Juara bertahan O'Shaquie Foster bersiap mempertahankan sabuk gelar juara dunia kelas super bulu WBC miliknya melawan penantang Raymond Ford dalam pertandingan 12 ronde di Fertitta Center, Houston, Texas, Amerika Serikat pada Sabtu, 30 Mei 2026.
Pertarungan utama ini memanas setelah kedua petinju terlibat saling sindir selama masa promosi, di mana Foster menegaskan bahwa duel ini merupakan pembuktian sukarela dan dirinya tidak pernah menghindari tantangan Ford.
Dilansir dari ringmagazine.com, Foster yang memiliki rekor 24-3 dengan 12 KO memilih menghadapi Ford selaku penantang nomor dua WBC karena dinilai lebih menjual dan menguntungkan dibanding menghadapi penantang nomor satu, Michael Magnesi asal Italia.
"I’m just ready to shut little dude up," kata Foster, Petinju Kelas Super Bulu WBC.
"He makes no sense. It’s time to shut him up and humble him, put him back down to where he need to be."
Foster juga membantah narasi promotor Eddie Hearn yang menyebut dirinya menghindari Ford pada Agustus tahun lalu saat Ford menghadapi Abraham Nova di Riyadh, Arab Saudi.
"I don’t know, I’m starting to think he don’t got it all," kata Foster, Petinju Kelas Super Bulu WBC.
"I’m just being serious, because even his promoter [Eddie Hearn] told him on stage at the press conference that [I’m] right, that [I] didn’t have to take this fight. So, I don’t get where he be coming from, with the stuff he be saying. It literally makes no sense, but I think he got a key in his back, so he trying to find any way to make it seem like I been ducking him, to push a narrative or whatever. But it just don’t make no sense. Nobody sees it."
Foster menambahkan bahwa tawaran bertarung dari kubu Ford datang sangat mendadak, yaitu hanya tiga minggu sebelum jadwal pertandingan, padahal saat itu dirinya sudah menandatangani kontrak untuk menghadapi Stephen Fulton.
"They said I ducked him in August when he fought [Abraham] Nova," kata Foster, Petinju Kelas Super Bulu WBC.
"but they called me three weeks ahead and they’re saying they called Nova five weeks ahead. So, it just don’t make no sense. I don’t get it."
Menurut Foster, perubahan strategi sparring dari menghadapi petinju ortodoks seperti Fulton menjadi petinju kidal seperti Ford membutuhkan waktu persiapan yang lebih panjang agar ia berada dalam potensi penuhnya.
"If I got a contract that’s signed for a fight already," kata Foster, Petinju Kelas Super Bulu WBC.
"and that fight falls through as far as the main event, not me and that fighter because me and Fulton didn’t get hurt, of course the date is gonna get moved back a little bit. But y’all called the champion three weeks ahead of time to come to Saudi Arabia to fight you – it just showed that you’re not serious. First off, you’re not confident in catching me at my full potential. You were trying to catch me when I had a short camp or something."
Foster menilai kubu lawan sengaja memanfaatkan situasi mepet tersebut demi keuntungan mereka sendiri di atas ring.
"Because I’m fighting Fulton and he’s orthodox, so why would I take a fight with you, when you’re a southpaw? I would have to switch up my whole sparring [schedule] and that would only give me two weeks to spar and get prepared. I think they was trying to catch me when I didn’t have as much time to get ready. … His team is not as confident as they’re trying to make it seem and they was trying to catch me at a bad time, basically. That’s it."
Di sisi lain, Raymond Ford yang merupakan mantan juara kelas bulu WBA dengan rekor 18-1-1 menepis semua komentar Foster dan mengkritik rekam jejak sang juara bertahan.
"I really don’t care what he said [about Stevenson] or what he think. Everybody got they wishes, and they can plan it however they want to plan it, but he’s still gotta deal with me. All that – if you can’t deal with me, you can’t get to what you wanna get to. All that’s irrelevant. He really just keeps bringing up Shakur’s name to build his fame and get eyes on him ‘cause that’s the only time people gonna mention him or talk about him. They don’t talk about him. Nobody’s dying to see O’Shaquie Foster, so he gotta somehow make his name popular. He been pro since 2012; he just now starting to get some shine. He’s a hater – that’s all."
Berdasarkan laporan sportsnaut.com, jalannya pertandingan ini akan disiarkan secara eksklusif melalui layanan streaming berbayar DAZN mulai pukul 8 malam waktu setempat.
