O’Shaquie Foster wants to finish collecting the belts at 130 pounds before fighting Shakur Stevenson. After beating Emanuel Navarrete on Saturday night, Foster has one title left to chase before completing that goal.
The newly unified junior lightweight champion made his plans clear in comments shared by The Ring.
“I want to go undisputed… fulfill my biggest dream, then I’ll go see Shakur.”
That puts a Stevenson fight behind Foster’s pursuit of the WBA title. He isn’t dismissing the matchup, but he has given himself a reason to stay at junior lightweight rather than immediately follow Shakur to a higher division.
Foster earned that choice against Navarrete. He dropped the Mexican twice in the final round and won a unanimous decision, adding the IBF and WBO titles to his WBC belt while also claiming the vacant Ring championship. The fight took place October 24 in San Antonio.
The performance also gave a future Stevenson fight more substance. Foster would bring the skills that allowed him to pick apart Navarrete, along with three sanctioning body titles and a chance to add the fourth before moving on.
There is a practical issue, though. Foster is building his championship collection at 130, while Shakur holds the WBO title at light welterweight. They would still need to agree on a weight. Interest from both fighters would only be the beginning of those negotiations.
Foster’s answer also avoids letting the Stevenson discussion swallow his own achievement. He has just beaten the other leading champion in his division. Immediately moving up would leave his biggest stated goal unfinished.
The risk is time. Another unification takes negotiations, and Shakur’s own plans could change while Foster pursues the remaining belt. There is no guarantee the fight will be available on the same terms later.
For now, Foster has set the order: undisputed first, then Shakur. After the Navarrete performance, that is a plan worth letting him pursue.