Emanuel Navarrete and O’Shaquie Foster previewed their super featherweight title unification bout and faced off at the final press conference. The two fighters square off this Saturday, October 24, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
- Mexico’s three-division world champion Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KOs) puts his unified WBO and IBF titles on the line, making the first defense of both belts.
- Foster (25-3, 12 KOs) of Orange, Texas, brings his WBC belt to the ring, making the sixth defense of his title.
The 12-round contest headlines a Top Rank card, live on DAZN.
‘I’m not interested in Foster’s game plan’
“We all know the importance of this fight, of winning and unifying the titles,” Emanuel Navarrete said. “We know exactly how important a victory would be. We’ve done the hard work, and I’m coming into this fight at 100 percent. I think it’s going to be a good weekend.”
“We corrected certain things and worked differently, from nutrition to the type of preparation. I also had to make some adjustments personally. But the most important part is that we really concentrated and stuck to the game plan, and I think the result will be resounding.”
“What I don’t want is an entire night where we’re just jabbing each other to see who can land more jabs. I think people want to see a good fight. They want to see a war. They want to see both fighters come in with the intention of winning the titles. I’m talking about an attractive fight, a tough fight, maybe even a bloody fight.”
“I’m focused on myself and the work I’m going to do. With all due respect, I’m not interested in Foster’s game plan. I’m going to fight my fight. I’ll be there at 100 percent, ready to defend these titles with all my heart. These titles have cost me a lot, and I’m going to defend them with blood, sweat, and heart, while delivering a great fight for the people coming from far away to see me.”
‘I don’t fight to other people’s advantages’
“I’ve been chasing this fight for almost three years, ever since I signed with Top Rank,” O’Shaquie Foster said. “I knew this was the fight I wanted. I wanted to challenge myself. I knew he was a great champion, and now we’re here.”
“We’ve been asking for it. We’ve been calling for it. We’ve been getting no, no, no, not ready, or whatever. But now we’re here. We got him in the position we want him, and we just got to seal the deal Saturday.”
“I’m ice water, man. I flow with it. I’m cool, calm, collected. I don’t fight to other people’s advantages. Whatever he brings to the table, I’ll adjust, and it’s going to be a great night.”
“It sounded good when he said it, but when you watch him fight, he don’t even do that for no other guys. He don’t really like getting hit, in my opinion. He’ll trade with you, but we’ll see. If he does that, it’ll be a great night for me. I’m not going to lie to you.”
Navarrete vs Foster undercard
The press conference also featured the fighters competing on the Navarrete vs Foster undercard.
- Unbeaten Albert Gonzalez (18-0, 11 KOs) of Moreno Valley, California, takes on Edward Vazquez (20-3, 6 KOs) of Fort Worth, Texas, at featherweight.
- Former title challenger Frank Martin (19-1-1, 13 KOs) of Detroit faces Morocco’s Tarik Zaina (18-3-1, 12 KOs) at super lightweight.
- Former amateur rivals Steven Navarro (9-1, 6 KOs) of Los Angeles and undefeated Emanuel Moreno (13-0, 3 KOs) of Wichita Falls, Texas, meet at bantamweight.
Prelims include
- Daniel Cortez III (13-1, 9 KOs) vs. Joshua Montoya (8-5-2, 1 KO), super bantamweight
- Deric Davis (12-0, 10 KOs) vs. Joaquin Silva Faccio (18-7-1, 1 KO), lightweight
- Samuel Contreras (8-0, 3 KOs) vs. Oscar Pedroza Padilla (8-2-1, 3 KOs), lightweight
- Joseph Almajdi (2-1, 2 KOs) vs. Miqal Dolphus (6-0-1, 4 KOs), super welterweight