Josh Padley says he's in a position to quit his day job as an electrician and focus on being a full-time boxer following his championship clash against Shakur Stevenson.
Boxing star Stevenson was due to defend his WBC lightweight title against fellow American Floyd Schofield on the undercard of Riyadh Season's The Last Crescendo event.
On fight week, however, Schofield was forced to pull out after being hospitalised following an illness.
Organisers of the event turned to Padley, who answered the call, having installed solar panels in his hometown before flying out to Saudi Arabia to challenge for the iconic green and gold belt.
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After accepting the bout against Stevenson, Padley took the pound-for-pound talent to the ninth round before being stopped.
Despite suffering the first defeat of his professional career, the 29-year-old earned 'life-changing money' as he reportedly received $500,000 (£395,000).
A few days removed from his valiant showing, he joined the Ariel x Ade: The Boxing Show to discuss his earnings and the chance to turn his full attention to his career in the ring.
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Asked if he pocketed a fee big enough to walk away from his day job, Padley replied: "That's the position that it's now put me in. I'm very fortunate for that. Obviously, this is what I've craved for the last 6 years. Trying to be a pro and working at the same time being a pro and everything has been a bit of an uphill battle.
"And now, I'm in fortunate for in position where I can put the working on hold just fully concentrate on boxing which is absolutely over the moon."
The English boxer had won all his 15 fights before facing Stevenson and notably beat Mark Chamberlain on the undercard of Daniel Dubois vs. Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium last September.
He could return to action in a huge match as GBM Sports have made an offer to Padley to face Maxi Hughes on their May 23 card at Doncaster Rover's Eco-Power Stadium.
Topics: Boxing
Nasir Jabbar