The fight didn't go as planned from the start. Floyd Schofield, Stevenson's original opponent, got sick during fight week and had to pull out. Padley, an undefeated fighter with a day job, stepped in on short notice to face the champion.
Stevenson dominated the fight, landing heavy body shots that dropped Padley several times. The challenger's corner threw in the towel at the end of the ninth round, unable to watch their fighter take more punishment.
After the fight, Stevenson revealed he had hurt both hands in the third round. He told Seconds Out:
"In the third round I had hurt both my hands, so I kind of chilled for a little bit. I had to relax and not use them as much in the rounds that was coming up next. Once I felt they cooled down a little bit I picked up the pace and knew it was time to go. I could have ended it a lot earlier than I ended it to be honest, but once my hands were hurting I had to chill."
Hand injuries aren't new for Stevenson. He recently had surgery and the ongoing issue might limit him to two fights per year. The champion plans to seek advice from boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, who dealt with similar problems during his career.
"Yeah I had a conversation with him a long time ago, but I think we need to revisit the conversation and also, not only revisit the conversation I need to get more detail, more in-depth about everything that he done with his hands that helped him prevail through all of the notches that he had to deal with coming up."
Stevenson added:
"I'm definitely gonna call him, probably when I get back and settle down a little bit more, but I'm gonna call him and ask him exactly what he did, what I need to do, how do I help myself, how do I save my career."
While Stevenson focuses on his health, fans and pundits are calling for a showdown with WBA lightweight champion Gervonta 'Tank' Davis. That fight will have to wait as Stevenson works to overcome his hand issues and continue his impressive career.
You can learn more about Shakur Stevenson's career and achievements on ESPN's website.