Unbeaten Doncaster boxer Josh Padley talks to Harvey Hudson ahead of his fight with Mark Chamberlain, which is significant as it kicks off the first Riyadh Season event to be held on British soil.
JOSH Padley sees the Mark Chamberlain fight as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as he steps up from the small-time scene with no major promotional backing.
“It’s almost something you dream about and obviously the ultimate goal for every boxer, to get to this stage,” Padley explained as he recalled the leap from Elland Road to Wembley Stadium.
“It makes all the hard work you put in over the years worth it. When you have programs like this, these are goals you have to strive for so you have to pursue them.
“Coming to the small hall shows that you don’t always get to pick certain craftsmen who have a better track record. Obviously you’re tied to your ticket sales, so you can’t always afford to pay craftsmen who have a 50-50 track record or craftsmen who have a winning track record to move your rankings up there.
“You have to sort out what you can afford on your ticket, so it’s a little bit of a different path than someone like Mark’s competitor. He can probably afford better craftsmen than I can.”
Padley is well aware of the scenario and the task at hand, as his opponent is backed by the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh.
Chamberlain has been given a series of opportunities in the Riyadh Season and Turki Alalshikh has been vocal that he is one of his favourite fighters to watch.
This did not seem to faze Padley, however, and he felt it was his duty to tear the script apart.
“I mean it’s there to be taken,” he added. “Obviously if someone’s got a leg up on someone and you can go in there and upset it, it looks even better to me. So that’s exactly what I’m going in there to do.”
As an underdog at odds of 8/1 with some bookmakers, Padley realised what he believed is the reason behind this.
“The punters will go for the guy they see the most,” said the Doncaster lightweight.
“Obviously Mark has been on these big shows before and there is a lot of content about Mark and he has had a lot of stops. They will go with the information in front of them. A few of my friends have had a few bets so we will find out on fight night whether the bookies have done the right thing or not.”
Boxing News asked Padley about the speed with which the fight was proposed and accepted.
“I was originally offered it [the fight] the day before the press conference,” he said. answer.
“There was no preparation or anything like that. There was no indication that we might get an offer. It was a last-minute offer and a last-minute decision. I didn’t have time to think about it, because obviously the opportunity was the opportunity. There wasn’t really much convincing needed.”
Padley is no stranger to taking on fights on short notice. Late last year, he boxed twice in eight days, taking on the bouts at late notice.
“A week before we were boxing at Elland Road, we got a call asking if we wanted to come to Malta and fight a kid who was unknown,” he explained.
“We didn’t really know much about him, he was unbeaten at the time but I fancied the opportunity and it made sense to be busy. I knew the opposition at Elland Road weren’t my level so I thought why not. I thought I’d have two games in two weeks so it was a no-brainer for me.”
Boxing News pointed to the recent announcement that they would be increasing the capacity for the Wembley fight on 21 September and mentioned that the event would break the record for the largest ever boxing crowd in the UK.
“It’s great to be part of a historic boxing event in the UK,” he added. “When you obviously look at the real events that have taken place at Wembley, there are a select few.
So my name will be part of the select few who will have the opportunity to box at Wembley. That’s a major turning point for me to be a part of this event and to be part of a show of this scale.”
“I’m using this match to get the attention that my career has been missing. Like you said, I’ve been on small shows that have been hard to break into. This is my breakthrough moment now. I need to go out there and be my best self that night and do what I need to do.”
Boxing News mentioned sharing the event with music icon Liam Gallagher and rumours are rife that his brother, Noel, may be in attendance.
“There was talk on Twitter and stuff that wasn’t there,” laughed Padley. “It would be great, wouldn’t it? They’ve made up now and I know there are pictures of them back in the day with people like Ricky Hatton and they were both in the ring and stuff like that. It would fit in quite nicely with the event.”
“The Riyadh season card is not just a boxing show. It’s a real event with shows and all the biggest names and obviously all the biggest stars. They are make it a complete special occasion every time.”
When asked about the quality-over-quantity nature of the show, with six competitive matches from start to finish, Padley revealed a notable update on his match.
“I think I was first on the list,” he explained. “It was originally going to be for the WBC silver title. I might give you a little exclusive here. Obviously the game has changed now and I have to move up a weight class, which is not ideal but obviously I don’t want to miss out on an opportunity like this because they don’t come around. too often. So the fight will now be scheduled at super lightweight.
“I don’t think too much about it. I need to go in there and perform to the best of my ability and continue the task at hand and that is to beat Mark Chamberlain. I will do whatever it takes. Obviously I want to win the belt, but that’s not my decision.”
