Foster: ‘I thought it was an easy fight’

In a shocker, Robson Conceição got a controversial split decision victory over O’Shaquie Foster on Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, to claim the WBC 130-pound title.

One judge scored the fight 116-112 for Foster, which was overruled by two judges, who had it 116-112 and 115-113 for Conceição (19-2-1, 9 KOs).

According to CompuBox, Conceição was the more active fighter(707-435), but Foster landed at a higher rate(109-76). 

After the scores were read, Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) and the crowd were shocked; he  walked away thinking that the wrong man had been awarded the decision. Foster, who won the belt in February 2023, made two title defenses before Saturday night’s surprise. 

“I thought it was easy,” Foster said. “I thought it was an easy fight. I didn’t get touched except with a headbutt. I don’t know, man. I’ll be back. But I want the rematch. They stole this from me. They stole this fight from me. I just wanted to show the world I could bang it out, and if I want to, I don’t have to get touched. I guess it wasn’t good enough for the judges.”

Conceição, who had attempted three times before to seize a title, finally succeeded; he dedicated this hard-earned victory to his daughter,

“This is for my daughter,” he said. “I promised this to my daughter, and I was able to fulfill that promise. I’m the champion of the world.

One can’t help but empathize with Foster, who was visibly distraught after the loss. While he may have been the rightful winner, his performance was not overwhelmingly convincing. One can only hope that Foster will have the opportunity for a rematch. 

Photo: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)