O'Shaquie Foster Retains WBC Title With Late Knockout Victory

Foster floors Hernandez twice in final round, secures thrilling win in Cancun

In the main bout, which took place inside the Poliforum Benito Juarez in Cancun, Mexico, reigning WBC World super featherweight champion O'Shaquie Foster defended his championship against Eduardo Hernandez. 

Previously, American O'Shaquie Foster 30, (21-2,12 KOs) had won the championship over Rey Vargas (36-1, 22 KOs) by a unanimous decision, and this was his first official defense of the world title.

Eduardo Hernandez (34-0, 31 KOs) from Mexico City,  Mexico was a formidable opponent coming off a fantastic run of six straight knockout victories. Early in the final round, Foster showed that he still had it in him, as he floored Hernandez twice before the referee intervened to end the bout with just 28 seconds remaining. 

The scorecards following the fight, however, devastated the challenger by showing that, had Hernandez heard the bell, he would have been crowned the new king, with two judges having him comfortably ahead (110-99 and 107-102), heading into the final round.

“My coaches were telling me that I was behind around the eighth round so I knew I had to push it before I lose my belt, I have to give it all, so that’s what I did,” said Foster in media reports. 

“Rocky is a hell of a puncher and a hell of a fighter, I had to dig deep, but I knew I could catch him. Around the ninth or tenth round, I started seeing his body limp when I hit him with the right hand, so I just kept having faith in it," added Foster.

“With the comeback KO I rate my performance an eight out of ten, but I really wasn’t too satisfied with how I fought. But it was a fun fight, I had fun in there," said Foster in media reports. 

Hernandez plans to regroup and make a comeback in 2024, but for Foster, a major box gets checked when he produces a thrilling knockout victory in the final round to hold onto his title in the most dramatic way possible. This will cause the boxing world to take notice, as "Ice Water" has challenged Joe Cordina to a unification match if the Welshman defeats Edward Vazquez in Monaco next weekend and keeps his IBF title.