WBC Special Preview: Conceicao vs Foster II
WBC STATISTICS
WBC Super Featherweight World Championship
November 2, 2024 / Verona, New York / Turning Stone Resort & Casino
TOP RANK PRESENTS:
ROBSON “O Brabo” CONCEIÇÃO (Brazil)
WBC Super Featherweight World Champion
Age: 36 / Date of birth: October 25, 1988
Residence, birthplace: Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Record: 19-2-1, 1 NC, 9 KOs / Total rounds: 148 / World championship fights: 1-2-1, 0 KOs
Height: 5’10” – 178cm / Reach: 70” – 178cm / Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Luiz Fernando Menezes / Trainer: Luiz Carlos Dórea
O’SHAQUIE “Ice Water” FOSTER (USA)
Ranked WBC No. 1 at Super Featherweight
Former WBC Super Featherweight World Champion
Age: 31 / Date of birth: September 17, 1993
Residence: Houston, Texas / Birthplace: Orange, Texas
Record: 22-3, 12 KOs / Total rounds: 158 / World championship fights: 3-1, 1 KO
Height: 5’6” – 168cm / Reach: 71.5” – 181 cm / Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Keith Mills / Trainer: Bobby Benton
WBC SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS
1. Gabriel Elorde (Phil) 1963 – 1967
2. Yoshiaki Numata (Jap) 1967
3. Hiroshi Kobayashi (Japan) 1967 – 1968
4. Rene Barrientos (Phil) 1969 – 1970
5. Yoshiaki Numata (Japan) * 1970 – 1971
6. Ricardo Arredondo (Mex) 1971 – 1974
7. Kuniaki Shibata (Jap) 1974 – 1975
8. Alfredo Escalera (P. Rico) 1975 – 1978
9. Alexis Arguello (Nic) 1978 – 1980
10. Rafael Limon (Mex) 1980 – 1981
11. Cornelius Boza-Edwards (Uganda) 1981
12. Rolando Navarrete (Phil) 1981 – 1982
13. Rafael Limon (Mex) * 1982
14. Bobby Chacon (US) 1982 – 1983
15. Hector Camacho (P. Rico) 1983
16. Julio Cesar Chavez (Mex) 1984 – 1987
17. Azumah Nelson (Ghana) 1988 – 1994
18. James Leija (US) 1994
19. Gabriel Ruelas (Mex) 1994 – 1995
20. Azumah Nelson (Ghana) * 1995 – 1997
21. Genaro Hernandez (US) 1997 – 1998
22. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (US) 1998 – 2001
23. Sirimongkol Singmanassuk (Thai) 2002 – 2003
24. Jesus Chavez (Mexico) 2003 – 2004
25. Erik Morales (Mexico) 2004
26. Marco Antonio Barrera (Mexico) 2004 – 2007
27. Juan Manuel Marquez (Mexico) 2007 – 2008
28. Manny Pacquiao (Philippines) 2008
29. Humberto Soto (Mexico) 2008 – 2009
30. Humberto Mauro Gutierrez (Mex, Interim) 2009
31. Vitaly Tajbert (Germany) 2009 – 2010
32. Takahiro Aoh (Japan) 2010 – 2012
33. Gamaliel Diaz (Mexico) 2012 – 2013
34. Takashi Miura (Japan) 2013 – 2015
35. Francisco Vargas (Mexico) 2015 – 2017
36. Miguel Berchelt (Mexico) 2017 – 2021
37. Oscar Valdez (Mexico) 2021 – 2022
38. Shakur Stevenson (US) 2022
39. O’Shaquie Foster (US) 2023 – 2024
40. Robson Conceicao (Brazil) 2024 –
* Regained
WBC SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT TOP 10 CHAMPIONS
1. Julio Cesar Chavez (Mexico)
2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (US)
3. Alexis Arguello (Nicaragua)
4. Hector Camacho (P. Rico)
5. Azumah Nelson (Ghana)
6. Gabriel Elorde (Phil)
7. Erik Morales (Mexico)
8. Marco Antonio Barrera (Mexico)
9. Ricardo Arredondo (Mexico)
10. James Leija (US)
GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT DIVISION IN WBC HISTORY
37 world champions have been recognized by the WBC, three of whom regained the title: Yoshiaki Numata (Japan), Rafael Limon (Mexico), Azumah Nelson (Ghana)
144 super featherweight world championship fights have been held in WBC history.
MEMORABLE WBC SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS:
July 6, 2024 Robson Conceicao W12 O’Shaquie Foster – Newark, New Jersey
Feb. 16, 2024 O’Shaquie Foster W12 Abraham Nova – New York, New York
Oct. 28, 2023 O’Shaquie Foster TKO12 Eduardo Hernandez – Cancun, Quintana Roo
Feb. 11, 2023 O’Shaquie Foster W12 Rey Vargas – San Antonio, Texas
Apr. 30, 2022 Shakur Stevenson W12 Oscar Valdez – Las Vegas, Nevada
Sept. 10, 2021 Oscar Valdez W12 Robson Conceicao – Tucson, Arizona
Feb. 20, 2021 Oscar Valdez KO10 Miguel Berchelt – Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov. 2, 2019 Miguel Berchelt KO4 Jason Sosa – Carson, California
Nov. 3, 2018 Miguel Berchelt TKO9 Miguel “Mickey” Roman – El Paso, Texas
Jan. 29, 2017 Miguel Berchelt KO11 Francisco Vargas – Indio, California
June 4, 2016 Francisco Vargas D12 Orlando Salido – Carson, California
Nov. 21, 2015 Francisco Vargas TKO9 Takashi Miura – Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar. 15, 2008 Manny Pacquiao W12 Juan Manuel Marquez – Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar. 17, 2007 Juan Manuel Marquez W12 Marco Antonio Barrera – Las Vegas, Nevada
Nov. 27, 2004 Marcos Antonio Barrera W12 Erik Morales – Las Vegas, Nevada
Oct. 3, 1998 Floyd Mayweather Jr. TKO8 Genaro Hernandez – Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar. 22, 1997 Genaro Hernandez W12 Azumah Nelson – Corpus Christi, Texas
Oct. 13, 1990 Azumah Nelson W12 Juan LaPorte – Sydney, Australia
Sep. 13, 1984 Julio Cesar Chavez TKO8 Mario Martinez – Los Angeles, California
Aug. 7, 1983 Hector Camacho TKO5 Rafael Limon – San Juan, Puerto Rico
May 30, 1981 Cornelius Boza-Edwards TKO13 Bobby Chacon – Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan. 28 1978 Alexis Arguello TKO13 Alfredo Escalera – Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Dec. 14, 1967 Hiroshi Kobayshi KO12 Yoshiaki Numata – Kokugjikan, Japan
Feb. 16, 1963 Flash Elorde W15 Johnny Bizarro – Manila, Philippines
A Tale of Two Fights
By James Blears
Play it again Sam, as time goes by, with Robson Conceicao who won the WBC super-featherweight Green and Gold Belt from O’Shaquie Foster via a split decision, now fighting a chile-hot saucy re-match with him, at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.
Last time controversy swirled, boiled up, steamed, percolated, and then simmered in the court- cauldron of opinion about this one…and more to the point…who won it! No doubt about the result in the mindsets of the opposing corners and camps, but plenty of doubting Thomas pundits elsewhere. So, this time, no stone will be left unturned.
Promoter Bob Arum crystalized the upcoming November 2nd second helping anticipation, crustily saying: ‘’Conceicao and Foster are both eager to prove themselves. This rematch is about setting things straight. Both want to show who is the better man, with the winner positioning himself for a chance of a unification fight.’’
Robson and O’Shaquie have radically different views and opinions about what transpired first time around and the subsequent outcome. O’Shaquie who on the night, took quite some time to perspire, was ‘’Ice Water’’ slick and assured, yet strictly economical with his punch output. Looking back, he insists: ‘’I didn’t get touched. It was a shutout. I thought it was an easy fight. I want a rematch.’’
Robson begs to differ. He plainly states: ‘’I do think that I won the fight. He didn’t come to fight. He was running and running.’’
The Judges’ scores left the coffee table portrait incomplete, with jigsaw puzzle pieces missing, as their perceptions differed of how the disparate segments fitted together. The sum of the parts, didn’t equal the whole. Two saw Robson winning by 116-112 and 115-113. While the other saw it as a 116-112 victory for O’Shaquie. Seeing is believing… but so is interpretation of what you see with your very own eyes.
O’Shaquie threw 435 punches landing 109. Robson threw 698 punches and landed 76. O’Shaquie landed thirty- three more punches. He landed 34 percent of his power punches. Conceicao impacted 11 percent.
Vintage irritation viz and via the stats, emanating from veteran old timer Bob Arum, whose bile beads rose just a tad, when he was probed if not goaded on this rather sore point. Not without reason, he countered, unhesitatingly and un-contentedly contending: ‘’It’s very, very important that the public knows that CompuBox is not always in the Arena. You can only get an approximation from Television. If a punch lands, what kind of effect does it have? On TV you are only seeing the fight from one angle.’’
‘’You have to be there to see it. The Judges are!’’
This time around we’re going to see a very markedly different fight. In the first one, O’Shaquie was firmly convinced he was coasting and breezing it, controlling the rather slow pedestrian paced action with ease. Trouble is, that by making it look effortless, it can give the wrong impression that you’re simply not trying.
Robson who took three tries to win his Olympic Gold Medal and four attempts to become a world champion in the pro sphere, is the consummate tryer. He gets gold stars for sheer effort. Top of the class, or as Cagney in a bile fuelled Cody code finale snarled: ‘’Top of the World Ma!’’
Robson insists; ‘’On November 2nd, I’ll step into the ring with the same determination and hunger, that’s brought me here and got me this far. I respect O’Shaquie Foster, but I will show him why I’m the true champion.’’
While Robson is determined to secure justification, O’Shaquie is hell- bent on vindication. He smoulders; ‘’I can’t wait for November 2nd. I’m ready to go out there and make a statement. That bad decision woke up something in me and now all I can think about is to get back. Now the focus is to become a two-time champion.’’
If O’Shaquie is to achieve the phoenix phenomenon, he must plot, compass and chart his skyward flightpath ascent, by taking control and flying manually. Not relying on cruise control or still less on automatic pilot. He needs to dig deeper, delving the cavernous recesses he explored and mined from his mind, during the blazing sunset epic against fearsome Eduardo ‘’Rocky’’ Hernandez, pulling victory out of the red- hot embers of a molten orange globe.
He must be seen to be working his butt off, rather than taking the easy route at a stroll. Attaining and maintaining a boxing throne, isn’t a divine, hereditary right, like the House of Windsor Buckingham Palace version, with the damning observation about Edward V111, written in a Letter from America by Alistair Cooke, who caustically and damningly observed; ‘’He was at his best, when the going was easiest.’’
In the comedy film Airplane, young Joey who is allowed into the cockpit, is convinced that he recognizes co-pilot Roger Murdock, as Kareem Abdul Jabbar and needles him by declaring: ‘’I Think you’re great, but my dad says you don’t work hard enough and you don’t really try.’’ To which Roger/Kareem testily retorts:
‘’The hell I don’t! LISTEN KID. I’ve been hearing that crap, ever since I was a UCLA. I’m out there, busting my buns every night. Tell your old man to drag Walton and Lanier up and down the court for FORTY- EIGHT MINUTES!!!’’
Sheer work ethic and shoulder to the wheel effort, fuelled by elbow grease has to match the God given gift of talent, because as we’re already seen the two can be perceived and judged quite differently. An intense battle of wills awaits.
‘’Here’s looking at you Kid!’’
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