England’s Josh Padley could win his first major professional title when he takes on Frenchman Jaouad Belmehdi for the vacant European junior lightweight championship on January 31 at the Newcastle Arena. The contest was today confirmed by Matchroom Boxing on social media as an addition to the Bakhram Murtazaliev-Josh Kelly bill.
The 27-year-old Belmehdi, 23-2-3 (11 KOs), will be returning after an August 2025 12-round points defeat to Can Xu in China, though British fans might remember him for lasting just 35 seconds with Gary Scully inside Wembley Arena three years ago.
This fight represents 30-year-old Padley’s second tilt over the championship distance. The first, when a late substitute, saw him stopped in nine rounds by Shakur Stevenson last February. The courageous nature of his effort to upset the revered Stevenson saw him rewarded with a contract from Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.
Since then, the 17-1 (5 KOs) Padley has stopped Marko Cventanovic in five rounds and outpointed Reece Bellotti over 10. He will be a healthy favourite to make it three wins in a row against Belmehdi.
