Make no mistake, but Josh Padley knows he is tipped as the fall man for unbeaten Portsmouth banger Mark Chamberlain, with the little-known 28-year-old, an electrician by trade, missing out on the Wembley edition opener. Cannon fodder.
Turki Al-Alshikh, Chamberlain's so-called “biggest fan”, has been busy with the pocket rocket soaring from every angle, along with stunned punters.
Not only will he fight for future titles and a dose of respect, this career-best win saw Padley rocket. Boxing news UK lightweight rankings from ninth to third.
Now sitting behind Maxi Hughes and Sam Noakes, although the bout is officially at 140, the man's next move could officially include super-lightweight, a complication of non-title affairs regarding long-term plans.
Regardless, Padley's plea to “get in touch” with interested promoters is now sure to be answered with a well-deserved Big Show payday.
Unliked by many ahead of his Riyadh season debut, Padley comfortably moved up in weight and used spot-on tactics over 10 rounds to stretch, confuse and confuse Chamberlain for long spells of the contest. Armthorpe joked earlier that the man held the pre-fight press conference in smaller venues than the host venue.
After putting Chamberlain on the canvas in the eighth round and benefiting from a point deduction bonus in the ninth round, Josh earned a unanimous decision victory and has now established himself as a reliable player at 140, 135 or 130.
