Chris Algieri doesn’t see newly crowned WBC super featherweight O’Shaquie Foster, who doesn’t match up well against the winner of the December 7th rematch between Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez.
(Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
Foster’s lack of punching power will put him at a massive disadvantage against the winner or loser of the Navarrete-Vadez fight. Foster says he wants that fight next, but it’ll be up to Top Rank to make that match. Given the amount of boos from fans watching the Conceicao vs. Foster rematch, it wouldn’t be a wise move for Top Rank to invest money in that match.
Algieri says Foster O’Shaquie Foster (23-3, 12 KOs) focused on making his opponents miss, but he doesn’t make them pay with return fire. In other words, Foster is all defense and no offense, which has been his problem his entire career.
Foster scrapped by with a 12-round split decision win over WBC champion Robson Conceicao (19-3-1, 9 KOs) in their rematch last Saturday night at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
The fight was close enough to go either way, but two of the judges favored Foster by the scores 115-113, 115-113, while the third had it 115-113. Foster, 31, wilted in the final three rounds and took punishment against the ropes by the harder-working Conceicao.
“36-years-old is 36-years-old. Age matters. There was a stretch in the middle rounds where you could see him start to fade, and then he dug deep because he’s a rough character,” said Chris Algieri to Probox TV about Robson Conceicao last Saturday night in his 12-round split decision loss to O’Shaquie Foster in their rematch.
Conceicao looked like the younger fighter inside the ring. Foster didn’t look young by any means in that fight, and he gassed out big time in the championship rounds from the more energetic Conceicao.
“He started pushing the action again. He was able to pin O’Shaquie against the ropes a lot of times because he doesn’t have a consistent jab to keep a guy at bay. That is something O’Shaquie is severely lacking,” said Algieri. “He does not have a consistent jab. He makes you miss but doesn’t make you pay for it and allows a guy like Conceicao to keep ripping and roaring.”
The reason Conceicao was able to “pin” Foster against the ropes is because he was nailing him with looping shots in the center of the ring. Foster didn’t like his punishment, so he beat cheeks to the ropes, hoping to block the shots.
“I like O’Shaquie Foster. I think he’s fun to watch. He’s always in close because he always done just enough. That style is not going to match up well with either [Oscar] Valdez and [Emanuel] Navarrete, especially Navarrete because he’s all over you. It makes sense that would be the next fight, but I wouldn’t favor him in either,” said Algieri.
It’s not just Navarrete and Valdez that would be a nightmare for Foster. He would have problems against Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez, Anthony Cacace, or Raymond Ford. He’s an O’Shaquie is an OLD 31, and he’s not the fighter he once was since his grueling fight against Eduardo Hernandez on October 28th, 2023. Foster pulled out a 12th-round knockout in a fight that he was losing, but the match took a lot out of him. Hernandez was lighting Foster up like a Christmas tree in that fight and had him on the brink of defeat going into the twelfth.
Foster isn’t “fun to watch,” and that’s the problem. He’s like a poor man’s version of Shakur Stevenson, and that style of fighting is not entertaining to watch. If fans are going to invest time on a Saturday night to watch a boxing match, they don’t want to watch a guy like Foster in a chess match.
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