Shakur Stevenson defended his WBC lightweight title with a 9th round stoppage of Josh Padley on February 22 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The fight took place on the undercard of Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev's rematch.
Stevenson's original opponent, Floyd Schofield, a 22-year-old highly-rated American prospect, had to withdraw due to illness during fight week. Padley, a 29-year-old British fighter, stepped in on short notice and gave a great account of himself.
WBO super lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez shared his thoughts on Stevenson's performance. He said:
"Well Shakur, listen, the guy's been out for how long, like what almost a year or so? Hand injuries and stuff, but nevertheless listen it's boxing."
Lopez pointed out that Stevenson, who's 27 and from Newark, New Jersey, had been inactive for almost a year due to hand injuries. He suggested that this layoff might have affected Stevenson's performance.
Lopez also called for a fight between Stevenson and Gervonta 'Tank' Davis:
"We should see those two guys [Shakur and Tank] face off already. I mean unify at 135 and see the best man win."
Davis, 30, from Baltimore, Maryland, is set to defend his WBA lightweight title against Lamont Roach Jr on March 1 at the Barclays Center in New York City. Many fans and pundits have expressed interest in a lightweight unification bout between Davis and Stevenson.
Davis didn't seem impressed with Stevenson's recent fight. His reaction adds to the growing buzz around a potential matchup between the two champions.
Padley, who took the fight on just a few days' notice, hoped his performance against Stevenson would allow him to quit his day job and focus on boxing full-time. Despite the loss, his courageous effort against a top-tier opponent like Stevenson might open up new opportunities for him in the sport.
