As fans have read, Floyd Schofield is out of Saturday’s fight with Shakur Stevenson, Schofield having come down ill, with him deemed too sick to be able to fight. There are some accusations of Schofield having been “poisoned,” with Schofield’s father stating the following:
“Floyd will be ok and make a full recovery….someone tried to kill him,” he said.
It’s not clear just who took it upon themselves to “poison” Schofield or why, but the fighter’s father has made it clear he is not trying to lay any blame on Stevenson or any member of his team. There is sure to be more to this story over the coming days.
But a late sub has been found to challenge Stevenson, with Britain’s Josh Padley agreeing to come in for what is the chance of a lifetime. Currently unbeaten at 15-0(4), it goes without saying that the 29-year-old from Yorkshire will be taking a huge step up in class with this fight. Padley last boxed in September, when he won a decision over Mark Chamberlain, this a big upset. But is there any way Padley can score an even bigger upset over Stevenson, 22-0(10)?
Stevenson spoke with Talk Sport, and he said he has watched just one round of Padley in action to prepare himself for Saturday. Stevenson said of Padley that he will “beat him up and let him know he’s in there with an elite-level fighter.”
“[His background] means he wants it a lot more than anybody else,” Stevenson said of Padley, who works as an electrician when he is not boxing. “I’m gonna beat him up, though, that’s what I’m going to do. Honestly, I watched one round [of Padley fighting], and I said, let’s make it happen. I’m willing to fight anybody.”
So, what kind of a fight, what kind of a challenge, can Padley give southpaw Stevenson? With basically nothing to lose, and with no pressure on him, Padley might be able to stick around for a while and even win some rounds on Saturday. Anything more, and it would rank as a real shocker. Stevenson is, after all, one of the best boxers, pound-for-pound, out there today.
