Josh Padley is relishing the pressure that has come from his transformation from plucky underdog to red-hot favourite.

Just 13 months ago, there were few outside of Armthorpe, Yorkshire who knew much about the undefeated pro, known to his mates as ‘Paddy’, who fitted solar panels for a day job.

But his life changed on September 21 last year when he was matched with Portsmouth puncher Mark Chamberlain, who appeared to be on a path towards world title opportunities and who had been identified as Turki Alalshikh’s favourite fighter.

Padley was priced at 12-1 to win at Wembley against Chamberlain but he made a mockery of those odds and earned those of his friends who chose to back him a handsome return as he dropped the favourite en route to a clear 10-round unanimous decision.

“I was obviously confident when I headed to Wembley,” Padley tells The Ring. “I knew that was really my opportunity to turn everything around.

“I thought I would win, then get signed and then go on the usual path as most pros do, building your way up, but that’s not how it went.”

Instead, just five months later, Padley was an even wider underdog when he answered a last-minute call to face Shakur Stevenson at ANB Arena, Riyadh after his initial opponent Floyd Schofield pulled out on fight week due to illness.

Padley, who was working when he received the phone call offering him the shot at Stevenson, got on the next available flight and went toe-to-toe with Stevenson. He was dropped three times before his corner threw in the towel but he emerged from the event with credit given how late he had stepped in.

“I wasn’t expecting that opportunity over in Riyadh and to go down that route. With that in mind it’s quite an unusual career that I’ve had so far, but it has worked out brilliantly in the end.”

Off the back of that performance against The Ring’s pound-for-pound No. 8 Stevenson, the 29-year-old signed a promotional deal with Matchroom, which enabled him to pack up his job and become a full-time boxer.

He had beaten Chamberlain at 140 pounds and then boxed at lightweight against Stevenson and again in his comeback fight against Marko Cvetanovic on April 19. But his new regime has now enabled Padley (16-1, 5 KOs) to train his way right down to the 130-pound super-featherweight limit.

His first fight in the new division takes place on Saturday at Sheffield Arena but he is no longer the rank outsider. Instead, he is a wide favourite to overcome Reece Bellotti, the 4/1 outsider who lost to Ryan Garner just 11 weeks ago.

“As the underdog there’s no pressure and I know all about that,” Padley says. “If you are a massive underdog like I was with Shakur, like I was with Chamberlain there was no pressure on me whatsoever. Everybody expected me to lose. If you did any better than losing it was a bonus.

“But in my last fight I did feel the pressure because I was expected to do that job and I did feel that in that one.

“Now in this fight there is pressure on me to keep performing but I’m really confident, I’ve had a good camp which I think overtakes that pressure. I know that how I’ve been feeling in camp and how I’ve been performing in sparring means I can do the job on the night.

“I’ve had a really good camp this time so any pressure is shrouded by how good I’m feeling this time.

“I always wanted to be in the position where I didn’t have to go to work because I knew that given time I’d be even better. I knew there was another level to get myself to so that was always the goal.

“Fast forward now a year past that point where it all changed for me and I’ve been able to prove a few times what sort of fighter I am and what I’m capable of.”