“You bought two scary dudes supplying you with recommendation,” Foster stated to Combat Hub TV. “Hitchens is frightening. I don’t know what sort of recommendation he may give. And Shakur, all he can do is inform him what he would do within the ring.”
Foster feels Stevenson’s model can not merely be copied by Ford, particularly as soon as the struggle turns bodily.
“He don’t acquired the identical talent set,” Foster stated. “He attempt to struggle like Shakur however when it come to distance, when it come to boxing IQ, sure issues… yeah, you could be telling him these items, however what Mike Tyson say? Sport plan out the window as soon as he get cracked within the face.”
The WBC tremendous featherweight champion made it clear that the problems with Ford transcend regular pre-fight hype. Foster described Stevenson, Ford, and Hitchins as a linked group that has been working behind the scenes towards him.
“Them as a bunch,” Foster stated when requested the place the animosity comes from. “I feel what they needed was they needed me to be a bunch of folks that’s operating the sport.”
Foster then pointed to Stevenson allegedly making an attempt to maintain tabs on his sparring classes whereas publicly appearing pleasant towards him.
“Shakur messaging me speaking about, ‘We ain’t in the identical weight class. Why don’t we spar?’” Foster stated. “However then you definitely going to Ray Ford saying, ‘I’mma be there with you in the event you struggle.’ Then I’m listening to via the wind you checking about sparring with me.”
The bitterness towards Stevenson seems deeper as a result of Foster needed the struggle after Shakur moved to 135. As an alternative of defending the WBC light-weight belt towards Foster, Stevenson allowed himself to be stripped after failing to pay the sanctioning payment earlier than shifting to 140, the place he later defeated Teofimo Lopez for the WBO title. Foster says Stevenson nonetheless owes him that struggle.
“In the event you run, the followers going to see,” Foster stated. “You stated you wouldn’t give me a possibility until I gave Ford a possibility. That ain’t why I’m giving Ford the chance, however coincidentally this the way it happened.”
Foster additionally rejected the concept that Stevenson’s current dominance makes him unbeatable.
“It’s going to return down in that struggle with me and Shak, if it ever occurred, it’s going to return right down to now who can put it collectively on the offense,” Foster stated. “Protection or no matter like sharpness is nice, however he’s not an offensive fighter.”
The Houston native repeatedly returned to the concept that he’s standing alone towards a linked East Coast group of fighters.
“I’m not certainly one of them guys the place you suppose I’m, ‘Oh, y’all teaming up. Let me go discover some folks to workforce up with,’” Foster stated. “Nah, I’m a one man. So, I come at y’all one after the other, and I’ll knock y’all down for positive.”
