O'Shaquie Foster knocked down Emanuel Navarrete twice in the final round of a masterful performance to unify three major titles at 130 pounds on Saturday night at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Foster (26-3, 12 KOs), who entered Saturday as the WBC champion, intercepted Navarette (40-3-1, 33 KOs) with sharp counter punches and surprised the Mexican champion with well-timed pressure to claim a 12-round unanimous decision. All three judges scored the junior lightweight title bout for Foster via scores of 118-108, 118-108 and 115-111.
Foster added Navarrete's WBO and IBF titles with the victory.
Foster's best work came in the final round, when he dropped Navarette twice with the counter right hand.
"I knew watching film he liked to lunge in, and I just pictured that overhand right landing," Foster said. "I felt I was breaking him down throughout the fight and countered real good in that last round."
Known for his unorthodox, hyper-aggressive style, Navarette saw Foster flip the script on him Saturday. Referee Mark Nelson could barely separate the two fighters, as Foster routinely attacked Navarrete with short, straight punches on every break. He hurt Navarette with a whistling counter left hook in the seventh round and weathered Navarette's best offensive rally in the 10th.
According to Compubox, Foster outlanded Navarette 157-99 in total punches. Navarette appeared surprisingly outclassed from start to finish. In addition to being knocked down twice in the final round, he failed to land a single strike in the first.
"I told you all before, I felt I was the better inside fighter and outside fighter," Foster said. "I proved that tonight. Hat's off to him, but I knew I was levels above and wanted to prove it."
The victory marks the latest milestone for Foster, who rebuilt his career after early professional setbacks to become one of the division's most decorated and technical fighters. He has recalled being in a jail cell when he watched Terence Crawford's junior welterweight title unification win against Julius Indongo in August 2017. Foster won the WBC title in 2023 and reclaimed it in a rematch with Robson Conceicao in November 2024 before defeating former unified champion Stephen Fulton in December.
The WBA junior lightweight title stands as the only world title not in Foster's possession. WBA champion Anthony Cacace (25-1, 9 KOs) is scheduled to face Nick Ball in December in Belfast. Foster has already targeted the winner of that bout, along with WBO junior welterweight champion Shakur Stevenson.
"[Stevenson] is at the the top of the list, but first I want to go for undisputed," Foster said. "Build my name and do something nobody has ever done in the 130-pound division. After that, go up and leave my mark."
