O’Shaquie Foster will defend his 130-pound belt in opposition to Abraham Nova on Friday at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York.
O’SHAQUIE FOSTER (21-2, 12 KOs)
VS. ABRAHAM NOVA (23-1, 16 KOs)
Date: Friday, Feb. 16
Time: 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT (important occasion later in present)
The place: Madison Sq. Backyard Theater, New York Metropolis
TV/Stream: ESPN, ESPN+
Division: Junior light-weight (130 kilos)
At stake: Foster’s WBC title
Pound-for-pound: None
Odds: Foster 8-1 favourite (common of a number of shops)
Significance (as much as 5 stars): ***
Additionally on the cardboard: Andres Cortes vs. Bryan Chevalier, junior lightweights; Bruce Carrington vs. Bernard Torres, featherweights
Background: Foster might be making the second protection of the title he gained because of his break-through unanimous determination victory over Rey Vargas in February of final yr. He barely held onto his belt in his first protection. The 30-year-old Texan, displaying his gritty facet, was behind on two of the three official playing cards when he stopped Eduardo Hernandez within the twelfth and ultimate spherical of a wild combat in Hernandez’s residence nation of Mexico. Nova might be combating for a significant title for the primary time. The 30-year-old Puerto Rican boxer-puncher, who lives in Albany, New York, has gained two consecutive fights since he was stopped by two-time Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez within the fifth spherical in 2022. He defeated succesful Adam Lopez by a unanimous determination in January of final yr and stopped less-accomplished Jonathan Romero in three rounds in July. Nova is ranked No. 12 by the WBC.