of Stevenson exiting the show altogether, but look on the bright side: at least a skill gap this big could inspire Stevenson to bring out the venom he showed against Shuichiro Yoshino.