O’Shaquie Foster (23-3, 12 KOs) accomplished his goal of defeating WBC super featherweight champion Robson Conceicao (19-3-1, 9 KOs) in his rematch on Saturday night, beating him by a 12-round split decision round, and now wants to fight the winner of the Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez II match. Those two fight a rematch on December 7th.
(Credit” Mikey Williams / Top Rank)
Foster’s performance tonight was another weak one, and it’s impossible to imagine him beating Navarrete or Valdez. The 31-year-old Foster doesn’t have the power to compete against those fighters, and his Shakur style won’t work against them.
It would be more fun for fans if Top Rank kept Foster in his own lane, defending his WBC title, and then having the winner of the Robeisy Ramirez vs. Rafael Espinoza rematch move to 130 to take on the Navarrete-Valdez II winner.
Foster didn’t look good with his win over WBC super featherweight champion Conceicao, but he got the job done at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. One judge had it 115-113 for Conceicao, and the other two scored it 115-113 and 115-113.
Conceicao said he wants a third fight because he gave Foster a rematch. So, it feels only right that he gives them one too. It doesn’t look like Foster is going to do that, because he wants the biggest payday fight against the winner of the Navarrete vs. Valdez 2 contest. He can make more money fighting either of them than Navarrete.
It would be at Top Rank, obviously, if they want to make a trilogy between Conceicao and Valdez. However, given how boring tonight’s fight was and the previous one last July, there isn’t much fan interest in a third fight. The only reason fans want to see the rematch is Foster’s loss.
If he had won the first fight by a controversial close decision over Conceicao, there would not have been a question as to why he is not so popular. This is not to say that Foster is popular. Of course not, but he had fans, and they were the ones who made a big noise about his loss.
Conceicao had already been robbed twice in his fights against Valdez and Navarrarete, and the fans didn’t care. None of the sanctioning bodies have stepped forward to order a rematch. They just let it happen.
“His heart is unbelievable. He has a big heart,” Foster said of Conceicao after the fight. “I told you all that I was going to realize it and bring it to him. That was my goal.”
Foster didn’t make it. That’s the whole problem. He said that he had to fight with more aggression, but it was the same approach from him as the previous one. That’s why the fight was so close.
I’m still not happy with my performance, but I feel like I showed a lot of people my versatility,” Valdez said. “I want the winner of Emanuel Navarrete vs. Oscar Valdez”.
It would be in the best interest of the fans if Top Rank did not pit Foster against the winner of the Navarrete-Vsldez fight.
