Boxing champ “Shock” Foster returns to Orange for fun run

World boxing champ O’Shaquie “Shock” Foster is coming back to Orange in a big way.

The WBC title holder is planning a Community Run with The Champ Saturday.

The start time is 10 a.m., with the fun kicking off at Kroger, 1600 North 16th Street in Orange and heading to Lion’s Den Park at 1802 Main Avenue before returning to Kroger.

Foster last boxed Feb. 16, defeating Abraham Nova at The Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Foster was scored wins by judges with scores of 115-112 and 116-111, which overruled one judge who scored the fight 114-113 in favor of Nova.

The victory improved Foster’s mark to 22-2, with 12 KOs.

Following the victory, Foster told Orange Newsmedia the build up was great.

“They had billboards by Times Square,” he said. “It was amazing. New York showed me crazy love. It was great to put the Orange, Texas, name out there. There were no nerves. I felt like I was right at home. It felt like it was meant for me to be there.”

Foster said the competitiveness of the fight was the product of a tough week personally in the days leading up to the bout, which contributed to a slow start.

“Early on, I had to figure out my rhythm,” Foster said. “My timing was off, but I ended up figuring it out. I started dominating.”

Foster said he healed up in the days after from a muscle contusion in his arm and a “little fracture in my hand.”

“It’s nothing major. I have four weeks off, then I’ll be back into action. I should be fighting around the summer time,” he said then.

Foster’s next fight is planned in July.

Earlier this month, ESPN announced Foster would defend his WBC junior lightweight title vs. Olympic gold medalist Robson Conceicao July 6 in Newark, New Jersey.

The 130-pound title fight would serve as chief support to the Shakur Stevenson-Artem Harutyunyan lightweight title bout on ESPN, the network reported.

Going into that fight as the champion, Foster was asked what it feels like to be called “Champ.”

“It can’t ever get old,” he joked. “I want to be called “champ” for however long I am going to be boxing.”

According to espn.com, Conceicao (18-2-1, 9 KOs) is 0-2-1 in title fights, but his two losses came when he was at a disadvantage. The 35-year-old Brazilian dropped a disputed decision to Oscar Valdez in September 2021 just weeks after Valdez tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

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