O’Shaquie Foster (23-3, 12 KOs) got his revenge on Saturday night, Robson Conceicao (19-3-1, 9 KOs) by a 12-round split decision to claim his WBC super featherweight crown in their rematch at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
The judge’s scores were 115-113, 115-113 for Foster, and 115-113 for Conceicao.
It was a fight that had a lot of movement, clinching, and weak punching by both fighters. Foster had said that he was going to come forward and press Conceicao, but he didn’t do much of that tonight. Foster was missing a lot, and his punches had zero power.
Both fighters looked exhausted by the eighth round. Conceicao was the one pressing the action in the championship rounds, doing most of the work, landing more punches.
The judges went with Foster, but the fight looked just like a draw. You couldn’t give it to either fighter. Foster got the win, which some would say was a move to appease the fans who had been up in arms over the outcome of the previous fight. This wasn’t much of a win. It was too close.
Tonight’s undercard results:
– Lightweight contender Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) destroyed Jesus Perez (25-6, 18 KOs) by a second-round knockout. #2 WBC Muratalla knocked Perez down twice in round two with thunderous right hands to the head. The fight was waved off after a follow-up barrage of heavy shots from Muratalla. The official time was 1:24. Perez had never been knocked out before.
In the first knockdown, Muratalla landed a left jab followed by a right hand that put Perez down on the seat of his pants. A short time later, Muratalla connected with another right hand that sent Perez down on his backside. He got up, looking badly hurt, and was finished off by several hard punches from Muratalla. Perez was staggering, and the referee wasn’t going to allow him to get dropped again.
After the fight, Muratalla called out the four champions at lightweight by name, saying he wanted them to call him and give him the title shot.
In a fight between local East Coast boxers, light welterweight Bryce Mills (17-1, 6 KOs) worked over Mike Ohan (19-4, 9 KOs), getting a stoppage after round five. Mills had been dominating and it had to be stoppage between rounds.
– Super featherweight Abraham ‘Super’ Nova (23-3-1, 16 KOs) and Humberto Galindo (14-3-3, 11 KOs) battled to a disappointing 10-round split draw. Nova didn’t do enough and allowed Galindo to win rounds just based on pressure alone.
The scores
– 97-93 for Gaindo
– 96-94 for Nova
– 95-95
It was a winnable fight for Nova, who looked good in the final two rounds, but he wasn’t throwing enough in the majority of the fight. He let Galindo impress the judges by coming forward.
– Middleweight Jahi Tucker (13-1-1, 6 KO) scored an eighth-round knockout of Quilisto Madera (14-6, 9 KOs). Tucker landed a nice right hand that hurt Madera, and the chose to halt it, albeit prematurely.
– Heavyweight prospect Ali Feliz (4-0, 3 KOs) obliterated Rashad Coulter (5-5), winning a second-round knockout. Feliz hurt Coulter, 42, with a right hand in round two and then got the stoppage with a follow-up barrage. The bout was stopped at the 1:34 mark.
Feliz was hitting Coulter at will with shots from round one, nailing with left hooks and hands without worrying about anything being thrown back at him. It was one-way traffic. In round two, Feliz landed a right-hand rabbit shot that stunned Coulter, sending him stumbling back to the ropes. Feliz then flurried on him to get the stoppage.
Feliz looked decent tonight but didn’t show much power, and it’s difficult to imagine him getting beyond the bottom-tier level without Top Rank maneuvering him into a world title. It’s going to take a lot of strategic help from Top Rank to turn Feliz into a champion because they didn’t show the kind of power or skills to capture a belt among the current top-run fighters in the division.
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On the main card, lightweight Raymond Muratalla (21-0, 16 KOs) quickly returns to the ring to face Jesus Perez (25-5, 18 KOs) in a 10-round fight. Muratalla fought last July against Tevin Farmer, and he’s back, hoping to make a statement win with a knockout of Perez, who went the distance against the top welterweights Brian Norman Jr. and Alexis Rocha.
Conceicao (19-2-1, 9 KOs) wants to defeat Foster more conclusively tonight to shut him and his fans up, as they’ve been complaining nonstop since his win last July. He feels that Foster didn’t fight like a champion, choosing to run around the ring all night, and that’s why the judges gave him the decision. Foster says he’s going to come forward and “be dominant” in the rematch.
Tonight’s event details: The Conceicao vs. Foster II broadcast will be live on ESPN and ESPN+ at 10:00 p.m. ET.
O’Shaquie Foster gets a chance to recapture his WBC super featherweight title tonight against champion Robson Conceicao in their rematch at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. Foster (22-3, 12 KOs) came up short in their first fight, losing a 12-round split decision on July 13th, and tonight, he gets a second chance.
