In the scrappy showdown at Madison Square Garden Theater, New York, O’Shaquie Foster clung onto his WBC World Super Featherweight title through a split decision victory against Abraham Nova, after 12 rounds of chaos and a single knockdown that tipped the scales.
Foster, hailing from Houston, Texas, with a record of 22-2 (12), tipped the scales at 130 lbs, barely edged out Abraham Nova, boasting a 23-2 (16) record and weighing in at 129 lbs, in a contest that was more brawl than ballet.
The second round saw Nova on the offensive, throwing jabs and looping rights, with Foster barely making a mark in the first couple of rounds. Foster switched to southpaw in the third, taking his time to retaliate in a round short on action, while Nova’s use of elbows and forearms in the fifth went unchecked by Referee Steve Willis, resulting in Foster drawing first blood.
As the rounds dragged on, the fight’s quality didn’t improve much, with the seventh round seeing Foster’s grip on his title weakening and Nova bullying him into the ropes by the eighth. Despite this, Foster managed to land a left hook that staggered Nova.
The latter rounds were marked by fatigue and desperation, with both fighters bleeding and resorting to clinches more often than not. The tenth saw Foster landing a significant uppercut in a clinch, and the eleventh had both fighters on the ropes, showing clear signs of exhaustion.
The final round was a messy affair with Foster managing to land a left that sent Nova to the canvas, thanks in part to their feet tangling, leading to the fight’s sole knockdown as called by Willis. This moment sealed the deal for Foster, concluding a fight that was anything but polished.
The judges’ scores were all over the place, reflecting the fight’s messy nature, but Foster emerged with his title intact, if not his dignity, with scores of 115-112 and 116-111 in his favor, and a 114-113 scorecard for Nova.
