O’SHAQUIE FOSTER Q&A
Foster, 32, spoke to The Ring in August about Stevenson, the October 24 title unification showdown with Emanuel Navarrete for the vacant Ring junior lightweight championship, almost seeing his career end after the Conceicao rematch and the deeply personal experiences that led to his career ascension: The Ring: What has this recent three-fight winning streak been like? You weren’t yourself the first time you fought Robson Conceicao? O’Shaquie Foster: I don’t even consider the first Conceicao fight a loss. I feel I should be on a 16-fight winning streak. I was dealing with a lot of injuries going into that [first] Conceicao fight. I could have been more active in that fight. Ring: What was nagging you? OF: I wasn’t taking care of my body the way I was supposed to after the [Abraham] Nova fight [just prior to Conceicao]. I suffered a muscle contusion in my right arm when Nova’s elbow caught my biceps. The whole time after that, I was having problems with my arms. I don’t know if it was the way I was overextending my punches too much, but I wound up getting tendinitis in my triceps. That’s what I went into the Conceicao fight with. I would land certain punches and the pain would run up my arms the rest of the fight. Two weeks before the fight, I was battling through that. I wanted the rematch. I dealt with some things after that. Conceicao is a tough fighter, and I was not [healthy]. The crazy part about the rematch is I was worse than I was the first time we fought. We were afraid we would have to cancel the [second] fight because of how badly I was injured. I didn’t do any therapy. My left arm began to flare up, overcompensating for the right. I couldn’t spar the last three weeks leading up to the rematch. That’s how I went into that fight. It’s why my performances have been different in the last two years. This, right now, is the healthiest I have been since I beat
the Navarrete fight for the Ring belt. [Editor’s note: at press time, Navarrete and Foster were Nos. 1 and 2 in The Ring’s junior lightweight rankings.] It’s going to be a Top Rank promotion on DAZN, in San Antonio, Texas. I’m super excited. It’s finally here. I’ve wanted to fight Navarrete for a while, and for four potential belts. I don’t need Shakur Stevenson. This year has turned out better than expected. I wasn’t worried about being undisputed before, with Shakur running from me, but being undisputed is on the top of my mind now. Navarrete is an awkward fighter, but I’ve been good with people who are awkward. He is also unpredictable. Skills pay the bills. I’m not looking to get hit with that wild stuff, but I’m going to step up to him. He’s never fought anyone like me. I’m not even close to any kind of boxer-puncher he’s fought. This will be a totally new area for Navarrete. Go down his resume and you’ll see talent-wise, skill-wise, there is no one on his resume who has even close to the skills that I possess. The difference is, I have fought guys like him. Rey Vargas threw a lot of the sloppy, wild, long shots Navarrete throws. Vargas threw combinations like him. The guy I fought in Costa Rica (Jesus Bravo, whom Foster KO’d in the eighth round in 2019) was kind of wild, jumping in with the same kind of power shots, so I’ve seen Navarrete’s style a few times. I always did well with it. I’m not saying that this is going to be a walk in the park, and I know he’s coming to fight. I like the way Navarrete fights. If he can’t touch you, he’s going to keep throwing and keep throwing to make it a tough night. Everything is set. When I win, I’m looking to stay around maybe early next year at 130 and work on becoming undisputed. I would have one more fight and aim toward [WBA junior lightweight titleholder Anthony Cacace] next year before moving to 135. But first things first: I have to beat Navarrete.
Abraham Nova on the receiving end of a Foster assault in February 2024.
Rey Vargas [by unanimous decision in February 2023]. I couldn’t extend my left arm all the way [in the Conceicao rematch]. It took me months of pain and torture going to therapy. It took a lot of money just to get fully healthy. Ring: How serious did it get? OF: I went into the Conceicao rematch with one arm. It was that bad. I have a high pain tolerance. The rematch was probably the most pain I went through [in my career]. Nothing was working. Doctors spoke about shooting steroids to help my left arm work. Therapy got me back. But it was so bad that
my career. I was healthy. The injuries in 2024 taught me valuable lessons. In between fights, I take care of my body better. I’m more focused. Before, I didn’t pay attention to the little things in between fighwts; I had to discipline myself more. I heard a lot of noise from other fighters after the Conceicao rematch. I didn’t have the kind of performance I wanted; I’ll admit that. There was flak from the fans coming out that they didn’t think I was as good as they thought [because] I had another split decision. I wasn’t satisfied with myself. I had to make a change. In 2024, I was complacent. As soon as I
got healthy, all I did was train. I was ready for the Fulton fight.
Ring: What had to be tightened up? OF: Conditioning and therapy. I stayed active. I had to pay attention to the little things, extra stretching and tennis ball workouts. I am stretching between fights. I’m putting in the extra work. I can say that I’m in the best shape of my life. This is the freshest I have felt in years. It’s showing in my fights. Ring: What are your goals now? OF: Keep winning title fights and close this division. I’m closer now with
it jeopardized my career. My left arm made this popping sound every time I landed my jab. I didn’t fight until over a year. But it was serious enough where my boxing career was in jeopardy. Ring: So you didn’t fight for 13 months, then you faced your toughest opponent to date, former two-division champ Stephen Fulton. OF: That was my best performance of
Ring: How do you think you have
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