O’Shaquie Foster will get a second chance against Robson Conceicao to regain his WBC super featherweight title this Saturday night. The fight will be on ESPN+ at the Turning Stone Resort Casino on November 2nd.
This fight could be a replay of the previous one between them because both fighters are in their 30s and have established styles. Foster used his ancient Dinosaur-era potshot style, only occasionally throwing a punch and counting on the judges to give him rounds.
The judges were more impressed with Conceicao’s constant work. He never stopped throwing and attacking. He had a classic Aaron Pryor style of nonstop punches, and the judges loved it. Hence, he was given the decision.
Foster has used that style in many of his fights against lesser opposition, but it wasn’t effective when he fought Abraham Nova and Conceicao. Both go-getters outworked him and exposed the weakness of the Mayweather-esque potshot style.
It can be defeated, just like the Maginot line. They figured out the flaw in the potshot style that Foster adopted from Mayweather was that it can overwhelmed with punches.
Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) lost to Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) by a 12-round split decision earlier this year on July 6th. It was an excellent performance by the 2016 Olympic gold medalist Conceicao, who outworked the minimalist potshot fighter Foster, snowing him under with shots.
Conceicao Outhustled Him
Foster’s habit of throwing only potshots came back to haunt him in this fight because he was overwhelmed with clean-landing and harder shots by the Brazilian Conceicao.
“He was out-hustled, outworked in some rounds where he was out there like a surgeon, picking his spots, not looking to waste anything at all,” said Teddy Atlas to Probox TV, talking about why O’Shaquie Foster lost to Robson Conceicao in their previous fight on July 6th.
Atlas is correct. Conceicao outworked Foster, and the more experienced fighter from Brazil defeated his minimalist fighting style. Unfortunately, Nothing will change in the rematch because Foster’s style of fighting is entrenched. He’s set in his ways and can’t change without it breaking him as a fighter, likely resulting in getting knocked out by fighters with busier styles.
“I’m not going to say it was a Brinks robbery job because, for me, it wasn’t,” said Atlas about Conceicao’s win last July. “Foster was a surgeon. He doesn’t waste anything, but that can come back and bite you sometimes.”
Nova Solved Foster’s Style
Foster’s style was solved by Conceicao just as it was in his previous fight against Abraham ‘Super’ Nova on February 16 earlier this year. That fight was a true robbery because Nova deserved the win because he badly outhustled Foster in the second half, overwhelming him with punches. The crowd at ringside at Madison Square Garden in New York booed the results, feeling that Nova should have won.
“The other guy [Conceicao] knew what he was doing. His work rate was more. Conceicao also landed clean, effective punches. It was reckless not to throw more punches,” said Atlas about Foster.
“You hit him with a jab, but you could have hit him with something else. There was a lot of dead spots with nothing going on. There’s more you could have done to be a better fighter,” said Atlas.
VERONA, FIGHT WEEK IS FINALLY HERE ❗️#ConceicaoFoster2 | NOV 2 | @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/d8WVyAcgRi
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) October 28, 2024
Read the full article here
