O’Shaquie Foster feels like he didn’t deserve to lose his WBC world title to Robson Conceicao in July, a split decision defeat that was derided and decried by many afterward as a robbery.
That doesn’t mean he’ll approach their rematch the same way.
“We just gonna turn it up,” Foster said in an interview with Naji Grampus of Cigar Talk. “We gonna keep the defense, keep everything sharp, but we gonna ramp it up. We gonna bring the smoke to him. […] I’m coming to put on a show.”
Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) seemed to be in control of the fight. There weren’t many landed punches, however. CompuBox credited Foster with landing 109 of 435, while limiting Conceicao to just 76 of 701. In terms of power punches, Foster was 58 of 172 while Conceicao was 49 of 313.
But after the 12 rounds ended and the scorecards were read, two judges had Conceicao winning 116-112 and 115-113, while the third judge saw Foster ahead with a tally of 116-112. Foster said he felt “disbelief.”
“There was no words that I could say. I started questioning, like, ‘Man, do I know boxing?’ because I know this shit was easy as hell,” Foster said. “When I went back and watched it, just because of the decision, it made me look at things like, ‘Oh, I could’ve did more,’ but it was a wipeout if we talking round by round.”
Foster, a 31-year-old from Texas, lost the title he’d gained in February 2023, when he picked up the vacant WBC belt with a unanimous decision over Rey Vargas. He went on to defend it with a sensational final-seconds knockout of Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez in October 2023 and beat Abraham Nova via split decision in April before stepping in with Conceicao.
Conceicao-Foster 2 is scheduled for November 2 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. The fight will air on ESPN+.
“I could do better,” Foster said. “I could do more. And that’s what I’m gonna do.”
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2 and @UnitedBoxingPod. He is the co-host of the United Boxing Podcast. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
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