O’Shaquie Foster hoped for a title unification bout and to test the free agent market ahead of his next fight.
The newly crowned WBC junior lightweight titlist is instead restricted to a mandatory title defense is now at the mercy of the highest bidder.
A purse bid hearing will be held Tuesday in Mexico City to determine promotional rights for Foster’s ordered fight versus top-rated contender Eduardo ‘Rocky’ Hernandez, the sanctioning body announced Monday afternoon. Registered promoters who cannot attend are permitted to participate via Zoom.
The bout will mark the first defense for Foster (20-2, 11KOs), who won the belt in a twelve-round decision over WBC featherweight titlist Rey Vargas.
Foster prevailed by scores of 119-109, 117-111 and 116-112 in the February 21 Showtime-headlined vacant title fight in San Antonio, Texas. The win extended his current ten-fight win streak and also 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 Boxing, which has housed his last three starts. The 25-year-old knockout artist was able to break free and proceed 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, Mexico.
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.
Foster will be entitled to the favorable end of a 75-25 split as the defending champion. Ten-percent of the winning bid will be placed in escrow as a win bonus.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox