O’Shaquie Foster (24-3, 12 KOs) sent a message to WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson with his one-sided 12-round unanimous decision win over Stephen Fulton (23-2, 8 KOs) to claim the WBC interim 135-lb title last Saturday night at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Fulton Outgunned Early
Foster put on a masterclass performance, hitting a chunky-looking Fulton at will with 1-2 combinations all night. He literally couldn’t miss with his jab and straight left hand. Fulton looked overmatched from the start, missing with his shots, falling off balance clumsily.
Some fighters could give O’Shaquie problems at lightweight, but Fulton was not the guy. He looked like a 126-pounder that had eaten his way to 135 and didn’t belong in the same ring with Foster.
Wide Scorecards Tell Story
The scores were 118-110, 119-109, and 117-111.
The victory for Foster makes him the mandatory for Shakur’s WBC title, and puts him in line to force a title shot against him if he returns to the division.
Stevenson can’t be happy about the prospects of what awaits him if he returns to the 135-lb division. He’s gone up to 140 to pick up a payday against WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez.
Supposedly, Shakur will be returning to 135 at some point to reclaim his WBC title. However, he didn’t give a timeline for when he’ll do that, and he’s been talking about going up to 147 to face Conor Benn in a stadium fight in the UK.
Will Stevenson Return To 135?
After seeing how good O’Shaquie looked last night, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Shakur chooses not to return to 135. He’d told Lamont Roach that he wanted to fight him next after his fight with Teofimo. However, with Roach’s 12-round majority draw last night against Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz and Foster becoming his WBC mandatory challenger, there’s no telling whether he’ll return to the lightweight division.
Shakur Silent After Win
Interestingly, Shakur didn’t say a word on social media after Foster captured the WBC interim lightweight title and became his mandatory. He was radio silent with Stevenson.
That tells you a lot about his lack of interest in fighting O’Shaquie, because that’s the same behavior Shakur has shown toward #1-ranked Andy Cruz. He never mentions his name. It’s as if the Cuban talent doesn’t exist on this planet. Now, Foster is another unmentionable.
“Now I’ve got belts in two divisions—super feather and interim lightweight. I’ve been eyeing 135 for a while, so this sets me up perfectly as Shakur [Stevenson]’s mandatory.
“I’ll decide in 15 days if I stay up or drop back, but unification or a big lightweight fight is next. Tank [Gervonta Davis]? Shakur? Let’s talk.”
