This Saturday, July 6 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, O’Shaquie Foster will defend his WBC super featherweight world title against Brazilian Olympic medalist Robson Conceição.
Foster (22-2, 12 KOs) had a distinguished amateur career with more than 100 fights and an alternate spot in the 2012 U.S. Olympic team before entering the paid ranks later that year. He encountered two early-career setbacks, including a split decision defeat to Rolando Chinea in July 2016, which he assuredly learned from.
He returned more than a year later with renowned trainer Bobby Benton and has since then he has gone 12-0.
Last February, he won the WBC world title with a points verdict over two-division world champion Rey Vargas before a dramatic 12th-round knockout win against Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez in October in a memorable thriller.
The following month, Foster signed a long-term promotional deal with Top Rank. He returns after securing a well-earned split decision over Abraham Nova in February.
Conceição (18-2-1, 9 KOs), Brazil’s inaugural Olympic boxing gold medalist, turned pro in November 2016. His only losses have come against hitherto unbeaten world champions, including a close decision against then-WBC champ Oscar Valdez in September 2021.
Following the setback to Shakur Stevenson, Conceição’s June 2022 showdown against Nicolas Polanco ended in a no contest.
He followed up by challenging three-weight world champion Emanuel Navarrete last November, rising twice from the canvas and battling to a majority draw. In April, he registered a seventh-round TKO against Jose Guardado.
This Friday both fighters passed the official weigh-in without any problem. Foster registered 129.9 pounds, while Conceição stopped the scale at 129.5 pounds.
Photos by Top Rank – Evan Korn
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