Brad Paul pulled off an upset Saturday night coming from behind to stop the undefeated Shakiel Thompson. Brad was having major trouble with the tall, slick southpaw and needed a knockout to win.
“I knew it was really, really, really close on the scorecards,” he said.
"My corner had told me ‘forget about boxing, do what you do best, now it’s time to have a fight and empty the tank on him’.
“The time was running out and I knew I had to put a dent in him and put him down, so I just gave him my absolute all and it paid off.”
He admits he wondered whether he would fight at title level again before getting his shot at Thompson:
“Those thoughts do cross your mind,” he said.
"When you’re left on the sideline with no fights for so long and not getting offered any big fights, and none of the TV fights were presenting themselves, you do lose hope a little bit, you feel a little bit used and abused and sort of thrown to the side.
"But I knew if I kept in the gym and I kept working hard, I think that I have a lot of value and they’d want me for another opportunity, and when it came I had to really take it with both hands because they don’t come often.
“You really have to seize the moment and with these big fights it’s take the risk or lose the chance, and I just had to take the risk in a hard fight and rip up the script and that’s what I did.”
Now Paul is looking at a possible IBF title against Etinosa Oliha.