WBC super featherweight champion Robson Conceicao and challenger O’Shaquie Foster both weighed in successfully on Friday at the weigh-in for their rematch. Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) will be looking to go 2-0 against the former WBC 130-lb champion Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) to show his previous win on July 6th wasn’t a fluke.
(Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)
Foster tried his best last time, but he couldn’t pull the trigger on his punches and was outpunched by the stronger, busier 2016 Olympic gold medalist Conceicao.
The two fighters will battle this Saturday, November 2nd at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. The event will be shown live on ESPN+, 5:50 p.m. ET/2:50 p.m. PT.
In the co-feature, lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla will face Jesus Perez in a 10-round fight. Muratalla is trying to get a world title shot but still needs to keep winning.
Weights
– Robson Conceição 129.7 vs. O’Shaquie Foster 129.9
– Raymond Muratalla 136.6 vs. Jesus Perez 136.2
– Bryce Mills 139.8 vs. Mike Ohan Jr. 140.7
– Abraham Nova 131.4 vs. Humberto Galindo 131.3
– Jahi Tucker 161.8 lbs vs. Quilisto Madera 161.8
– Ali Feliz 224.1 vs. Rashad Coulter 252.1
– Yan Santana 126.8 vs. Eduardo Baez 125.7
– Damian Knyba 259.1 vs. Richard Lartey 288
“I was very happy to become world champion on my fourth attempt just like I won my gold medal in my third attempt,” said Robson Conceicao to Top Rank Boxing.
Conceicao had arguably been robbed in fights against Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez going into his match against Foster last July. It was great that the judges finally got it right rather than giving him the shaft for the third time. Although Foster’s fans claim he was robbed, that wasn’t the reality. Foster didn’t throw enough punches, and the fans booed his performance.
For boxing to thrive as a sport, fighters that focus exclusively on defense need to be weeded out of the sport by the judges. If they focus on scoring fights in favor of the busier, more aggressive fighters, boxing will grow because defensive fighters will be forced to change. That means fighters like Foster will need to fight more aggressively, throw punches, and stop running and holding if they want to be a world champion again.
“Foster knows the reason he didn’t get the decision in the last fight was probably because of his lack of activity,” said Dan Rafael to his Boxing Picks and Prediction site. “He threw a lot less punches than Conceicao,” said Rafael about Foster, who was trying not to get hit all night, which made a very boring fight.
“Statistically speaking and the judges don’t have access to this, and it’s not 100% locked in stone, in the Compu-Box, he landed many more punches than Conceicao did. It was Conceicao who was throwing more shots, and he needed to step on the foot a little bit more.
“I think Foster won the first fight handily. If he’s a little more aggressive, I think he can win the win the second fight and get the decision this time.”
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