How Josh Padley was thrust into Sheffield Arena spotlight
Josh Padley couldn't believe his eyes when he turned his phone on, after a training session.
The Armthorpe fighter discovered through a flurry of messages from friends - rather than his own promoters - that he had been elevated to headline Sheffield Arena on June 6.
His device had lit up as pals messaged him with news he had not even heard from Matchroom themselves.
An injury to Sheffield world champion Dalton Smith had initially bumped him up the pecking order.
But when Galal Yafai was hurt during his training camp, Matchroom propelled Padley up to star billing.
"I had been having a fitness session and it was only afterwards when I picked up my phone that I noticed messages from friends that I was headliner" said Padley, who is rated 14th in the world by the WBC and 19th by Boxrec.
"It is an unexpected opportunity, another page in the story that is my career. I am just grateful that Matchroom have kept it going and I am excited about it."
The reigning European Super Featherweight champion had headlined before at small hall shows in Worksop and at Doncaster Dome earlier in his 19-fight career, but never on a big TV-streamed show before.
His happiness is shaded by sympathy for injured duo Smith and Yafai, though.
"It is never nice when this happens during training camp I have been very fortunate in that way, touch wood.
"Boxers are not getting paid if they have to pull out unless they have got good sponsors. I am just grateful Matchroom hasn't pulled the show."
Being the headliner doesn't make that much difference, Padley, 30, told The Star.
"There is a bit more media bult as I am the main part of the bill but as far as the fight (against Oldham's Aqib Fiaz) goes it is the same aim that it was before.
"The fight hasn't changed and I don't feel any more pressure, I am going in there to do what I need to do.
"The biggest change is I am not on until 10pm now, when I was third in the bill it was scheduled for 8pm.
"The money doesn't go up, it's a fixed amount."
Filling Sheffield Arena for a boxing match is not easy to do - some of the biggest names in domestic boxing have failed to do that.
So it will be interesting to see what sort of crowd the show attracts.
"Dave Allen came close to filling it (against Arslanbek Makhmudov in October) but I don't know how the undercard is selling" said Padley, who is defending the European title he won at Newcastle Arena, in January.
The show includes two other fighters from South Yorkshire.
THE BILL:
Josh Padley 18 1 0, Doncaster, V Aqib Fiaz 14 1 0, Oldham, super featherweight
Ibrahim Nadim 16 1 0, Keighley, V Ibraheem Sulaimaan, Birmingham, super feather
Aaron Bowen 7 1 0, Coventry, V Troy Coleman 15 4 1, Staffordshire, middle
Leo Atang 6 0 0, York, V Fouad Shaili, France, 5 4 2 heavy
Adam Maca 5 0 0, Brighton, V TBA super feather
Edward Hardy, Doncaster, 6 0 0 V TBA feather
Connor Mitchell 2 0 0, Essex V Jesus Carrasco 2 4 2, Spain, feather
Chris Mulunda 2 0 0, Sheffield, V Connor Goulding 6 11 0, Liverpool, middle