WBC STATISTICS
WBC Super Featherweight World Championship
July 6, 2024 / Newark, New Jersey / Prudential Center
O’SHAQUIE “Ice Water” FOSTER (USA)
WBC Super Featherweight World Champion, 3rd Title Defense
Former WBC Silver Super Featherweight Champion
Age: 30 / Date of birth: September 17, 1993
Residence: Houston, Texas / Birthplace: Orange, Texas
Record: 22-2, 12 KOs / Total rounds: 146 / World championship fights: 3-0, 1 KO
Height: 5’6” – 168cm / Reach: 71.5” – 181 cm / Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Keith Mills / Trainer: Bobby Benton
ROBSON “O Brabo” CONCEIÇÃO (Brazil)
Ranked WBC No. 1 at Super Featherweight
Age: 35 / Date of birth: October 25, 1988
Residence, birthplace: Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Record: 18-2-1, 1 NC, 9 KOs / Total rounds: 136 / World championship fights: 0-2-1
Height: 5’10” – 178cm / Reach: 70” – 178cm / Stance: Right-handed
Manager: Luiz Fernando Menezes / Trainer: Luiz Carlos Dórea
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 –
* 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
36 world champions have been recognized by the WBC, three of whom regained the title: Yoshiaki Numata (Japan), Rafael Limon (Mexico), Azumah Nelson (Ghana).
143 super featherweight world championship fights have been held in WBC history.
MEMORABLE WBC SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS:
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
By James Blears
As a thrilling main undercard on the Shakur Stevenson Vs Artem Harutyuyan top of The Bill, on July 6th at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, O’Shaquie Foster defends his WBC super-featherweight crown for the third occasion, this time against Robson Conceicao.
Foster 22-2, 12 KO’s, grimly determined to stave off Robson, 18-2, 9 KO’s, who is trying for the fourth time to win a world title and aged thirty- five. It’s likely to be his last opportunity. He’s well aware of that, so… it’s all or nothing!
Foster now aged thirty, won green and gold glory, against lanky Mexican Rey Vargas who had longed reigned as WBC super-bantamweight champion and then won the featherweight title, but wasn’t physically robust enough with the power pep at this poundage to go one division higher and excel.
Foster’s near Waterloo became his Gloucester Roster redemption. It proved an ordeal under fire for Foster, when he travelled to sun-kissed Cancun to defend, against formidable and fearsome hitting Eduardo ‘’Rocky’’ Hernandez. During a sizzling boxing tropical hurricane, Rocky dominated three quarters of the fight, throwing and landing an extraordinary cascade of hell for leather from all angles, never letting up, backing off and piercing the normally sound defence of the slender, svelte champion time and again. It was unrelenting, it was thrilling, and it wowed the crowd, who were on the edge of their seats, fermenting and brewing in a cauldron of all action.
Way behind on points, Foster started to rally and to fight back more effectively from round seven onwards. But, he was still really up against it and a rocky mountain of Everest proportions still loomed and remained to be climbed.
By round ten Rocky who’d expended so much energy, to be a country mile ahead, was beginning to tire and Foster, who as his nickname of Ice Water suggests, kept his cool and finally started systematically picking him off. For me the eleventh was Round of The Year. Foster nailed Rocky with a downward sweeping right hand and Rocky was in desperate staits. Foster was pummelling him from pillar to post. The fans who rose to their feet, were willing him on with chants of: ‘’Rocky, Rocky, ROCKEYE!’’
But then…Rocky who heeded them, bit down on his mouthguard, re-grouped and launched a terrific offensive, backing Foster on to the ropes. It was thrilling high octane drama of the highest order. Foster landed a couple of flush right uppercuts, but Rocky kept surging on and in.
During the momentous minute of respite, Rocky’s corner pleaded with him to move and evade during the final long three minutes, bolstered and reinforced by his still considerable and commanding lead. The ring warrior he is and will always be, he would have none of it. He only knows and wants to fight one way. All -out attack.
Rocky still hadn’t fully shaken off the effects or totally recovered from that previous titanic three minutes blitz and at the start of the twelfth, he walked into a wicked right which dropped him. By this time his nose was gushing blood. He was badly cut over the right eye and staggering. What a bitter nail biter!
Another right felled him and Foster swiftly moved in battering him non- stop. Defenceless Rocky was being systematically walloped by Foster, and Referee Hector Afu stepped in to save him, at two minutes thirty- eight seconds. So agonizingly near, but yet so palpably far, on that Rocky- road. And for Foster, a magnificent and gutsy last gasp win. He had reached and stepped back from the doorbell located on the gates of hell. He come through the other side of his baptism of fire- water and pulled this astonishing victory out of the molten furnace. But how much has this taken out of him?
His next defence was a lack lustre performance against Abraham Nova at Madison Square Garden and it wasn’t impressive. Foster blamed his dullness and lethargy on weight problems. He did just enough to win a SD. He dropped ‘’Yellow Beard’’ with an exquisite left hook to the head, twenty seconds from the final bell, and in so doing, pulled off another Houdini type escape act. Catlike, he’s now used up two of his proverbial nine lives…or more?
Conceicao is a tall. Lean. astute and able boxer. He possesses a long, snaking, smart and smarting left jab. His right hand carries venom and his boxing skills are creditable, but although he has quick hands, he tends to move a tad slowly around the ring, sometimes showing a lack of urgency. He often holds his guard low and has the irritating habit of strolling around the ring as if he’s on a Sunday afternoon ramble. It’s puzzling?
He won Gold in the lightweight category at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, becoming the first Brazilian to do so, even nibbling his medal on the podium, and much was expected when he turned pro the very same year.
His first tilt at glory was in a foray against WBC super-featherweight champ Oscar Valdez. The much taller Conceicao started well, intelligently using his jab and following up with snapping combinations. As usual it didn’t take Oscar’s face very long to mark up and a welt developed on the bridge of his nose. Conceicao was ahead after six rounds. But then…he seemed to ease up a smidgeon and Oscar started to close the distance, landing sinking body shots and his trademark left hooks to the head.
Oscar was firing on all cylinders, hungry and utterly determined to retain his Green and Gold Belt and the tide, slowly but surely turned. The Brazilian’s retaliatory counters became fewer and far between and Oscar caught up and surpassed him on the scorecards, winning a UD. The Brazilian was deducted one point in the ninth. In a clinch he’d lightly tapped Oscar on the back of the head a couple of times. Referee Tony Zaino halted the action and then took punitive action for the rabbit punches.
Conceicao’s next chance came against the supremely skilled Shakur Stevenson on Shakur’ home turf of none other than the Prudential Center Newark, New Jersey. It wasn’t even close. Shakur landed a career high of 199 punches, dominating from start to finish. One second from the end of the fourth, he dropped the Brazilian with a short numbing left hook to the ribs. Conceicao, sporting applauded Shakur when the verdict of 117-108 and 118-108 X two was announced.
Then he challenged Emanuel Navarrete for the WBO super-featherweight strap. Emanuel dropped him with a right to the temple in the fourth and a crunching right to the body in the seventh. Yet, Conceicao showed steely character and real mettle in fighting back, to gain a MD. Crucially he won the final round on all three Judges’ scorecards.
Now the fourth try and this time against Foster. Conceicao stands a lofty five feet ten inches tall and has a seventy inches reach. Foster is bit shorter at five feet eight and a half inches tall. But has a seventy- two inches reach.
Foster has already proved his dig deep attributes and true grit, when the chips were down. Conceicao must take his willpower to win, to another level. Teddy Roosevelt who was the twenty sixth President of the United States, said: ‘’Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.’’ He also stated: ‘’We are the future with our past and our present as guarantors.’’
On July 6th the future beckons!
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