O’Shaquie Foster is still reeling from losing his WBC super featherweight world title to number one contender Robson Conceicao last Saturday night via split decision after twelve rounds at the Prudential Center in Newark, Novel Jersey.

Foster’s later aide that he not only deserved the decision but should have won every round suggests a disconnect from the reality of what happened. He was outworked by Conceicao, which is why the judges awarded the victory to the talented Brazilian.

Conceicao wanted it more

After the fight, Conceicao said Foster “didn’t come to fight,” but moved and played defense. He’s right. Foster fought like a fighter who didn’t want to work firm.

That’s just his style though, as he’s barely scraped a win in his last two fights because he only managed to rally at the end after being crushed by Abraham Nova and Eduardo Hernandez.

Foster only trains part-time during fights because he doesn’t feel like putting in the firm work, something he paid for in his fight with the ambitious and well-trained 2016 Olympic gold medalist Conceicao.

Incredibly, Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) claimed after the fight that he had won every round, and the judges treated him cruelly by not awarding him the victory.

The judges scored it 116-112, 115-113 for Conceicao and 116-112 for Foster. My score was 117-111 in favor of Conceicao.

I watched the fight on a large screen TV and saw no issues with the two judges scoring it in favor of Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs). He was the busier fighter, throwing punches, pressing the offense and keeping Foster on the ropes.

Foster’s Shakur Style: Defense Over Attack

Foster fought in his usual Shakur style, trying to make Conceicao miss and rarely landing any punches. His entire game was focused on defense, not landing any punches, but this was pure Shakur-eque from the Foster champion. You can’t win like that against a fighter who throws more and keeps you pinned to the ropes like Conceicao did.

In the championship rounds, Foster should have given it his all and landed some punches, but instead he held onto the ropes, trying to just make Conceicao miss and fight his way to what he believed was a decision victory.

It’s no surprise that Foster didn’t push firm in the final four innings, because if he thought he was throwing a shutout, why would he risk throwing? He was deceived and overconfident. Someone in his career should have taught him the importance of offense and getting off the line.

Ultimately, Foster had a stupid fight that cost him the belt. He did the same thing in his previous match with Abraham Nova, but won by decision, scoring a knockdown.

Defense doesn’t win fights

“He didn’t come to fight. He didn’t seem to want to fight me. I really wanted to fight him, so I went in to win and that’s it,” Conceicao told Fighthype about his victory over Foster.

“O’Shaqui’s fight, I tell my players that all the time. Defending is one thing, attacking is another,” said coach Kenny Ellis MillCity Boxingtalking about last Saturday’s fight, in which the talented Robson Conceicao finally got a fair chance with the judges, defeating the WBC super featherweight champion, Shakur-like O’Shaquie Foster, by split decision in a twelve-round fight.

Ellis brings up a good point. Defense doesn’t win fights. Letting go of your hands does, and Foster forgot that lesson. If you’re indolent and think you can win a fight just by defending, sooner or later you’re going to lose, and that didn’t happen to Foster.

“Defense will last you a long career, but because you’re sliding, you’re defending and you’re not scoring. That’s defense. You’re giving up hits. Every once in a while, Foster would come back with one or two,” Ellis said.

“He would do the shoulder roll, but he didn’t react like Floyd. Floyd would make you miss and pay. Every now and then Foster would come in with one shot here and there. The other guy [Conceicao] actually worked, and then you don’t know what the judges were looking at from their perspective.”

Foster tried to block and move with the punches that Conceicao was throwing. He didn’t counter anything and just kept going with the punches. When he attacked, he was always miniature and then went back into his shell.

I think the fans who were upset about Foster’s loss were his supporters and couldn’t see the truth even when it was right in front of them.

A Lesson for Foster

They didn’t want the ugly reality of their hero exposed by the hard-working Brazilian Conceicao, who learned early on that success comes from firm work. You can’t back down and expect victory to be handed to you on a silver platter.

“O’Shaquie is on the ropes and [judges] they look at him [Conceicao] back [throwing punches and being busier]. Even though he missed a few shots, they thought he was hitting. Defense is good, but hands win fights. He [O’Shaquie] “I didn’t get enough done yesterday,” Ellis said.

Conceicao landed a ton of punches, especially the right punches he landed on Foster. They kept going through him, and he kept attacking. Conceicao didn’t retreat to the ropes to rest and play dead like Foster.

“Go back and watch the fight. Yeah, he made him miss a lot of times. ‘Oh, look what I did.’ You don’t win. You just make the guy miss. Go back and make him miss and make him pay. He didn’t do that. He did it in fits and starts last night. That’s it. He wasn’t busy enough.

“Defense is a handsome thing, but you don’t win because you make someone miss. You don’t win. Hands win fights. He was fluid on his feet. He made people miss, but he didn’t respond with anything. I think they made the right decision,” Ellis said, believing the judges were right to award the win to Conceicao.

It’s great to have a defense, but if that’s all you have, it’s not enough if you’re fighting a good opponent and the judges are top-notch. Three worse judges could have given Foster a decision last Saturday, but not these three brilliant judges.

“His defense was good, but he didn’t come back with anything. I didn’t see a shutout now. It was in bursts,” Ellis said, responding to the report that Foster said after the fight that he felt he had thrown a shutout at Conceicao.

Foster’s entire game was based on dashing, being indolent, and letting Conceicao do all the firm work.

If Foster’s coach hasn’t warned him how grave his situation is, he should get rid of this person and find someone who understands the rhythm of the fight and can tell his fighter the bitter truth, even if he’s deluded that he’s winning on points.

Sullied game. One of the easiest fights of my life, we will do everything possible to fix this. But I will tell you this in the rematch, he will not last to 12, I promise you that!!

— SH⚡️CK (@OshaquieFoster) July 7, 2024

What TV channel is Jaron Ennis vs David Avanesyan on?

The card will be broadcast on DAZN as part of a subscription package.

Where will the Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan Estrada fight take place?

Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, USA. This will be the first time in six years that Ennis will fight in his hometown of Philadelphia.

What time does the Jaron Ennis vs David Avanesyan fight start?

The event will be broadcast from 1am (BST) on DAZN, starting with the undercard fights. UK fans can expect the main event to start around 4am

How many rounds will the Jaron Ennis vs David Avanesyan fight last?

The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds of 3 minutes in the welterweight division. Ennis will be defending his IBF 147-pound world title for the first time.

What fights will take place in the Jaron Ennis vs. David Avanesyan event?

10 x 2 min – WBC Women World Featherweight Title

Skye Nicolson Fight Diana Vargas

10 x 3 minutes – Super Featherweight

Henry Lebron vs Christopher Diaz-Velez

10 x 3 min – WBC USA featherlight heavyweight title (vacant)

Khalil Coe Manuel Gallegos Fight

10 x 3 minutes – welterweight

Jalil Major Hackett vs. Peter Dobson

8 x 3 minutes – bantamweight

Christian Carto vs. Carlos Buitrago

6 x 3 minutes – super uncomplicated

Ismail Muhammad vs. Frank Brown

4 x 3 minutes – bantamweight

Dennis Thompson Fernando Joaquin Valdez Fight

Junior featherweight title challenger Sam “The Ghost” Goodman will risk his mandatory fight against undisputed 122-pound champion Naoya Inoue when he faces tough Thai Chainoi “The Rockman” Worawut at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, Novel South Wales, Australia, next Wednesday night.

The fight is a matter of life and death for Goodman. A loss for the 25-year-old Australian at Albion Park would see him at the back of the queue; a win would see him retain his position.

So why fight?

“It was always in the cards and it looked like there was a chance I could fight for a world title. That’s more or less the reason,” Goodman (18-0, 8 KOs) told The Ring

“As you’ve seen over the last 12 months, I like to stay vigorous. I train all year round. And after my last fight, I thought it would be another good test, to fight someone who is world class and get back out there with a world class opponent before I face the likes of Inoue.”

Goodman has always had a busy schedule. Other than the first year of COVID-19 in 2020, he has boxed at least three times a year throughout his career. Last year, he picked up the gloves four times, defeating Ring-ranked contenders Ra’eese Aleem (20-1, 12 KOs) and TJ Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) and claiming the scalps of Miguel Flores (25-5-1, 12 KOs) and Zhong Liu (19-1, 7 KOs), all by decision.

In this sport, activity matters.

“It’s not about getting worse or anything like that, it’s just building and building on what I’ve done and hitting challenging before I get to the biggest fight of my life. That’s what it’s all about,” said The Ring’s No. 4-ranked junior featherweight contender, who is coming off a fourth-round knockout of Mark Schleibs in March.

“It’s another good, tough test; to get through it and pass with distinction, and then move on to the most vital fight of my life.”

Goodman lands a hook on Mark Schleib in his final fight. (Photo courtesy of No Limit Boxing)

Bangkok’s Worawut, also known as Thachtana Luangphon (25-0-1, 15 KOs), won’t be flying to Australia just for a free vacation and a packet of cream cookies. The seasoned former Thai boxer has a powerful right hook and a jarringly tiny left hook, weapons the 27-year-old will look to utilize against Goodman in his first boxing fight outside his home country.

“He doesn’t have the bad eye and he’s pretty composed there as well,” Goodman said of his opponent. “He’s pretty tranquil, but I don’t think he’s had too much adversity in his career. I think I have more than enough skills to frustrate anyone in this division. Not just to frustrate them, but to really make them wonder what they’re doing in the ring. I think there’s a lot of things I can take advantage of.”

“I think my strength will be controlling the pace of the fight and where it takes place.”

In a recent interview with Wasim Mather for this website, Worawut spoke about Goodman’s skills as a boxer.

“Sam Goodman is a good fighter with quick footwork. He’s always waiting for a counterattack and has a great lead hand,” he said.

“It’s like another fight. I’ve been training 100% for over two months. My goal is to fight Inoue; that’s my dream, but first I have to win the fight with Goodman.”

Both boxers enter the fight with enormous pressure, and the winner will be able to count on the biggest prize in the lighter weight classes.

“Beating me will change the course of Worawut’s career,” Goodman said. “I’m aware of that. Like I said before, I’m just focused on myself and what I need to do.

“I don’t really care what he thinks or any of the pressure he puts on himself. I just focus on getting the job done and doing it well. That’s where my head is right now.”

“I’m not thinking about it too much. I’m just enjoying fight week again, fighting a guy in my hometown, which could be my last fight here for a while, but who knows? I’m just enjoying everything that comes with it. But I’m pretty focused on this fight. I’m in the best shape of my career and I’ve done everything right, so I’m not taking any risks.”

Japanese superstar Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs), the No. 2 boxer in the world according to The Ring magazine regardless of weight class, is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The 31-year-old from Yokohama is expected to return in September, with the resurgent left-hander Doheny considered a potential opponent. The 37-year-old Irishman, who lives in Australia, has successfully built a profile for himself in Japan, notching three straight knockout wins over solid opponents over the past year.

Speaking to In slow May, Inoue’s American co-promoter, Bob Arum, expanded the plan for the 122-pound world champion.

“The plan is for Inoue to fight again in Japan in September. And then, depending on how everything goes there, he will fight again at the end of the year, maybe in Riyadh,” the Top Rank boss said.

“Both Sam Goodman and the Irishman (Doheny) are great opponents. I had a chance to talk to Sam briefly this week in Tokyo and I was very impressed with his attitude. So whether he’ll fight Inoue in September or December, I don’t know.

“But he will definitely fight Inoue this year.”

Goodman knows what he is risking by facing Worawut, but believes he will be in better shape when he faces Inoue in five months.

“That’s the plan. Our plan has always been to fight him in December. That’s what we’re working towards. Everything I’ve done this year is a stepping stone toward that ultimate goal,” Goodman said.

“That’s on my mind and it motivates me every day. It’s close, but there’s still a lot of work to do. And it starts July 10th. I’ve got one more guy to deal with, and once I deal with him, I’ll be fully focused on the December date.”

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