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Add FightsATW on GoogleWhat is at stake for O’Shaquie Foster and Emanuel Navarrete when they meet on Saturday night?
Foster holds the WBC super featherweight title, while Navarrete holds the WBO and IBF titles. The winner of the bout taking place at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, will be in the driver’s seat for an undisputed fight next year and much more.
So let’s look beneath the surface:
Fight for “Fighter of the Year”
Let’s be honest, this has been a hard year to be a fight fan. Naoya Inoue’s victory over Junto Nakatani is the most notable of the year and could earn him the title of best boxer. That said, if this fight merits a dominant performance or something special, both Foster and Navarrete would have two wins over good fighters. So, not only could the winner become undisputed next year, but they could also be the best fighter of the year. That means something.
Is ‘Shock’ Really Underrated?
Foster never gets credit. He went to Frank De Alba’s hometown and beat him. Then he beat Jon Fernandez on ShoBox, when Fernandez was an unbeaten puncher. His CV is among the better ones in boxing, but, like Oleksandr Usyk, Foster is making a career of beating high-risk, low-reward fighters. He beat Rey Vargas, when most thought Vargas was unbeatable. Down on the cards, Foster stopped Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez in the 12th round, when he needed a knockout.
Then he signs with Top Rank and beats Abraham Nova in a good fight. Against Robson Conceicao, many observers scored the bout for him, but he was the victim of low output and potentially bad scores. He would lose a disputed split decision, then win the rematch. When he beat Stephen Fulton, it was dismissed after Fulton struggled at the scale. When he defeated Raymond Ford, it came and went as well.
Foster has fought and beaten a lot of good fighters; yet despite that, it seems like people always question whether Foster is a pound-for-pound guy.
Low Output
Here is the knock on Foster. Sometimes he doesn’t have a ton of volume. He is a sharpshooter. He lands his blows and, at times, looks to be perfect. Sadly, the world is imperfect, and this strategy can make rounds closer than they should be. This is probably the argument many will make for Navarrete to win. Navarrete is a high-volume, wild swinger.
Navarrete’s Recent Run
Dating back to November 2023, Navarrete hasn’t been on a good run. Sure, that summer he fought Oscar Valdez in what the promotion hoped would be a Mexican classic; instead, it seemed Navarrete was too big for Valdez. That was followed by a draw with Conceicao in a fight in which Navarrete appeared to lose every round he didn’t drop Conceicao in. He followed that with a lackluster loss to Denys Berinchyk in his lightweight debut. Once again, movement befuddled Navarrete.
In December 2024, Navarrete would stop Valdez in a rematch, then was lucky to skate with his title when a punch from Charley Suarez opened a cut that stopped the fight with Navarrete, but it was incorrectly called a head clash. In February, Navarrete stopped Eduardo Nunez in a style matchup that suited him.
In short, Navarrete seems to excel when opponents come to him and has struggled with movement. For a perceived 50-50 fight, this seems like an odd run to bank on against a talented boxer.
What Does The Eye Test And Odds Say?
Both favor Foster.
For me, Foster is a sizable favorite. He is the exact style that Navarrete has struggled against. Navarrete looks amazing when matched with come-forward fighters, but the Berinchyk fight was awful, especially given how he has looked since. The key to the fight is how Foster absorbs blows and takes damage. Navarrete has many of Vargas’s traits but is a little more reckless.
In my opinion, the fight will be one-sided for Foster. The oddsmakers have Foster as a slight favorite.
What To Know About The Undercard
Welcome To The Big Time “Chop Chop”
Featherweight is wide open, even more so after Brandon Figueroa missed weight and lost his belt. Albert Gonzalez will face Edward Vazquez. “Chop Chop” Gonzalez looks like a future world champion; Vazquez, on the other hand, is a tricky opponent. Only Rafael Espinoza stopped him, and he gave Joe Cordina and Raymond Ford tough fights. This is a chance for Gonzalez to become a name in the division.
Frank Martin Is Debuting With Top Rank
Martin will make his debut against a true spoiler, Tarik Zaina. Zaina is going to move a lot and be awkward. Martin is coming off a career-worst performance against Nahir “Woo” Albright, where he was lucky to get a draw. Martin has to show he can cut off the ring in this fight, or this could be a weird fight.
Steven Navarro vs. Emanuel Moreno
An amateur national tournament rematch. The two fought in the 2023 youth national championships, and you have to think that Navarro’s bizarre early-career loss (which should be a no-contest) makes prospects more eager to face him. Navarro is one of the best amateurs of the last decade; that said, he is taking hard fights early, and damage is mounting on his face.
Moreno is a Texan who is unbeaten but untested. While most might be eager for Foster vs. Navarrete, this might provide the real drama.
Scooter Davis and Sammy Contreras
Deric “Scooter” Davis had a tough outing in his last fight. He looks to bounce back on the undercard. He is a compelling fighter, and Sammy Contreras Jr. is a very talented lowerweight fighter. His teammate, Kevin Anton, just picked up a big win last week.
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