O’Shaquie Foster has become stylish.
The one-time US amateur star, who fought back after two losses in the mid-2010s, defeated two-division champion Rey Vargas by a unanimous decision to claim the WBC 130 title. pounds available on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The official scores are 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112. Boxing Junkie also has the score 117-111, the ninth half won a treble.
It seems that Foster (20-2, 11 KOs) will not realize his potential as he lost to Samuel Teah and Rolando China in four matches in 2015 and 2016.
However, after the second defeat, he regrouped. He made changes to his team, leaving his hometown of Orange, Texas, and taking a break.
Result? He won nine straight games to earn his pick against one of Saturday’s more notable active champions in his home state.
Foster, quick and skillful, let Vargas down from the start by making it nearly impossible for Vargas to clear him and pick his points to attack and win rounds.
Vargas only landed 19% of his total punches (compared to Foster’s 23%) and 12% of his stabs, according to CompuBox. Foster overtook him 144-101 on aggregate, 87-66 in power shots.
Vargas clearly felt that he needed to get more done in the second half of the round, as he fought with more urgency and won his punch in Rounds 6-9.
However, he was never able to penetrate Foster’s superb defence with any consistency. And, in the final three rounds, it was Foster who fought a fading Vargas and accomplished more.
He overcame Vargas 20-5 in the 12th and final round.
“My coach kept saying to me, ‘Pick it up, get ready,’” Foster said. “We can’t get him out [but] I felt good in the later rounds so I just wanted to press him so the game wouldn’t be too close.”
Some rounds are difficult to score, which increases the likelihood of a close skirmish. However, no one complained when the official score was announced.
Vargas later said he thought the match was closer than the referees saw but never said he thought he should have been awarded the win.
So Foster, 29, can call himself a world champion more than a decade after he turned pro in 2012. Then it became clear that it was worth the wait.
“Dude, it feels great. This journey is crazy,” Foster said with an unstoppable smile on his face.
How could he turn things around when everything looked so bleak six, seven years ago.
“Dedication, hard work,” he said. “I have a great team around me. Stay away from distractions, help yourself to be mentally and physically stable. And now I’m at the top. Is crazy.”
Foster joins Shavkat Rakhimov (IBF) and Hector Luis Garcia (WBA) as junior light belt holders. The WBO title is left blank.
The new champion said he wants to unify the titles but is willing to fight any top 130-pound boxer.
“I support anyone,” he said. “I feel like my style.. I can tailor it to anyone. I can beat anyone out there.”
Meanwhile, Vargas remains the WBC’s 126-pound owner. He will have to decide whether to lose weight again or stay at 130, the level he launched.
“This is another step in my life,” he said through an interpreter. “We can go back to 126.”
