The official result of the first fight between O’Shaquie Foster and Robson Conceicao left many in the boxing community speechless. Not everyone had the same scorecard: some gave Foster all or nearly all of the rounds, while others awarded Conceicao those rounds where the reigning champion excessively lowered his work rate. However, almost no one saw the Brazilian challenger as the winner. Or rather, no one except two judges: Robson Conceicao was declared the winner by Split Decision and took home the WBC super featherweight world title.
This happened on July 6, and shortly thereafter, under intense pressure from a large number of fans and experts, all outraged by the unjust verdict, the WBC ordered an immediate rematch. Now, according to well-known American journalist Mike Coppinger, the highly anticipated rematch has a date and venue: it will take place in Verona (New York) on November 2.
It’s reasonable to expect a much more aggressive approach from Foster this time around compared to what we saw in July. The American fighter is known for his excellent reflexes, solid defensive skills, and considerable speed of execution, but he sometimes tends to be too conservative, throwing only the minimum number of punches necessary to win rounds—a strategy that, as we’ve seen, can carry risks.
In his previous title defense against Abraham Nova, Foster was penalized by a judge for his passivity, managing to secure only a Split Decision win, despite many believing he had done enough to deserve victory. The next time, however, things didn’t go his way: it remains to be seen whether this setback will lead him to be more prolific in his offensive output.