Shakur Stevenson’s credibility has been questioned. What? Even though he emerged victorious in a 9th-round knockout victory against Josh Padley, did he really win? The Last Crescendo Fight in Riyadh will be remembered for so many reasons. It saw the first career loss of Artur Beterbiev at the hands of Dmitry Bivol, with more than one boxer getting replaced in the eleventh hour, and Shakur Stevenson’s struggle to hit an opponent of less caliber than the WBC World Lightweight Champion. As straightforward as it may seem, it was a real slap in the face. It only got worse when Josh Padley peeled back the curtain on his in-ring experience with the 27-year-old.

Soon after the fight came to an end, Josh Padley sat down with the Ring Magazine. A few hours later, the Ring Magazine shared a small clip of the interview with a caption that read, “🗣️ Josh Padley tells The Ring all about his experience of going nine rounds with Shakur Stevenson on four days’ notice.” What started as a victory lap for the Newark native quickly turned into a bitter pill to swallow. What did he reveal? Let’s find out.

If anything happens, it starts from here

In the interview, the reporter asked Josh Padley about his experience facing Shakur Stevenson, specifically regarding Stevenson’s punch power. The 29-year-old didn’t mince words. He mentioned that the headshots from Stevenson didn’t bother him. So, what caused him to hit the canvas three times in round nine? “The headshots weren’t bothering me. It was just the body, the conditioning for the body probably in 4 days’ notice,” Josh revealed. It’s obvious.

Padley had less than a week to prepare after Floyd Schofield Jr., who was originally scheduled for the February 22 fight, had to pull out due to being allegedly “poisoned.”

Working part-time as an electrician, Padley, who has a 15-1 record with 4 knockouts, is much less experienced than Stevenson. Even with that record, he was courageous enough to take the fight. And the Newark native respects him for that. This was his first title shot, and despite being at a significant disadvantage in terms of experience and preparation, he managed to put up a tough fight. Eventually, he was knocked out, but his performance under such circumstances was impressive.

Interestingly, Gervonta Davis didn’t miss a beat when he saw Shakur Stevenson’s performance in Riyadh. His jab certainly threw a wrench in the works.

Shakur Stevenson vs. Gervonta Davis: The battle for bragging rights

Even before the winner was announced for the Shakur Stevenson and Josh Padley fight, Tank Davis noticed the 27-year-old’s struggle to knock his opponent down in early rounds. He took to X and posted “lol,” perhaps mocking Stevenson’s difficulty. Not just that. A few days ago, in an interview with Jay Hill Network, Davis dismissed Stevenson’s achievements, calling them “amateur” and criticizing him for not fighting elite-level opponents. He moreover added that the Newark native has not done anything for the sport of boxing yet.

In response, Stevenson fired back, saying Davis wouldn’t dare fight Edwin De Los Santos. “Ni–a wouldn’t dare fight Del Los Santos. Who he fights that’s cracking and got skills..,” the Southpaw from the USA wrote. Apart from that, he further pointed out that the only notable opponent Davis faced was Ryan Garcia, who he claimed was weight-drained before the fight. “Only ni–a was Ryan, and he weight drained the shit out of him!!” Shakur Stevenson added.

However, boxing analyst Elie Seckbach clarified that Davis doesn’t solely choose his opponents, as promoters decide who fighters face. Despite this, Stevenson is eager for a showdown with Davis, particularly since Davis is nearing the end of his career. Stevenson is pushing for the fight to happen sooner rather than later and has been vocal about wanting it since last year.

With that said, what do you think about Josh Padley? Do you think he would have come out on top if he had more time to prepare?