The world champion of the super featherweight category of the World Boxing Council, O'Shaquie Foster, kept his tiara after beating his compatriot Raymond Ford, on Saturday's evening.

The confrontation was defined by a majority decision after completing the twelve scheduled rounds on the card organized in Houston, Texas.

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The judges' official cards recorded scores of 114-114, 116-112 and 118-110 to decree the victory of the local boxer.

The result allows the monarch to maintain his second reign at 130 pounds against a rival who demanded his maximum physical performance in the ring.

A beginning with friction in the ring

During the first round of the bout, O'Shaquie Foster executed a physical move that sent Ford between the ropes and off the fighting surface. The action generated immediate tension in the corners, although the central referee decided not to apply a formal warning to the champion.

The challenger's response occurred in the second episode of the contest. Ford took advantage of his hitting speed to connect one- and two-hit combinations to O'Shaquie Foster's face, balancing the rhythm of the tactical actions during the first passages of the duel.

Tactical adjustments and pressure passages

Starting in the third round, O'Shaquie Foster's offense began to find spaces thanks to the use of the jab and combinations to the soft areas.

The bodywork reduced Ford's displacement, allowing the local team to take control of the average scores.

However, the challenger reacted in the tenth round by connecting a solid combination of blows that affected the champion's physical stability. To overcome the dangerous situation, the monarch resorted to constant tie-ups until he regained his distance and composure in the ring.

Strong closure and unification goals

The monarch regained the initiative in the last two episodes, cornering his opponent on the ropes to secure the advantage on the scorecards. After the final verdict, Shakur Stevenson entered the ring to engage in a verbal exchange with the winner of the night.

The victory allows O'Shaquie Foster to maintain a privileged position within the division to negotiate unifications. The champion has openly expressed his desire to compete against the monarchs of the other sanctioning bodies.

Before entering the ring in Houston, the boxer had detailed to the specialized magazine The Ring his intentions to face the Mexican Emanuel Navarrete. “I would definitely love that fight with Navarrete,” the 130-pound monarch declared to the aforementioned source about the unification plan.

The athlete confirmed that there was already a prior verbal agreement to coordinate the work agendas of both training camps. "We talked after his fight with Núñez, we shook hands and agreed to a fight at the end of this year. So, if he does his job with Suárez and I do mine with Ray, I hope we can make it happen," O'Shaquie Foster detailed to The Ring.