Josh Padley’s Matchroom Debut (April 19th): Facing Marko Cvetanovic for WBA International Title After Shakur Stevenson Loss

Josh Padley faces Serbian Marko Cvetanovic in a 10-round undercard contest for the WBA International Lightweight Title on April 19th, live on DAZN at the Park Community Arena in Sheffield, England.

Padley-Cvetanovic will be battling on the Dalton Smith vs. Mathieu Germain undercard for this event. Given the lower placement, it’s not expected to be a competitive fight. Of course, with Padley’s lack of power, you can’t rule out a closely fought fight from start to finish. You can expect Cvetanovic to target Padley’s body because that is where he proved to be vulnerable in his last fight.

Matchroom Debut

This is the first of a multi-fight contract Padley (15-1, 4 KOs) recently signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing after his game effort, losing to WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson by a ninth-round knockout on February 22nd in Riyadyh, Saudi Arabia.

Padley was recruited by Hearn as the replacement opponent for Shakur after the initially scheduled guy, Floyd Schofield, pulled out. Hearn took some criticism from fans for choosing the light-hitting, part-time boxer Padley over the unbeaten #10 WBC-ranked Jadier Herrera (17-0, 15 KOs), who would have made for a far more interesting fight for Shakur.

Some fans thought Hearn was protecting Stevenson to keep him from getting knocked out and save a potential big-money fight against the superstar of the lightweight division, Gervonta Davis.

The four-year pro Marko Cvetanovic (13-0, 6 KOs) has one notable name on his resume, journeyman Viorel Simion, who has fought many well-known fighters during his career. Cvetanovic stopped the 43-year-old Simion in the third round due to an injury last year on June 28th. Other than him, Cvetanovic has largely fought veterans and prospects during his short career. He started off as a kick-boxer in 2018 but abandoned that after one successful fight to focus on boxing.

Lightweight Limits

Padley’s lack of power makes it difficult for him to be matched against any of the big punchers or the slick fighters in the lightweight division. You can’t match him against the likes of Abdullah Mason, Raymond Muratalla, or Edwin De Los Santos and expect him to make it to the fourth round. Hearn may choose target fighters like Denys Berinchyk, Maxi Hughes or Joe Cordina as options for Padley. Putting him in with the 22-year-old Jadier Herrera would be a bad idea.

April 19th Full Card

Dalton Smith vs. Mathieu Germain
Ishmael Davis vs. Ryan Kelly
Josh Warrington vs. Asad Asif Khan
Josh Padley vs. Marko Cvetanovic
Giorgio Visioli vs. Kane Baker
Joe Howarth vs. Mario Valenzuela Portillo
Emmanuel Buttigieg vs. TBA