Chris Algieri doesn’t see newly crowned WBC super featherweight O’Shaquie Foster not lining up well against the winner of the Dec. 7 rematch between Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez.
(Credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank)
Foster’s lack of punching power will put him at a massive disadvantage against the winner or loser of the Navarrete-Vadez fight. Foster says he wants that fight next, but it will be at Top Rank to make that match. Given the amount of boos from fans watching the Conceicao vs. Foster rematch, it wouldn’t be a wise move for Top Rank to invest money in that match.
Algieri says that Foster O’Shaquie Foster (23-3, 12 KOs) focuses on making his opponents miss, but does not make them pay with return fire. In other words, Foster is all defense and no offense, which has been his problem his entire career.
Foster came away with a 12-round split decision victory over WBC champion Robson Conceicao (19-3-1, 9 KOs) in their rematch Saturday night at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
The fight was close enough to go either way, but two of the judges favored Foster by scores of 115-113, 115-113, while the third had it 115-113. Foster, 31, wound up in the final three rounds and took punishment against the ropes from the busier Conceicao.
“36 years old is 36 years old. Age matters. There was a stretch in the middle of the rounds where you could see he was starting to fade and then he dug deep because he was a rough character” , Chris Algieri told Probox TV about Robson Conceicao on Saturday night in his 12 round split decision loss to O’Shaquie Foster in his rematch.
Conceicao looks like the young fighter in the ring. Foster did not look young in this fight, and was gassed out big time in the championship rounds by the more energetic Conceicao.
“He started pushing the action again. He was able to pin O’Shaquie against the ropes several times because he doesn’t have a consistent jab to keep a man at bay. That’s something O’Shaquie seriously lacks,” said Algieri. “He doesn’t have a consistent jab. He makes you miss but he doesn’t make you pay for it and it allows a guy like Conceicao to keep ripping and roaring.
The reason Conceicao was able to “pin” Foster against the ropes is because he was nailed with looping shots in the center of the ring. Foster didn’t like his punishment, so he slapped his cheeks against the ropes, hoping to block the blows.
“I like O’Shaquie Foster. I think he’s fun to watch. He’s always around because he’s always done enough. That style doesn’t sit well with (Oscar) Valdez and (Emanuel) Navarrete, especially Navarrete because he’s in everything. It makes sense that it would be the next fight, but I don’t favor it either way,” said Algieri.
It’s not just Navarrete and Valdez that would be a nightmare for Foster. He would have had problems against Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez, Anthony Cacace, or Raymond Ford. O’Shaquie is OLD 31, and he is not the fighter he once was since his wild fight against Eduardo Hernandez on October 28, 2023. Foster pulled a 12th-round knockout in a fight that he lost, but the party. it took a lot out of him. Hernandez lit up Foster like a Christmas tree in that fight and had him on the brink of defeat going into the twelfth.
Foster isn’t “fun to watch,” and that’s the problem. He’s like the poor man’s version of Shakur Stevenson, and that fighting style is not fun to watch. If fans are going to invest time on a Saturday night to watch a boxing match, they don’t want to see a guy like Foster in a chess match.
