HOUSTON, Texas – O’Shaquie Foster outclassed his rival Raymond Ford to win their grudge match and deservedly retain his WBC junior-featherweight title.
After an occasionally ill-tempered build-up he produced a disciplined performance to largely neutralise Ford and win via a puzzling majority decision and scores of 114-114, 118-110 and 116-112.
The score of 118-110, ultimately, represented the most accurate of the three. Ford was made to look one-dimensional and Foster continued to perform like he remains in his prime.
He may increasingly be considered the world’s finest junior featherweight but his exchange with Ford’s friend Shakur Stevenson after the final bell was a reminder of his desire to fight the world’s finest junior welterweight next. Ford regardless proved a less competitive challenger than expected, and may come to reflect that his tactics against so proven a boxer were naive.
Foster was the favourite with the crowd at the Fertitta Center, who though present for a fight between two residents of Houston made it clear that they wanted the Texan, not New Jersey’s Ford, to win.
A counter right from Foster early in the opening round was therefore naturally cheered, but there were hints that Ford possessed a slight speed advantage that had the potential to test the consistency of Foster’s jab. When Foster landed a left-right combination and then backed out of range it regardless showed the difficulty of the challenge Ford was confronting; he was then thrown from the ring when they briefly wrestled and Ford was sent between the ropes.
Ford landed a right hand towards the start of the second, and after they twice exchanged punches a right to the body. Another counter-right from Foster, followed by a left-right and a left-right-left and Foster dancing around him then followed in the third. Ford, 27, in turn succeeded with a left-right when Foster was threatening to build momentum; the champion appeared at risk towards the ropes but again danced away from danger, aware of the danger Ford could pose.
The challenger narrowly missed with a counter right at the start of the fourth, during which Foster was again the more active via flurries. Ford then fell short with a left before they exchanged rights, and despite missing appeared to be growing in confidence.
When Foster then put successive combinations together in the fifth and Ford again struggled to land his left but succeeded with a strong right Foster settled further into his rhythm. Ford’s team had spoken of the importance of taking Foster’s jab away from him but he was struggling to do so – if he couldn’t also slow the champion down how could he hope to win?
Ford showed signs of frustration when in the sixth he dropped his hands but Foster refused to risk trading with him. What had appeared capable of being a speed advantage for Ford was also by then clear for Foster too.
Foster landed three flurries of punches when in the seventh Ford was positioned towards the ropes. Ford landed the left he sought when they then exchanged punches in the centre of the ring, but he was getting backed up and occasionally still missing his target, and that also would have concerned his previously confident team.
Despite Foster continuing to look sharp and landing a right in the eighth Ford succeeded with a right and looked stronger when doing so. A left-right followed from Foster who again then moved out of range; Ford then found a straight left and a right but at the expense of another flurry in return.
Foster, consistently, was engaging with Ford in an attempt to disengage him from his power. The challenger landed a hurtful right hand that proved the best punch of the contest, but again Foster fought back, and again he resisted another right hand from Ford.
A left from Ford towards the start of the 11th was followed by Foster again backing him up and again taking the fight away from him. Increasingly it was apparent that Ford needed a knockout and needed Foster to stand toe-to-toe with him if he was to hope to win, but when in the final round Foster backed him into a corner it served only to provide a reminder of the gap in ability between them. Ford again looked one-dimensional, and Foster a champion at his peak.
Stevenson may ultimately prove too much for the 32-year-old Foster, but after convincing victories over Ford, Stephen Fulton and others, he increasingly deserves what would be his biggest test.
