Although he was stopped and wasn’t exactly competitive against Shakur Stevenson, Josh Padley’s name is incredibly hot.

It’s been practically impossible to get any top-tier lightweight to jump in the ring with the current WBC champ but Padley showed no fear, stepping in on less than a week's notice and putting his undefeated record on the line.

Technically, things didn’t work out for him, but it’s hard to focus on the loss. Padley made a boatload of money, quit his job as an electrician to be a full-time boxer, and ultimately, fought well.

The boxing world continues to cheer him on, and so is Joe Cordina. At one point, the former super featherweight titlist was supposed to share the ring with Stevenson but an injury to the former Olympic silver medalist saw that showdown fall by the wayside.

Cordina, of course, is hoping that Stevenson will return to the negotiating table and hammer out a deal with him. But while he’s hopeful, that ship has essentially sailed. Now that Stevenson is off the table and will remain that way, fighting Padley seems like the right path to take.

“It’s definitely a fight that I would be interested in,” said Cordina to Boxing News. “He’s on everybody’s lips at the moment.”

Cordina, at least to a large degree, is right. Padley may have handed over his undefeated record, but in return, he was given popularity. And while that’s good in terms of the opportunities that are coming his way, as far as his stature? Cordina (17-1, 9 KOs) isn’t convinced that a win over Padley would elevate him to the elite level in anyone’s eyes.

“Me beating him isn’t going to get me any closer to a world title,” continued Cordina. “But I definitely would be interested in the next maybe 10-12 months.”