O’Shaquie Foster believes his departure from Matchroom to Top Rank has ended his hopes of a unification with IBF super featherweight champion Joe Cordina.
Foster on Friday at New York’s Madison Square Garden Theater fights for the first time since signing for Top Rank in the aftermath of October’s dramatic stoppage of Eduardo Hernandez.
He defends his WBC title against fellow 30 year old Abraham Nova, and in the event of victory could be matched with Emanuel Navarrete, the champion of the WBO.
Since leaving Matchroom he has been open about his frustrations with them; Cordina is another promoted by Eddie Hearn. That Wales’ Cordina is expected to remain with Matchroom potentially complicates the prospect of a fight that had once seemed likely, and to the extent that Foster – Top Rank also promote Navarrete – has increasingly been looking elsewhere.
“Yeah we would’ve fought, but he did say plenty of times that he didn’t want the fight with me, so they can’t force him to fight,” the American said. “Like I said, everything that went down with this last fight, and even before the fight, things that I can’t talk about [that] they know – it really just wasn’t going to work out.
“I know that after his fight, he said that there wasn’t no money [in] fighting me and things like that, so I just stopped paying attention to it – I’m not going to lie to you – because like I said, I was a free agent before his last fight, and he didn’t have an obligation to do a mandatory [fight] or anything, so we could’ve done it then.
“Obviously if I’m willing to go to Mexico, I would’ve gone anywhere – I’ve shown that I’ll go anywhere, it could have been where him and [Edward] Vazquez fought [Monte Carlo, Monaco], so it’s all good, man.”
Cordina is considered a potential future opponent for Shakur Stevenson, another of Top Rank’s leading fighters.
“After that [November’s fight with Vazquez], I don’t really see [Joe] Cordina beating the elite guys – I honestly don’t,” Foster continued. “You know, anybody that steps in the ring [has] got a puncher’s chance, but I don’t see it being a competitive fight with him and Shakur.
“[Stevenson is] a great fighter. He knows how to use his range well; he’s got speed; he’s just real smart, and he does his thing.
“Just look out for me [against Abraham Nova] – 2024, I’m gonna start it off with a bang.”
