O’Shaquie Foster and Emanuel Navarrete Set for Explosive Super Featherweight Unification

Super featherweight dominance is on the line as Navarrete and Foster look to take control of the 126-pound decision.

Emanuel Navarrete | Top Rank

On October 24, the majority of the championship picture at super featherweight will clear up. WBC super featherweight champion O’Shaquie Foster and Emanuel Navarrete, the WBO/IBF champion, will face off. As the old saying goes, "Styles make fights." The unification battle could signal a clash of styles.

Both Foster and Navarrete want to establish their dominance through their respective styles. Foster brings a slicker style, while Navarrete wants to walk opponents down and unleash pressure. The fighter who wins this fight establishes their pace from the start.

Emanuel Navarrete | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Foster to escape running label

In boxing, fighters with slick footwork and speed are usually labeled as runners. Many in and around the sport prefer a downhill style that centers around throwing punches and pressuring opponents. Ironically, that's the approach Navarrete will take against Foster.

Foster responded to Navarrete's accusations of fleeing instead of fighting at a Top Rank press conference.

"I'm going to dominate from round one. I [saw] an interview where he said something like, 'I like to run and make fights difficult. 'Man, I've never run from anybody. I put punishment and pain on my opponents as well. That night, he's going to get a boxing lesson. It's not going to be any running. It's going to be a boxing lesson for sure.”

Foster's conditioning could give him the edge in the fight. His cardio allowed him to win his last eight fights by 12-round decision. In reality, the Texan wants to drag his opponent into deep water.

Navarrete's face-first style

Navarrete, on the other hand, chooses chaos instead of order, punctuating his last four wins with highlight-reel knockouts. Additionally, Navarrete believes in taking punches to give them.

"If it's a fight where I'm going to lose or get dropped, then, oh well. I'm going to go in there trying to win, coming forward, taking all the punishment required as long as I am imposing my style in order to win.”

While he's never been stopped, Navarrete wants to jump on Foster as soon as possible. His approach can be broken down into sections. While he does want to swarm his foes, the WBO and IBF champion will throw punches from unorthodox angles. As a result, opponents scramble to find a suitable defense. The unconventional attack will force a rushed attempt to parry, slip, or block his punches.

Divisional dominance

The winner of the fight will control the 126-pound division, meaning they call the shots, and nothing of circumstance happens without their imprint. Furthermore, with lucrative paydays at larger weight classes, either Foster or Navarrete could use the position as a springboard into bigger fights.