JOSH PEDLY’S world was turned upside down when he received a shock call to light up Anthony Joshua’s undercard.
The 28-year-old Doncaster electrician had to carry out small-haul circuit work early in his career at places such as his local Holiday Inn and more recently at a Bradford hotel.
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But on Saturday he will face Mark Chamberlain at Wembley Stadium in the AJ vs. Daniel Dubois show, which will be broadcast in front of 96,000 fans worldwide.
And thankfully, his boss on site has supported his attempt to make a radical change to his life and now instead of going for a tip once again, he has received a tip for a life-changing night.
The 14-0 veteran told SunSport: “I set my alarm for 6am but then I got a call telling me I had to be in London the next day for the launch press conference at 3pm.
“The call came just as I was about to leave my job and work on my home, so I had a cart full of rubbish ready to take to the local bin.
“So I sent a message to the people I was supposed to work with and told them, ‘I won’t be coming tomorrow, you’ll have to work without me.’
“I didn’t tell my boss, I got messages from him saying, ‘Where are you?’ and then there was a message saying, ‘Are you on the AJ undercard?’
“I had to open up and they replied, ‘This isn’t a great thing for the next few jobs we have lined up – but we’re very happy for you.’
“They immediately started thinking of ways they could help and support me, because they knew the opportunity was huge.
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“I’m the biggest underdog on the whole card, everyone else is a superstar or a well-backed prospect. But I’m going to bring the fire.”
Victory over the Portsmouth lightweight boxer – who is the favourite boxer of Saudi boxing supreme leader Turki Alalshikh – would put Padley on the big stage.
But he’s not trying to bad-mouth his opponent or grab headlines, he just wants to swap his hi-vis for higher-stakes bouts.
The underdog isn’t too bothered about money for the mega-match either, as he believes his wife, Silvana, would have already spent the money at Ikea.
He said: “I am not here to get paid.”
“I want the next challenge or title that comes after winning.
“And any money I make won’t be worth anything because my girlfriend is renovating the house with me, so she will have spent every penny in my wallet, no doubt about it.”
How AJ made his way to the top
Anthony Joshua made several attempts to reach the top of the world, only to be knocked down later.
There’s a lot of buzz about the cash involved in these new Riyadh Season shows, being held in the desert, Los Angeles and now London.
But stories like Padley’s – about brave working class boys and girls risking their lives for the sport they love – remind us that increased pay for fighters can always be a good thing.
He said: “I usually get up at 5.50am, and go to work with my friends, last week we were about an hour away.
“I get off work and go home and I’m renovating my house at the moment so I put another hour on that, go to the gym for an hour at 5pm, come home, eat dinner, go to bed and then do this, do this and do this.
“Wembley will be a big stage, I’ve only boxed in shows with small halls.
“The press conference room at Wembley Arena was bigger than most places I’ve worked in, so it’s a step up.
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“But this is what I want, I want to change my life, I don’t want to go back to the construction sites after September 21. So I’m grabbing it with both hands.”
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Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois: Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the huge world title fight at Wembley
