Foster Flees 135, Vacates WBC Belt To Escape Zepeda Threat

O’Shaquie Foster has chosen to vacate his WBC interim lightweight title to return to 130 to hold onto his belt in that weight class.

Shakur Was Never Going To Fight Him

It’s a move that makes sense for Foster (24-3, 12 KOs), because he wasn’t going to get a crack at WBC 135-lb champion Shakur Stevenson. He’d already made it clear in posts on social media that he had no interest in fighting the highly skilled O’Shaquie in a risky fight.

Dan Rafael broke the news of Foster deciding to vacate the WBC interim lightweight title and return to super featherweight to continue defending his WBC belt in that weight class.

Zepeda: The Nightmare at 135

Staying at lightweight would put Foster in the position of having to defend the WBC belt against these two:

William Zepeda
Jadier Herrera

That wouldn’t be easy. Those guys are dangerous for different reasons, and Foster could lose to one or both because they’re pressure fighters. Trying to hold off either of those fighters would be a nightmare for Foster. It doesn’t matter how good a boxer he is. Zepeda would get to him and unload.

Shakur didn’t even try to run from him in their fight last July. He’d have cut off the ring and hit him with body shots while running. Getting speared by Zepeda all night made Shakur think twice about moving. So, he opted to stand against the ropes and brace for the punches all night. He still got hit a lot and looked like a mess afterward with bleeding lips and a swollen face.

Herrera’s Power Problem for Foster

The Cuban Jadier Herrera punches too hard for a defensive fighter like Foster to fight without getting clipped at some point.

Foster captured the WBC interim lightweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Stephen Fulton on December 6th in San Antonio, Texas. He looked good against Fulton, but he was facing what was essentially a bloated featherweight with no power. It would be a different story if Foster fought Zepeda or Herrera. Those are big lightweights that feast on boxers with no punching power.

With Foster giving up the interim WBC title, Herrera and Ricardo Nunez will likely go ahead with their original plans to fight for that belt.

Shakur Chasing Gold, Not Danger

The winner will likely be elevated due to Shakur’s not returning. He won’t want to come back down to 135 to fight either of those guys because he’s focused on “business” now, wanting to get the biggest paydays he can.

The taste of money Shakur got in his last fight against Zepeda on July 12th on Turki Alalshikh’s card in Queens has given him gold fever, making him want to get more and more. He’s like someone who discovered gold in 1848. He seems obsessed with the pursuit of more wealth. Returning to 135 wouldn’t bring Shakur the kind of money he can make fighting at 140 and 147.