GRADES: O'SHAQUIE FOSTER, ABRAHAM NOVA, JOSEPH DIAZ & MORE

By: Jay Calderon

Interesting week of fights, to say the least. Perhaps most interesting, we had fights on Thursday and Friday, but lacked anything too meaningful on Saturday due to the cancellation of Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandry Usyk.

Still, not the worst week of fights.

On Thursday in California, we had a sizeable upset when Jesus Perez defeated Joseph Diaz via split decision. Perez, being a +590 underdog, put himself in early contention for Upset of the Year.

The following night in New York, Jr. Lightweight world titlist O'Shaquie Foster came from behind to fight off challenger Abraham Nova. Also, we saw Sivenathi Nontshinga recapture gold at Jr. Flyweight when he stopped Adrian Curiel, the man that defeated him late last year.

So, without much more ado, let's hand out these Grades:

O'SHAQUIE FOSTER
RESULT: DEF. ABRAHAM NOVA, 12SD (JR. LIGHTWEIGHT)
GRADE: B

It wasn't the best performance from O'Shaquie Foster -- and he admitted as much after the fight -- but it's a great example of what Foster does best as of late.

And that's find a way to win.

Since his upset win over Rey Vargas back in February of 2023 where the American picked up 130 pound gold, Foster has gained that champion's confidence. Even when he's not at his best, or behind on the cards, Foster seems able to close strong and do enough to pull out the victory.

Against Abraham Nova, the situation wasn't any different. Foster didn't have the best of starts, and seemed to let the volume of Abraham dictate the terms. Yet, even in dealing with an apparent bicep injury suffered in the contest, Foster could another gear, pulled away late in the bout. Capping it all off, Foster dropped Nova in the final round to make sure he left a lasting impression.

Again, was it the best Foster has ever looked? No, but it was a good look at exactly the sort of fight that Foster has in him in those clutch moments.

ABRAHAM NOVA
RESULT: LOSS TO O'SHAQUIE FOSTER, 12SD (JR. LIGHTWEIGHT)
GRADE: C+

You can't take much away from Abraham Nova. All things considered, Nova out-performed the pre-fight expectations of most, starting strong and keeping it close throughout. The fact that a 6-1 underdog in Nova did enough to convince one judge he had done enough to win is a small victory in it's own right.

Where Nova fell short was in the little areas. As the fight wore on, Nova seemed to have much of the same volume, but the technique slipped considerably. Where Foster was calm and composed in those tougher moments, Nova seemed to throw everything at his man.

In a sense, that's not the worst idea imaginable. Against lesser fighters, it's going to work. However, Nova walked into too many shots and was even dropped by Foster in the final round when every punch and point seemed to matter.

Nova, by no means, is a terrible fighter. However, to succeed at the absolute very top, he will need to find a few new wrinkles to his game.

SIVENATHI NONTSHINGA
RESULT: DEF. ADRIAL CURIEL, 10TKO (JR. FLYWEIGHT)
GRADE: A-

Back in November of 2023, the then-undefeated Sivenathi Nontshinga was shocked with a knockout, upset loss at the hands of the lightly-heralded Adrian Curiel, losing his 108 pound title in the process. Telling you that less than four months later Nontshinga would completely turn the result around would have been a hard sell.

However, that's exactly what happened.

In their first bout, Nontshinga seemed lackadaisical, open for the right hand that would eventually end his night prematurely. In the return, especially in those opening frames, Sivenathi seemed poised and on alert -- with his glove glued to the left side of his face.

The biggest drawback you could have for Nontshinga is that he seemed to dip a bit in those middle frames, allowing Curiel to get back into the fight a bit more. Nonetheless, Nontshinga bit down when needed and certainly finished strong, and had Adrian hurt in the ninth frame.

Ultimately, a right hand from Nontshinga hurt Curiel and led to the ending of a fight that showed us a decent bit about Nontshinga. Yes, the South African still has things to work on. Still, it takes a mentally tough fighter to return in just a few months and defeat the fighter that stopped him so dramatically.

ADRIAN CURIEL
RESULT: LOSS TO SIVENATHI NONTSHINGA, 10TKO (JR. FLYWEIGHT)
GRADE: C-

Adrian Curiel, it seemed to me, was intent on recreating the magic he produced in his initial encounter with Sivenathi Nontshinga back in November of last year.

That's to be expected, of course. When you score a highlight reel knockout in just two frames in a massive upset, you're bound to look for that same shot. However, due to a combination of Curiel not setting it up, and Nontshinga knowing what to look for in the return, Curiel couldn't find the mark.

And Curiel didn't seem to have answers for how to set that shot up with a bit more nuance, especially early. He would chase at times, wing it, and seemingly hope it found a home. It didn't.

Intelligently, Curiel did step in more in the middle frames and just tried to make it dirtier, rougher -- anything different. Which was needed. However, Nontshinga was too smart and composed, and handled himself well on the inside.

Ultimately, Curiel's inability to find a creative way to land that right hand coupled with Nontshinga turning up much more focused and in the moment, led to Adrian getting stopped in those final rounds.

It wasn't a bad performance. Curiel just didn't seem on the the level of his foe. Still, he can't get complacent with his power and expect to end all fights the way he did their initial encounter if he's to regroup and improve going forward.

JESUS PEREZ
RESULT: DEF. JOSEPH DIAZ, 10SD (JR. WELTERWEIGHT)
GRADE: A

Sometimes, a simple game plan is all you need to be victorious. However, actually implementing that plan can be easier said than done.

For Jesus Perez, the plan seemed simple when in against Joseph Diaz. Perez is the bigger man, having fought all the way up at 147 pounds, and having a sturdy chin. Diaz, not known as a puncher, and moving up to 140 pounds, would seem in prime position to be bullied by a fighter like Perez with little to lose.

However, so often you find underdog fighters showing up and fighting like they are going with the script. Perez was a sizeable underdog, and it would have been reasonably easy to assume he did just enough to survive and lose a decision.

That wasn't the case.

Instead, Perez fought like he belonged. While Diaz was the more skillful fighter, the fighter with a bit more to his game, Perez was simply more willing to take the needed chances. He blitzed Diaz, frustrated the Californian, and ultimately out-hustled him down the stretch.

It wasn't always pretty by any stretch, but it was the perfect performance from Perez, who picked up the biggest win of his career.

JOSEPH DIAZ
RESULT: DEF. JESUS PEREZ, 10SD (JR. WELTERWEIGHT)
GRADE: C

Outside the ring, Joseph Diaz has had his struggles. Admittedly, Diaz has been unfocused, even leading to him missing weight and losing a title at 130 pounds. He's also disclosed struggles with substances that have kept him off course.

Now, it appears the US Olympian has sorted some of his life out and was looking to get back on track against Jesus Perez. It would seem, however, Diaz' troubles now lay directly in the ring.

Joseph wasn't a big 126-130 pound fighter, and now finds himself only able to make 135-140 pounds, where his size becomes even more of an issue. Coupling that with the fact that Diaz isn't at all a big puncher, and you see a concerning development for the Golden Boy product.

In fairness, we have to give credit to Perez for showing up and doing the job needed against Diaz. That said, one gets the sense that Diaz simply won't have much for anyone at Jr. Welterweight with some dog in them.

It's going to be a tough road ahead for Diaz.

LINKS:

- SCHEDULE & ODDS

- RESULTS

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