WBC junior lightweight champion O’Shaquie Foster puts his belt on the line against challenger Abraham Nova on February 16 at Madison Square Garden. In his first title defense, Foster was on the ropes against Eduardo Hernandez behind on every scorecard until a furious final two rounds earned him a stoppage in the 12th and final round. For Foster this will be his third fight in the span of 12 months as he looks to take advantage of the momentum he earned by claiming the belt in a decision over Rey Vargas last February. Foster opened as a massive -1000 favorite on the early line.
The list of opponents isn’t as glossy for Nova, but he did what he had to after moving up a weight class. Following his only professional loss, Nova made the move to 130 outclassing veteran tough guy Adam Lopez before abusing Jonatan Romero with a third-round KO. Those wins aren’t considered groundbreaking and “Super” Nova makes a significant leap in stature facing Foster. As such, Nova is a massive +585 underdog on the early boxing line.
O'Shaquie Foster vs. Abraham Nova Betting Odds
O’Shaquie Foster -1000
Abraham Nova +585
The 12-round junior lightweight title fight between WBC champ O’Shaquie Foster ( 21-2, 12 KOs ) and challenger Abraham Nova ( 21-1, 16 KOs ) will take place on Friday, February 16, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY and will air on ESPN.
O'Shaquie Foster vs. Abraham Nova Fight Preview
You never know what can happen when two competitors are thrust in the ring. We’ve seen upsets before, but a Nova victory would be considered one of the biggest. Foster is on a run of fights rarely seen in his career, with this being his third in the last year. That followed a span where it took him nearly three years to complete his previous three bouts. And this fight takes place less than four months after Foster tussled with Eduardo Hernandez in a bout that lasted into the 12th round.
In his first title defense, Foster got more than he could handle from the veteran, getting outworked and out boxed for most of the first 10 rounds. In fact, Foster was behind on the scorecards until the eventful 11th. Foster showed every trick in his bag in the final two rounds using his powerful punches to hurt Hernandez while also being the fresher fighter. Not only was Foster’s stamina on display but so was his pride in the title defense. Foster dropped his opponent to the canvas twice in the final round and unloaded a barrage of punches before the fight was stopped.
It’s been nearly eight years since Foster suffered his last professional loss, a split decision to Rolando Chinea in July 2016. He’s been the victor in his last 11 fights that included a WBC silver super featherweight title over Jon Fernandez. In his first title defense Foster scored an impressive unanimous decision over Alberto Mercado continuing his surge up the ranks.
In March 2022, Foster scored a UD over Muhammadkhuja Yaqubov in a WBC title eliminator bout setting up a date with WBC featherweight champ Rey Vargas for the vacant WBC junior lightweight belt. Landing more than 40 more punches than his opponent, Foster emerged as the upset winner via unanimous decision.
He may be a big underdog but Nova certainly doesn’t lack confidence. “My team and I have earned this opportunity to bring a world title back home. You know what I bring, and you know what I’m about. No fear, no doubt,” he said recently. Nova is a brawler and we saw Foster have trouble against that style in his fight with Hernandez. However, Foster made the adjustments wearing down his opponent and this is the first bout for Nova that’s scheduled to go 12 rounds.
Bet O'Shaquie Foster vs. Abraham Nova
Confidence can get you only so far so don’t expect a Rocky Balboa/Apollo Creed upset in this one. Foster learned from his last fight overcoming the onslaught of Hernandez to eventually put him away. The more skilled boxer in every aspect, Foster won’t allow Nova to do what he does best. There is no value backing the champ at such long odds and I can’t see Nova pulling off the upset, so pinpoint a method of victory and/or a round for Foster to move the odds in your favor. A near certainly is that this one won’t go the distance since Nova has gone more than eight rounds just three times in his 24 professional fights.
Boxing Odds Pick: O’Shaquie Foster / (TKO)
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
Check out the latest odds at BookMaker
