WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson hasn’t been having the best week! Just days ago, rising star Floyd Schofield Jr. dropped out of the fight, forcing Stevenson to settle for England’s undefeated Josh Padley. However, trouble doesn’t seem to have left the Newark native, as he prepares for the upcoming bout on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol.

Last year, ‘Sugar’ Stevenson was forced to withdraw from the fight against Joe Cordina, which was supposed to take place on the undercard of Beterbiev vs. Bivol’s first bout. Stevenson had reportedly torn his sagittal band and collateral ligament, which required him to undergo surgery immediately.

Since then, some have speculated that Stevenson’s hand has become somewhat of a weak point in his overall arsenal. Regardless, Stevenson is set to make his first appearance since the surgery, but everything might not be well in paradise, as renowned trainer Robert Garcia shared an update on Stevenson’s hand.

Garcia is in Riyadh to support his star boxer Vergil Ortiz Jr. against Israil Madrimov, a fight Ortiz won via unanimous decision only minutes ago. Nonetheless, while in Riyadh, he saw Stevenson train for his fight and told Boxing Scene there still could be some cause for concern. “We’ve been watching him train here in Saudi,” he began.

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“And obviously last week… what I see from him is he’s training really light when it comes to punching. He’s not throwing any hard punches, he’s just throwing speed combinations. He’s not even doing mitt work, he’s doing paddle work where he’s not even landing any hard punches,” he added. This led Garcia to question, “Is his hand 100%? Is he okay?”

That said, does Stevenson need to worry? More importantly, who is Stevenson’s opponent, Josh Padley?

Meet Josh Padley, fighting Shakur Stevenson

Josh Padley is a British lightweight boxer and part-time electrician who has shocked the boxing world by stepping in on just four days’ notice to fight Shakur Stevenson for the WBC World lightweight title. Born in Doncaster, England, Padley has been a professional for six years, maintaining an undefeated record of 15 wins with 4 knockouts.

His breakthrough moment came in September 2024 when he upset Mark Chamberlain at Wembley Stadium, catching the attention of boxing fans. Until then, he had been competing in smaller events while balancing his job as an electrician.

Now, Padley faces the biggest challenge of his career against Stevenson, an elite, undefeated champion. Fighting in Saudi Arabia for the first time, he has a chance to pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent British boxing history. Win or lose, this underdog story has already cemented Padley as a name to watch.

It appears Shakur Stevenson might not go all out against Padley tonight to maybe prevent further damage to his hand. However, there’s no concrete evidence that his hand is still causing him pain. In fact, Stevenson has clarified that he is 100% ready for the fight. What do you think?