O’Shaquie Foster vs. Robson Conceicao: Tale of the Tape

O’Shaquie Foster makes the third defense of his WBC super-featherweight title when he takes Robson Conceicao on July 6 in Newark, New Jersey.

Ice Water captured the belt when beaten Rey Vargas last year and the Texas fighter has since seen off the challenges of Eduardo Hernandez and Abraham Nova.

Conceicao returns to the ring just a couple of months after a seventh-round TKO victory over Jose Ivan Guardado. 

The Brazilian gets his fourth crack at a world title, and while the 35-year-old is yet to capture any of the sport’s four major belts, there have been mitigating circumstances in all of his previous three elite-level contests. 

Read O'Shaquie Foster vs. Robson Conceicao fight date, ring walk time, how to watch, undercard & odds on site.

Fight bio	O’Shaquie Foster	Robson Conceicao
Odds:	-280	+215
Age:	30	35
Nickname:	Ice Water	Nino
Height:	5ft 8”	5ft 10”
Reach:	72”	70”
Weight division:	Super-welterweight	Super-welterweight
Record:	22-2-0 (12 kos)	18-2-1 (9 kos)
Titles:	WBC super-welterweight
Last Fight:	W (RSD) Abraham Nova (February 2023)	W (TKO) Jose Ivan Guardado (April 2024)

O’Shaquie Foster profile 

Foster made his professional debut in September 2012 and the Texas fighter quickly climbed the ranks. 

Ice Water compiled an 8-0 record over the next three years, including four more stoppage wins, but then came the first set back in his career. 

Foster was defeated by Samuel Teah in 2015, but the Orange-born fighter returned to the ring just a couple of months later to beat Rynell Griffin.

Another loss followed, when Ice Water tackled Rolando Chinea in 2016, and a world title shot looked like a distant dream. However, the he put together a run of seven straight victories, before scoring the biggest success of his career when beating Miguel Roman for the WBC silver super-featherweight crown in 2020. 

An excellent win over the then unbeaten Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov followed and then came a crack at a world title proper against Rey Vargas. 

Vargas, the WBC featherweight champion, went into the bout as the slight favorite but Foster dominated and outlanded Vargas over the course of the 12 rounds to grab a unanimous decision win and his first elite-level belt. 

Foster stopped Eduardo Hernandez in his first defense last year, but Ice Water was behind on the cards until that 12-round stoppage and the Texan’s most recent bout proved another complicated affair. 

A 12th-round knockdown helped Foster hold onto his belt, but the 30-year-old looked to be heading for a defeat against challenger Abraham Nova, until the final round. 

The Texan blamed weight issues for that poor effort and it will be interesting to see how he performs on his return to action. 

Strengths	Weaknesses
Footwork	Weight issues
Defence	Fighting after two convincing victories
Punch output

Robson Conceicao profile 

Conceicao won gold at his home Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games in 2016 and the Brazilian swiftly moved into the pro ranks. 

The 35-year-old put together a run of 16 consecutive victories, and while they came in low-key bouts, Nino looked ready for a crack at the big time. 

That came when the Salvador boxer got a shot at Oscar Valdez’s WBC super-featherweight belt in 2021. Conceicao was beaten by Valdez, but the Mexican returned a positive test for a banned substance. 

Nine then moved onto to face the elite-level Shakur Stevenson, who was stripped of his belt due to being 1.5 pounds overweight, and Conceicao was again the victim of some unfortunate circumstances. 

Conceicao's third world-title challenge came against Emanuel Navarrete came in November, where he had to settle for a draw after suffering two knockdowns. 

Nino will certainly be hoping for better fortune when he takes on Foster in New Jersey. 

Strengths	Weaknesses
Movement	Possibly past his peak
Counter-punching	Punch resistance
Controls the distance