Matchroom Boxing has secured the promotional rights to the O’Shaquie Foster-Eduardo ‘Rocky’ Hernandez WBC junior lightweight title fight.
A winning submission of $466,666 was placed by Matchroom during a purse bid hearing held Tuesday as part of the WBC’s ‘Martes de Cafe’ weekly meetings at its Mexico City headquarters. Ten percent of the bid ($46,666.60) will be placed in escrow as a win bonus. The remaining 90 percent will be split 75-25 in favor of Foster as the defending titlist.
A date and location were not immediately assigned to the mandatory title fight.
The bout will mark the first title defense for Foster (20-2, 11KOs), who won the vacant belt in a twelve-round decision over WBC featherweight titlist Rey Vargas. Foster—who hails from the greater Houston area—prevailed in his first career title fight by scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112 in the February 21 Showtime-headlined vacant title fight in San Antonio, Texas.
Both boxers entered the night aware that the winner would be on the hook to make two mandatory title defenses. Vargas unsuccessfully moved up in weight but was permitted to retain his WBC featherweight title. Foster extended his current ten-fight win streak, which came at a point when he was freed from his previous contract with now defunct Probellum.
Mexico City’s Hernandez (34-1, 31KOs) was also with the same promotional company but had to go the legal route to avoid being stuck with its rebranded outfit now known as Disrupt Boxing. The veteran contender was vocal in his frustration over the manner in which his contract was merely handed over to the group who purchased Probellum, without his knowledge or consent.
The move was met with claims from Hernandez that Probellum denied favorable offers made by Matchroom, which has housed his last three starts. The 25-year-old knockout artist broke free and proceeded with his career, which has since included a third-round knockout of countryman Hector Garcia (not the WBA 130-pound titlist) on July 7 in Monterrey.
Overall, Hernandez has won six in a row since a July 2019 stunning first-round knockout loss to Roger Gutierrez, who went on to win the WBA title. All six wins have come by knockout and he has yet to see the seventh round of a fight.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox