O’Shaquie Foster realizes he can’t afford to cut it close in his clashes anymore.
Judges’ cards have been prominent in Foster’s last three contests, most recently against Robson Conceicao in July when a split decision cost him his WBC 130-pound belt.
Foster, 22-3 (12 KOs), will now get another crack at the crown against Conceicao, 19-2-1 (9 KOs), in an immediate rematch on Saturday to headline a Top Rank show at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York on ESPN+.
“The world saw what happened,” Foster told BoxingScene. “I am not one of those guys that dwells on the negatives. I tried to find the positives out of the situation and figure out why it happened and attack it.”
Judge Ronald McNair scored the fight 116-112 for Foster, while judges Anthony Lundy and Paul Wallace scored it 116-112 and 115-113 for Conceicao. ESPN’s broadcast team had Foster winning the fight. Analyst and reporter Mark Kriegel scored the fight 11 rounds to one in favor of Foster, while Timothy Bradley labeled the result in favor of Conceicao a travesty.
Top Rank boss Bob Arum said the fight could have been scored 7-5 either way, even though Conceicao landed 10 or more punches in just two rounds, according to CompuBox. Foster outlanded Conceicao 109 to 76 in the fight but was separated by three or fewer punches in seven of the 12 rounds.
Amidst the controversial aftermath, the WBC ordered an immediate rematch.
“It’s hard. I don’t want to talk bad about the judges because they are always going to be there in future fights,” said Foster. “I respected all of the judges but for some reason, I have just been getting the sour end of the stick. In my eyes, I just need to do more. I don’t want to be like ‘blame the judges’ and put too much pressure on that aspect of it and make the judges see it right. I just know that I have to go out there and work and do the best I can to win. That’s the best that I could look at it.”
Wonky scorecards are nothing new for “Ice Water” Foster, a 31-year-old, 12-year-professional fighter from Houston who is trained by Bobby Benton.
Foster’s two fights before his original meeting with Conceicao were also subject to dubious scorecards.
After dethroning Rey Vargas in February 2023 by unanimous decision for the WBC junior lightweight title, Foster traveled to Mexico and delivered a dramatic 12th-round knockout of Eduardo Hernandez to avoid a split-decision loss. Foster was trailing on two scorecards and needed the knockout to win in a fight clouded by controversy due to questionable judging.
In February 2024, Foster again found himself in a close battle, securing a 12th-round knockdown against Abraham Nova to clinch a split-decision victory in another hard-fought contest.
Foster doesn’t foresee a timid tussle against what he assumes will be an inspired Conceicao.
“I’m sure that he’s going to try to come in different,” said Foster. “The first fight was pretty easy from my standpoint. I think he’s going to come in and try to switch it up. I plan on going in there and taking it away from him. I need that back.
“We’re going to turn it up. We’re going to go to work. We’re going to still keep our defense sharp and do what we did last time but we are going to crank it up a little bit. That’s it.
“When you go in there trying to get the knockout, it rarely happens. I just plan on going in there and putting everything together. Whether or not I knock him out or beat him down for 12 rounds, either way, I’ll be cool with it. I understand that I need to do more, and I will.
“I feel like I can adjust to anybody across from me in the ring. I’m just chasing greatness, and I want to test my greatness.
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.
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