Chris Algieri is not seeing newly crowned WBC super featherweight O’Shaquie Foster, who is not hitting well against the winner of the December 7th rematch between Emanuel Navarrete and Oscar Valdez.
(Credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank)
Foster’s lack of punching power will put him at a huge disadvantage against the winner or loser of the Navarrete-Vadez fight. Foster says he wants that fight next, but it will be up to Top Rank to make that match. Given the amount of booing from fans that the Conceicao vs. Foster rematch, it would not be a wise move for Top Rank to invest money in that match.
Algieri says Foster O’Shaquie Foster (23-3, 12 KOs) has focused on making his opponents miss, but he’s not making them pay with backfire. In other words, Foster is all defense and no offense, which has been his problem his entire career.
Foster followed through with a 12-round victory over WBC champion Robson Conceicao (19-3-1, 9 KOs) in their rematch last 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 with the scores 115-113, 115-113, while the third had it 115-113. Foster (31) wilted in the final three rounds and was punished against the ropes by the harder-working Conceicao.
“36-year-old is 36 years old. Age matters. There was a stretch in the middle rounds where you could see him start to fade, and then he dug deep because he’s a rough character,” said Chris Algieri. Probox TV over Robson Conceicao last Saturday night in his 12 round split decision loss to O’Shaquie Foster in their rematch.
Conceicao looked like the younger fighter in the ring. Foster didn’t look young at all in that fight, and he gassed the more energetic Conceicao big time in the championship rounds.
“He started pushing the action again. He was able to pin O’Shaquie against the ropes many times because he doesn’t have a consistent jab to keep a guy at bay. That’s something O’Shaquie seriously lacks,” Algieri said. “He doesn’t have a consistent jab. He makes you miss but doesn’t make you pay for it and allows a guy like Conceicao to keep ripping and roaring.”
The reason why Conceicao was able to “pin” Foster against the ropes is because he nailed him with looping punches in the middle of the ring. Foster didn’t like his punishment so he slapped cheeks on the ropes hoping to block the shots.
“I like O’Shaquie Foster. I think he is fun to watch. He is always close because he has always done just enough. That style is not going to mesh well with (Oscar) Valdez and (Emanuel) Navarrete, especially Navarrete because he’s all over you. It makes sense that it would be the next fight, but I wouldn’t favor him either,” Algieri said.
It’s not just Navarrete and Valdez who would be a nightmare for Foster. He would have problems against Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez, Anthony Cacace or Raymond Ford. He is an O’Shaquie is OLD 31, and he is not the fighter he once was since his grueling fight against Eduardo Hernandez on October 28, 2023. Foster took a 12th round knockout in a fight he lost but made it to the bout. 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 a poor man’s version of Shakur Stevenson, and that style of fighting is not entertaining to watch. If fans are going to spend time on a Saturday night watching a boxing match, they don’t want to watch a guy like Foster in a chess match.
