Notebook: Foster's plan: Beat Hernandez, unify against Cordina
Vergil Ortiz update; Inoue preps for Tapales undisputed fight; first boxer for 2024 U.S. Olympic team qualifies; Quick hits; Show and tell
A note to Fight Freaks Unite readers: I created Fight Freaks Unite in January 2021 and eight months later it also became available for paid subscriptions for additional content — and as a way to help keep this newsletter going and for readers to support independent journalism. If you haven’t upgraded to a paid subscription please consider it. If you have already, I truly appreciate it! Also, consider a gift subscription for the Fight Freak in your life.
O’Shaquie Foster has it mapped out in his mind.
First up, Foster will make his initial WBC junior lightweight title defense against mandatory challenger Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez on Saturday (DAZN, 9 p.m. ET) at the Benito Juarez Sports Center in Cancun, Mexico.
“The fight (against Hernandez) excites me because I’m getting back in the ring,” Foster said. “I’m finally fighting twice in one year and we’re going to his home patch. I think people have only seen 50 percent of me. There’s still a whole other side of my game that they haven’t seen yet, but that’s what I plan on putting out there.
“I’m the best in the division. I’m the most versatile because I can give you a boxing lesson, I can walk you down. You have to pay attention to me because I’ll show you. I feel like it’s going to be a fight that I can show a lot of my versatility and my style. I’ve never fought on DAZN too, so I am excited by that.”
Foster won the vacant title via unanimous decision — 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112 — over then-undefeated WBC featherweight titlist Rey Vargas, who moved up for a shot at the belt, in February at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
If Foster (20-2, 11 KOs), 30, of Orange, Texas, takes care of Hernandez (34-1, 31 KOs), 25, of Mexico, he aspires to unify 130-pound titles with Joe Cordina, who is scheduled to defend the IBF belt against Edward Vazquez on Nov. 4 in Monte Carlo, also on a Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN.
“Joe Cordina is the fight I wanted now but I have to take care of the mandatory,” Foster said. “I would love that fight in the future, next, but I am not looking past Rocky. I am looking to see Joe though. I know I would dominate him. I’d stop him in the later rounds.”
That Foster is in position to discuss defending a world title and the prospect of a unification fight is a long way from where he once was, sitting in a jail cell in 2017 as he was incarcerated in Orange for four months for aggravated assault. While Foster, who turned pro in 2012, was jailed he watched a Terence Crawford fight and decided to dedicate himself fully to boxing and six years later won a title against all odds.
“Winning the title was the biggest moment of my life because of all the ups and downs,” Foster said. “Six years ago, I probably wouldn’t have known where I was going. I was 10-2, in and out of jail, stuff like that, so to see the turnaround from that and now be a world champion, it’s amazing to me but it keeps me focused to know what I could go back to if I don’t keep it going.
“I know a lot is against me and it’s not going to be easy, but I knew that when I won the title, so I am just ready to prove myself. Rocky is an aggressive fighter. He comes forward and likes to mix it up and use his power. We tried to fight him a couple of years ago, so I am excited as he’s been on our radar and we’ve been paying attention to him, so there’s nothing out of the blue. We’re ready.”
Hernandez has won six fights in a row, all by knockout, since a shocking upset, first-round knockout loss to Roger Gutierrez in July 2019.
“You are going to see a new world champion, and that’s me,” Hernandez said. “I’m bringing the war on Saturday, and I hope he is ready for it because I am taking that title home and will show exactly who Eduardo ‘Rocky’ Hernandez is. They are right in one thing — that this fight does not go the distance, but it will be from an Eduardo Hernandez KO. I am going to show why I deserve to be here.”
In the co-feature, heavyweight up-and-comer Justis Huni (7-0, 4 KOs), 24, of Australia, will face former cruiserweight title challenger Andrew Tabiti (20-1, 16 KOs), 34, of Las Vegas, in a 10-rounder that was postponed from June because Huni, who be making his Matchroom Boxing debut, suffered an ankle injury.
Upgrade to a paid subscription for full access to all posts and comments — and help support independent journalism
Vergil Ortiz update
Plans are in the works for Vergil Ortiz Jr. (19-0, 19 KOs), 25, of Grand Prairie, Texas, to return in January, Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya told Fight Freaks Unite.
Ortiz, who has fought just four times in the past four years, including no fights this year, was scheduled to challenge WBA “regular” welterweight titlist Eimantas Stanionis in a much-anticipated mandatory bout on July 8 in a main event on DAZN, but when Ortiz fainted during a workout three days earlier and wound up in the hospital, the fight was called off. It was the third time that happened, once due to a Stanionis emergency appendectomy and twice because of Ortiz, who has dealt with the blood disorder rhabdomyolysis and had issues making weight.
But De La Hoya said Ortiz is healthy now and will be moving up in weight.
“I spoke to him not too long ago and let me tell you he is on a mission. He understands that he lost some time because of medical issues and certain reasons, but he is on a mission,” De La Hoya said. “He wants to become world champion. We have a possible date penciled in for him in early January, first couple of weeks of January. We will work on his opponent. He obviously does want to move up in weight. It can even be at 160. He’s a big kid. But he is ready to go.
“He’s training, he’s healthy and I strongly feel everything happens for a reason. But his attitude change is scary and when Vergil Ortiz is angry in that ring you better watch out. I think anyone at 154 or 160 is on notice because Vergil is coming for everybody. He’s on a mission and I’m really looking forward to his comeback.”
Inoue praises Tapales
Unified junior featherweight champion and pound-for-pound star Naoya Inoue had nothing but good things to say about fellow unified titlist Marlon Tapales at a news conference on Wednesday in Tokyo to announce their showdown for the undisputed championship on Dec. 26 (ESPN+) at the 15,000-seat Ariake Arena in Tokyo, where the winner will become the first undisputed champion in the multi-belt history of the 122-pound division.
“Tapales is a crafty southpaw with good defensive ability based on his flexible body movement,” Inoue said in translated comments. “He also can counter punch with excellent timing. He seems very hungry for fame and fortune.”
In his last fight, former bantamweight titlist Tapales (37-3, 19 KOs), 31, of the Philippines, won an upset a split decision against Murodjon Akhmadaliev to take his WBA and IBF titles in San Antonio in April in an upset. He will be an even bigger underdog against Inoue.
Tapales was not at the news conference, but Sean Gibbons of Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions was there on his behalf, and said, “We know Inoue is an explosive puncher full of confidence. Tapales, however, wishes to become the first Filipino boxer to unify four belts. Marlon is training in the U.S., but will come home in the Philippines in November to (finish training).”
A win by four-division champion Inoue (25-0, 22 KOs), 30, of Japan, would allow him to join undisputed welterweight champion Terrence Crawford as the only male boxers to become undisputed in two divisions during the four-belt era. Crawford also did it at junior welterweight in 2017 and Inoue did it at bantamweight this past December before vacating to move up in weight to challenge WBC/WBO junior featherweight titlist Stephen Fulton, whom he dominated en route to an eighth-round knockout on July 25 at Ariake Arena.
Quick hits
Contrary to a report by ESPN Deportes that undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez’s two bouts in 2024 — the second and third of a three-fight agreement with Premier Boxing Champions — would be handled by Showtime PPV, that is not true, a network spokesperson told Fight Freaks Unite. Showtime parent company Paramount Global announced earlier this month that it will shutter Showtime Sports, including ending its boxing coverage after 37 years, at the end of the year. “There are no plans for any Showtime PPVs of any kind in 2024,” the spokesperson told Fight Freaks Unite.
WBO junior flyweight titlist Jonathan Gonzalez (27-3-1, 14 KOs), 32, of Puerto Rico, withdrew due to illness on Wednesday from his third defense, which was scheduled against Gerardo Zapata (14-1-1, 5 KOs) on Friday (ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET) at the Alexis Arguello Sports Complex in Managua, Nicaragua, Zapata’s hometown, All Star Boxing promoter Tutico Zabala announced. It’s the second fight in a row Gonzalez has withdrawn from due to illness. He was slated to meet WBC/WBA champion Kenshiro Teraji in three-belt unification fight in April but was sidelined due to a bacterial infection. Friday’s show will go on with the junior flyweight co-feature of Rene Santiago (11-3, 8 KOs), 31, of Puerto Rico, versus Kevin Vivas (7-0, 2 KOs), 28, of Nicaragua, moving into the main event slot and being upgraded to now be for the vacant WBO interim title.
Lightweight Jajaira Gonzalez, 26, of Glendora, California, became the first American boxer to earn a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team that will compete in the Paris Games. Gonzalez, who is the younger sister of featherweight contender Joet Gonzalez, qualified thanks to a 5-0 decision over Uruguay’s Camilo Pineiro Muino in the semifinals of the Pan American Games on Wednesday in Santiago, Chile. “We are going to Paris. I am so happy and blessed,” Gonzalez said. “All the sacrifices, tears and sweat all paid off. I have no words.”
Show and tell
When Daniel Jacobs outpointed longtime stablemate and sparring partner Sergiy Derevyanchenko, he won the vacant IBF middleweight title at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, a hometown bout for the Brooklyn-born Jacobs and Ukraine’s Derevyanchenko, who made Brooklyn his adopted home. It was a good, competitive fight in which Jacobs scored a first-round knockdown and won a split decision, 115-112 on two scorecards while one judge had it 114-113 for Derevyanchenko. The fight headlined an HBO-televised tripleheader that also included Alberto Machado scoring a first-round knockout of Yuandale Evans to retain the WBA junior lightweight title and Heather Hardy outpointing Shelly Vincent in a rematch to win the vacant WBO women’s featherweight title bout.
I was ringside to cover the event, which turned out to be the last of the 236 HBO events I covered at ringside. It was just a few weeks earlier that HBO announced it was ending its involvement in boxing, so it was a bittersweet event to cover knowing it was my last HBO card. The network did two more events but I did not attend either. Jacobs-Derevyanchenko took place on Oct. 27, 2018 — five years ago on Friday, and five years almost before we where we find ourselves now with longtime HBO rival Showtime recently announcing it will shutter its sports department and exit boxing at the end of this year. Here is the very limited HBO poster in my collection.
If you missed my interview with Oscar De La Hoya we have made it into a stand-alone episode. Oscar goes into detail about the plans for his top fighters, events and more. Give it a listen and please subscribe to the pod for alerts when the next episode drops.
A note to subscribers
I sincerely appreciate your readership. If you’re reading, it means you love boxing just like I do. If you’ve been reading you also know the quality and quantity of what I produce. It’s one-stop shopping. Read the newsletters and there is no need to search multiple websites or click a multitude of links to get the latest news, opinion and detailed fight schedule. Everything you need is in one spot and delivered directly to your inbox (or via phone alert if you download for free the superb Substack app). You don’t have to hunt for the news; it comes to you.
I believe that is worth something, so while I will continue providing stories, notes and the schedule for free, I encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription for the most content. A paid subscription is your way of keeping this reader-supported newsletter going and supporting independent journalism. I am beholden to no network, promoter, manager, sanctioning body or fighter. If you have read my work at all during the past 23 years I’ve covered professional boxing you know that I keep it real and that will not change.
To upgrade your subscription please go here:
Thank you so much for your support of Fight Freaks Unite!
Photos: Foster-Hernandez: Melina Pizano/Matchroom Boxing; Ortiz: Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy Promotions; Inoue: Naoki Fukuda
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danrafael1/
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRafael1
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanRafaelBoxing
