O’Shaquie Foster of Orange, Texas (22-2, 12 KOs) didn’t need to dig himself out of quite as deep a hole as in his stunning comeback victory over Rocky Hernandez of Mexico on October 28 to win the WBC World Super Featherweight title.
But once again, Foster had to bite down and help his cause with a 12th-round knockdown to win a split decision. Foster defends his title over the tough Abraham Nova of Albany, New York (23-2, 16 KOs) in front of a partisan crowd of Nova supporters at The Theater at MSG.
Nova took heart hearing one scorecard read 114-113 his way, but Foster prevailed 115-114 and 115-111, winning once again by the strength of his last-minute heroics.
Foster battled a rough weight cut to make the 130-pound limit and fought with a damaged right hand after Nova’s elbow stung his bicep. Still, Foster found the tools and used his skillset to outlast a fading Nova with well-placed punches and excellent ring generalship, pushed by timely encouragement from trainer Bobby Benton in his corner.
The knockdown came from a left hook with just 20 seconds left in the fight, driving an already off-balance Nova into the ropes. Referee Steve Willis correctly called the knockdown, though Nova claimed later he had slipped. Based on a review of the replay, Willis made the right call as Nova’s eyes rolled back as he fell back before struggling to his feet.
Despite the victory, Foster pulled no punches about his performance, saying his rhythm was off. “You know we came home with the W, I can’t complain. I’m a 12-round fighter. I know how to make adjustments during the fight. He came on strong in the beginning, but I found my rhythm, and I found his timing, and then I started picking it up.”
“I want to make no excuses, but when I went to throw my right hand, his elbow hit the middle of my bicep, so it kinda it kind of tightened up my stuff. But it’s good,” said Foster of his victory.
Nova Starts Strong But Fades Down the Stretch
Nova got off to a solid start. He has more strength and punches harder than Foster, and he put the strength to effective use in the first half of the fight. Aided by the skills he developed as an accomplished amateur, Nova did an excellent job anticipating where Foster would be to get hit.
Early on, Nova was the man letting his hands go more. But Foster has a secret weapon: the ability to win by coming from behind. Nova had never fought a full 12-round championship fight, and his effort visibly began to fade in the final few rounds, allowing Foster to gain momentum as Nova tired.
Nova’s trainer, Mark DeLuca, urged him on, reminding him in the corner of the hard work and many sacrifices he made preparing for his first title fight. In the opposite corner, Foster’s trainer Bobby Benton told Foster before the 10th round, “You push on him, he’s going to go! Go get his ass!”
Foster opened the tenth with a two-punch combination, followed by a sharp counter left hook. Foster landed hard right hands despite his damaged bicep. Nova rallied at the start of the 11th round, but the knockdown helped seal the fight for Foster.
Nova fought with heart as he hung on to hear the final bell, holding to prevent Foster from gaining enough distance to throw and land a fight-ending power punch. But Foster found an opportunity to drop Nova when he landed the left hook.
Foster Defends: ‘Next fight, I’ll do better’
“The weight cut was definitely big on me,” said Foster. “Next fight, I’ll do it better, probably hire a nutritionist… I’m going to come back better than ever. It wasn’t my best performance, but I got it down.”
Nova said, “O’Shaquie’s a great fighter,” but claimed the knockdown was a slip. “The fight would have been a draw if that never happened. This is boxing.
“I’m a fighter at heart. This is what I do. Don’t sleep on me. I’m a great fighter, I’m a great athlete, and I’m a man of God,” said Nova. He suggested a future fight against WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete, Lamont Roach Jr., or a rematch with Foster.
“Keep watching me guys, I’m here to fight. I don’t quit. We keep working, we keep grinding. This is nothing. I’ll be back on ESPN, I’ll be back in the main event.” And he’s got the best mascot in boxing.
Carrington Crushes Torres in Four Rounds
Flashy featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington of Brooklyn (11-0, 7 KOs) gave his New York fans a thrill with a blistering fourth-round knockout of Bernard Torres of the Philippines (18-2, 7 KOs).
The 26-year-old New York native fighting out of Brooklyn and the NY Fights choice for 2023 Prospect of the Year made good on his recognition. Torres had an excellent first round, and Carrington credited his opponent for using his feet well, presenting tricky angles from his southpaw stance. “It was definitely something to figure out,” said Carrington.
“In the beginning, he kept getting out on my left side. I was giving him an exit route.” Carrington said the trainer told him to cut off the exit route and step in before Torres could. “That’s when I started to set up my hooks.”
Carrington began finding the target with pinpoint bodywork, setting up the eventual right hook to the jaw, dropping Torres for the first time in the Filipino’s professional career. It looked similar to Juan Manuel Marquez knocking out Manny Pacquiao.
“I felt like when he kinda like leaned into the punch, it landed at just the right place,” said Carrington. “The leverage I had was at the right point. We were ready for everything, man. Our training camp was great.”
Carrington thanked his New York fans, which included heavyweight Shannon Briggs and actress and devoted boxing fan Rosie Perez. He rewarded them with an excellent impression of Mike Tyson doing his “My style is impetuous” speech. “Y’all keep doing your thing, and I’ll keep doing my thing!”
In Earlier Undercard Action
Junior lightweight contender Andres “Savage” Cortes of Las Vegas (21-0, 12 KOs) took it to Bryan Chevalier of Puerto Rico (20-2-1, 16 KOs) from the opening bell. The accumulation of punishment in the scheduled ten-round fight ended in a fourth-round TKO victory when Chevalier’s corner asked the fight be stopped at 2:17 of the round. Cortes retains his WBO Intercontinental title.
Junior welterweight Delante “Tiger” Johnson of Cleveland (12-0, 6 KOs) delivered a first-round knockout win over Paulo Gaudino of Brazil (13-8-2, 9 KOs). Take a look.
STOPPED 'EM IN HIS TRACKS 🔥@TigerJohnson216 | #FosterNova pic.twitter.com/V9CymhFs9X
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 16, 2024
Heavyweight Guido Vianello of Rome, Italy (12-1-1, 10 KOs) won his second victory since a loss a year ago, delivering a first-round knockout win over Moses Johnson of Huntington, New York (11-2-2, 8 KOs).
