O’Shaquie Foster has a score to settle with Abraham Nova.
The two will fight at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York, live on Sky Sports in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Foster, now the proud holder of the WBC super-featherweight title, is giving Nova a shot at the belt, even though he feels his challenger swerved the opportunity to fight him before.
Watch Foster vs Nova live on Sky Sports Action from 1am on Saturday morning (Photos: Top Rank)
“I was calling him out a couple of years ago. I guess he was on his high horse because they were pushing him real big and he looked down upon me like my name wasn’t big enough,” Foster told Sky Sports.
“That’s the biggest motivation for me coming into this fight. You never want to make nobody feel like you’re better than them. That’s how he tried to make me feel. I’m here to make a statement.
“No matter what position you’re in, you’ve got to at least stay a little humble. It’s cool to be confident but don’t ever look down upon nobody.
“That’s why I’m here to prove and show why he ducked me.”
Foster also condemned the mascot, of Nova, that accompanies Nova to his fights.
“It is some conceited stuff. Definitely you can tell how big his head is. But I couldn’t care less,” the champion said.
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Nova made his entrance to the ring for his fight against Adam Lopez accompanied by his very own mascot
Foster has shown he can deliver when he needs to, never more so than in his last fight when he was boxing Mexico’s Eduardo Hernandez in Cancun. Going into the last round Foster was way behind, most unjustly he felt, on the scorecards.
He knew he needed a knockout in that last round. He got it.
“I like to stay calm through the storm,” Foster explained. “I knew I was going to get him.
“Showed a lot of people that I can dig and I can get you from one through 12 if I need to.”
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Nova beat Lopez in New York via unanimous decision after an entertaining fight
The champion’s confidence is clear going into this fight with Nova. If he is victorious, he expects to set up further big opportunities for himself later this year.
“I’d take the winner of Liam Wilson-[Oscar] Valdez or if [Emanuel] Navarrete comes back down we can do that. We’ve got Lamont Roach [the WBA champion]. I understand he’s got a couple of mandatories but usually the unifications can trump the mandatories. We’re looking to do something around the summer,” he said.
“I feel like I’m here for a reason,” he continued. “I feel like this is meant for me.
“I’m feeling good, I’m ready to put on a show.”
Watch Foster vs Nova live on Sky Sports Action from 1am on Saturday morning
