Scholarly boss with evidence of debts (8)
I believe the answer is:
studious
'scholarly' is the definition.
('studious' can be similar in meaning to 'scholarly')
'boss with evidence of debts' is the wordplay.
'boss' becomes 'stud' ('stud' can be a synonym of 'boss').
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'evidence of debts' becomes 'ious' (I've seen this in other clues).
'stud'+'ious'='STUDIOUS'
(Other definitions for studious that I've seen before include "Diligent, assiduous" , "with great care" , "Bookish, scholarly" , "possessing industry" , "Academic, diligent" .)