On Saturday night, as the co-main, WBC super featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster (22-2, 12 KOs) defends his title against veteran contender Robson Conceição (18-2-1, 9 KOs) live on ESPN. Foster, from Orange, TX, is again facing a tough contender in Conceição, who has gone the distance with Emanuel Navarrete, Shakur Stevenson, and Oscar Valdez. Although he struggled to make weight and didn’t look his best in February’s fight against Abraham Nova, Foster wants to show the world what an injury-free version of himself can do and why he should fight for the Ring Magazine title in the near future.
Foster hasn’t had the easiest of career paths, and it seems like he is constantly having to prove to others how much he is really worth. After capturing the WBC title in February 2023 against Rey Vargas (an avoided fighter due to his height and reach), Foster went to Mexico in October and stopped Eduardo Hernandez in the 12th round of their fight. It was a fight where he needed a knockout to win, as the judges there had him down. Recognizing his talents and the void they had at 130 lbs., Top Rank signed Foster to a deal in November, and three months later, he was headlining an ESPN card at the Theater inside Madison Square Garden in NYC.
Everything came pretty quickly for Foster, as Top Rank knew just what they had on their hands. Headlining a card on a huge network like ESPN comes with its own pressures, and although Foster was injured (and hiding it from his team), he wasn’t going to let it stop him from finally getting the spot he had long desired. Foster again showed a ton of heart and, when he needed it the most, produced a knockdown in the last round of the Abraham Nova fight to secure the split decision victory. It wasn’t his best performance, as he struggled to make weight the day before and showed less movement. After FightsATW spoke to Foster, it was revealed that he had an injured foot that he fought through, which affected his performance.
“It was an amazing show as I got to bring out my family. I just wanted to go out there and put on a great performance. I’m from a small town (Orange) in Texas, so being the main event at the Madison Square Garden was a blessing. I had a foot injury that I should have disclosed to my trainers and stuff, but I knew how big fighting at the Madison Square Garden was for me so I couldn’t mess things up or cancel it.”
Between his last fight in February and starting training camp for Conceicao, Foster spent all his time recovering from injuries. “I had to go to the doctor. I had a muscle contusion on my arm, a fracture on my thumb, and I was in a boot for 2-3 weeks because I had torn my plantar (fascia) in January. I had to rehab the foot for about a month and a half. I couldn’t really do too much and was in chill mode.” Foster had to ensure he nursed those injuries as the opponents would only get tougher, and he can’t afford to be any less than 100 percent for those types of fights.
Foster will face Conceição, a gatekeeper of sorts for world champions on Saturday night. If you are a champ who needs to elevate before heading to a unification bout or just a bigger fight, he’s the guy you must get through. Foster fully understands what Conceição brings to the table, therefore he is not taking him lightly, with the eyes of the boxing world paying close attention to his fight. “I see him as a good, tricky, awkward fighter. He throws a lot of punches, especially early in the fight. He comes to fight, and that’s what I like and respect about him. I feel like it will force me to put on a great performance and allow me to separate myself from the guys he’s fought.”
For the first time since winning his world title against Rey Vargas, Foster said that he went through training camp as a healthy fighter. Foster told FightsATW that “training camp was fun again” and that he reverted back to some of the old things he used to do regarding conditioning and technique.
This fight has a lot riding on it as Foster sits at number two in the Ring Magazine rankings for super featherweight, with Emanuel Navarrete being number one. The WBO has ordered Navarrete to fight Oscar Valdez once again, and the winner could face Foster for the Ring Magazine title if they are in the top two spots. Is the Ring title something he envisions as part of his 2024 plan? “I’ll take it. Whoever wins out of them two (Navarrete & Valdez), hopefully we can get a chance at that belt. That’ll be big to get that Ring Magazine belt. I would love that.”
Although Foster’s goals are within the 130-pound division, he isn’t going to wait around if the other champions fail to get in the ring with him. He has no issues moving up and going after even bigger names at lightweight. “As long as I can get some of those other titlists, then yeah, I can still get it in (make 130 pounds). If I can’t get the other titlist to unify, I’ll make my way up (to lightweight). I only had one problem making 130, which was my last fight. I don’t see myself having that problem for this upcoming fight, but again, if I can’t get those other guys, then I will move up.”
Discover more from Fights Around The World
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
