O’Shaquie Foster, hungry for big fights at junior lightweight, must shine against Conceicao first

NEWARK, N.J. — O’Shaquie Foster understands that making a title defense on ESPN means a lot more than just building a record. It’s also an audition of sorts for the bigger opportunities that he hopes the WBC junior lightweight title will afford him.

The 30-year-old Foster (22-2, 12 knockouts) will make the third defense of his 130-pound title belt this Saturday (ESPN, 9 p.m. EST) when he faces Brazilian contender Robson Conceicao at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The fight, which will be the chief support to hometown favorite Shakur Stevenson’s WBC lightweight title defense against Artem Harutyunyan, is one he can’t afford to overlook. Not just because of the danger presented by the three-time title challenger, but because of the rewards that an outstanding performance could bring.

“I’m definitely not looking past Robson Conceicao. He’s the number one guy on my mind, I’m really not worried about nobody else,” said the Orange, Texas native Foster, though that doesn’t stop him from envisioning the unification opportunities he has dreamed of since winning the vacant title in February of 2023 against Rey Vargas.

He makes no secret that he wants showdowns with WBA titleholder Lamont Roach, who just made his first defense last week in Washington D.C., and Anthony Cacace, the IBF titleholder who stunned Joe Cordina in eight rounds in May to lift the belt. It isn’t just about what he wants, however. He has to make the public want those fights, as well.

“In a perfect world I would love them guys to be next. I wish I could have gotten Lamont. We just fought a week apart so we obviously could have made this fight happen but I guess he had other plans. We’ll circle back to that later, but definitely Anthony Cacacace, the one who just beat Cordina, all them guys. I would love fights with all of them for sure,” said Foster.

Foster’s manager Keith Mills, who began working with “Shock” in 2016, says his job of making the biggest possible fights for his client will never be easy, but admits Foster can help his cause by conclusively handling a fighter who has proven to be a tough night for the previous titleholders he faced.

“It’s far more enticing if Shock goes in there and just is Shock. That’s all that we need him to be. Just be himself and look good doing it. It’s far easier making those bigger fights for the type of money we want and putting on those big shows that we want,” said Mills.

“After we get past him, it’s really just sitting down with Top Rank at that point because they know what we’re looking for. We’re looking for big fights, we’re looking to really push Shock forward just so the world can see his talents and we want to do this on a big stage. The 130-pound division is starting to shake up and you’re starting to see the pretenders get eliminated. But the guys that are here, we believe they’re willing to make the big fights.”

First Foster must deal with Conceicao (18-2-1, 9 KOs), a 35-year-old from Salvador, Brazil who is coming off a seventh round stoppage of Jose Ivan Guardado Ortiz in April. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist has fallen short in his three previous title challenges against Oscar Valdez, Stevenson and Emanuel Navarrete, though his never-give-up mindset against Navarrete enabled him to come back from two knockdowns to salvage a draw in their fight last November.

Foster says this fight is an opportunity to prove that he is shoulders above those other champions, and build interest in the sort of opportunities that he longs for.

“He’s got a lot of experience being a gold medalist, and I think he got heart and he doesn’t lay down. That’s why I think he’s stayed in these tough fights. He keeps getting second chances and I guess I’m his fourth chance. He comes to fight and he don’t back away. I think that’s what is the biggest thing for him. But I plan on going in there and taking it away from him,” said Foster.

“He’s fought all the top guys so it gives me a chance to separate myself and show the fans that I’m something different.”

Foster had a similar opportunity in his last defense, a split decision win over Abraham Nova in February that Foster admitted afterwards was a disappointing outing. The fight was Foster’s first since signing with Top Rank. He says he was hampered by a tough weight cut plus plantar fasciitis which hindered the mobile switch hitter’s ability to move. He adds that it was his first time dealing with an injury, and was a challenge for him to overcome mentally as well as physically.

“It’s fully healed so I’m just excited to bring back that different element of my fighting style. I’ve never been the guy to just sit in front of these guys and trade shots, I always looked at boxing as a dance. Being able to move freely and not feel pain, I feel great,” said Foster.

Now, he says, this is his second chance at a first impression. One that he hopes leaves fans – and promoters – wanting to see him on a bigger stage.

“It would be even better if I get the stoppage. Even if he goes the twelve rounds and I win unanimously or I close it inside the distance, I definitely plan on going out there and separating myself from the guys he’s fought in the past,” said Foster.

Ryan Songalia has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler and The Guardian, and is part of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2020. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com.

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