Josh Padley is expecting to face a real test of his junior lightweight credentials when he makes his 130-pound debut against Reece Bellotti.

Just two weeks ago, Bellotti was stopped in the 12th and final round of his vacant European title fight with Ryan Garner.

The 35-year-old may have lost his British and Commonwealth belts but his whole hearted effort and decision to chase an unlikely knockout victory rather than navigate his way to a decision defeat proved that he still has his desire and determination.

Padley (16-1, 5 KOs) is seen as a fighter on the rise, but he knows that Bellotti (20-6, 15 KOs) isn’t the type of character who will go through the motions and turn up for a payday.

He knows that he will have a real fight on his hands when the two meet on the undercard of the heavyweight fight between Dave Allen and Arslanbek Makhmudov on Oct. 11. DAZN will broadcast the event from Sheffield, England.

“He's no pushover, Reece, and he comes time and time again. Within the fight, he's not going to be giving you any room whatsoever. That's his style,” Padley told The Ring.

“You've just got to look at Reece's career. It's not the first time he's lost. He’s lost, what is it now, five, six times? But he comes back.

“I'm obviously mindful of the fact that people say he might be on his way out. That's not Reece’s style. If he were going to do that, he'd have done that when he went on a couple of fight losing streak before.

“He hasn't got it in him. He just comes to give it everything he's got. With the Garner fight, the better man just won on the night so I'm sure Reece is going to come and try and put his wrongs right against me.”

Unless you are a close follower of the regional British scene, it is highly likely that you know Padley, 29, for his exploits on Riyadh Season cards.

In September 2024 he stepped up to 140 pounds and upset the highly touted Mark Chamberlain on the undercard of Daniel Dubois’ knockout of Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium.

This February, Floyd Schofield’s late withdrawal left event organisers scrambling for somebody to challenge Shakur Stevenson for his WBC lightweight title. Padley answered a desperately late call, and although he was stopped in the ninth round his game effort earned him respect.

His reward was a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing and the opportunity to make boxing his sole occupation rather than combining it with his job as an electrician.

The Stevenson excursion was a lucrative but premature step into world class, but Padley now has the security and backing to build properly.

“My career's a bit of a funny one because I've sort of been to the pinnacle of the sport before I've come up through the domestic scene,” he said.

“I went from a Central Area title fight to fighting at Wembley and it should have been for a WBC silver title against Chamberlain, but the weight got changed and we had to pull the fight for the belt so it's a bit of a funny one.

“Now I've been up at world level, it's about coming down a little bit but I also want to get back up there so I think Reece is the perfect opportunity.”

Britain has a rich mix of fighters competing at 130. Garner and experienced WBA interim champion Jazza Dickens will eventually become Padley’s natural targets but his own profile will make him a target for a youngsters Royston Barney-Smith, Giorgio Visioli and Ibraheem Sulaimaan.

Bellotti sits somewhere in the middle. He has separated himself from his domestic rivals and only came up short at European level.

He should provide Padley an ideal gauge of where he stands in his new weight class.

“Those guys obviously have never really been on my radar because I've obviously always been at lightweight and sometimes I’ve even have to be up at super lightweight,” he said.

“Now that I'm down there, [Bellotti] is a perfect name for me to make a statement against in my first fight at junior lightweight.”