Even after his remarkable run in the 130-pound division the past 3½ years, Foster feels he has yet to receive the widespread respect he has earned. He need not look beyond his accomplished opponent, Emanuel Navarrete, to support his point.

Mexico’s Navarrete occupied a spot on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list after his 11th-round stoppage of former IBF champ Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez in his last fight February 28.

Navarrete’s win was impressive, but his controversial technical-decision victory over Charly Suarez two fights earlier was changed to a no-contest and clearly could’ve resulted in a TKO loss 17 months ago. Two bouts before his suspect performance with Suarez, Navarrete lost a 12-round split decision to former WBO lightweight champ Denys Berinchyk, who was later picked apart and stopped by Keyshawn Davis.

Foster, meanwhile, has lost only a suspect split decision to Robson Conceicao in the past 10 years. The Orange, Texas, native avenged that defeat in their immediate rematch four months later in November 2024.

He has since scored unanimous and majority points defeats of former junior featherweight and featherweight champ Stephen Fulton and former featherweight champ Raymond Ford.

Two bouts before his close loss to Conceicao, Foster (25-3, 12 KOs) dramatically knocked out Eduardo “Rocky” Hernandez in the 12th round of an October 2023 bout he was inexplicably losing on two scorecards through 11 rounds. He won the WBC title he’ll defend against Navarrete by outclassing another former champ who was undefeated at that time, Rey Vargas, in February 2023.

Though more boxer than puncher, the intelligent, skillful Foster’s resume seemingly warrants more praise and attention than he has been afforded. Foster figures, however, even his detractors couldn’t deny his place among boxing’s best if he moves one step closer toward becoming undisputed junior lightweight champion by beating Navarrete (40-2-1, 33 KOs) in a main event DAZN will stream from Frost Bank Center (8 p.m. ET).

“I think this win is gonna stamp me as one of the best in the sport, and one of the greatest of this era,” Foster told my Ring colleague Manouk Akopyan. “I think this win is going to put me on the pound-for-pound list. There’s no way they’re going to be able to talk about boxing without speaking about me. So that’s where I want to be, and we are fighting hard to get there.”

One of the most telling things Shakur Stevenson said Monday in making his stunning announcement about his abrupt split with Zuffa Boxing is that he will move up to welterweight when he is ready, in a year or two.

That means Stevenson, 29, eventually had second thoughts about boxing at even the 145-pound catchweight he and Devin Haney agreed upon, let alone the welterweight limit of 147. It would’ve been beneficial for the undefeated four-division champion and Haney had Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) reached that conclusion sooner, but there are numerous intriguing fights for The Ring and WBO 140-pound champion at lightweight and junior welterweight.

Stevenson’s newfound freedom should enable him to make one of those fights relatively quickly. Whether it’s Raymond Muratalla, Gary Antuanne Russell, the Dalton Smith-Alberto Puello winner, Floyd Schofield, Abdullah Mason or the least likely option, Gervonta Davis, the last thing Stevenson needs is more prolonged negotiations as the layoff for the fighter ranked No. 3 on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list approaches nine months.

Regardless, Stevenson’s unforeseen separation from Zuffa and its streaming partner, Paramount+, is an encouraging development for rival DAZN because it all but guarantees that his next fight will be offered on its pay-per-view and monthly Ultimate platforms.

Fabio Wardley showed the same competitive spirit in the immediate aftermath of his devastating second-round TKO loss to Daniel Dubois in their rematch that led him to take such a dangerous assignment just five months after he was battered in their first fight.

The former WBO heavyweight champion cannot see any reason why he shouldn’t resume his career after he takes a long break to recover mentally and physically from his only two losses. Hopefully, however, he’ll consider the sad demise of Joe Joyce when, in quiet moments, he thinks about if he should fight again.

Rather than focusing on who he could face next in an attempt to rebuild his career, Wardley should consider whether it’s worthwhile. Assuming he passes medical exams, Wardley obviously is free to do what he wants.

But with a family to think of, Wardley (20-2-1, 19 KOs) could consider his nine-year run as a professional prizefighter a smashing success if he walked away now. With no amateur background and only four “white-collar” fights on his record, Wardley’s ability to learn on the job, win one of the sanctioning organization’s titles and make millions of dollars, he was able to squeeze much more out of this unforgiving, brutal business than most.

Dubois (24-3, 23 KOs) is one of boxing’s hardest punchers and Wardley undoubtedly needed more time between fights. Still, it appeared from the opening bell at O2 Arena that the ever-brave Wardley was left with little punch resistance following the disturbing beating he took May 9.

The result was essentially solidified 16 seconds into their rematch. When referee Steve Gray stopped Dubois from inflicting more damage a round later, Wardley somehow looked as if he had absorbed another sustained beating.

Maybe Wardley wins a few fights in a row if Queensberry Promotions’ matchmakers find him the proper opponents and he can secure another big fight. Or maybe, based on what we witnessed last weekend, he becomes England’s next Joyce — a frightening possibility neither Wardley nor anyone who cares about him should discount.

Credit to British lightweight Louie O’Doherty for his ability to be honest with the boxing public — and himself — following a maligned majority draw with Michael Gomez. on the Dubois-Wardley undercard.

O’Doherty (12-0-1, 3 KOs) admitted on social media that, after reviewing their fight for the British and Commonwealth 135-pound crowns, Gomez (23-2-1, 8 KOs) should’ve won eight rounds on the scorecards (116-112). Judge Steve Gray scored it 115-114 for Gomez, but Phil Edwards and Darren Sarginson scored it 114-114 apiece.

Perhaps worse on the Dubois-Wardley undercard, British prospects Manny Safari (pro debut) and Zayn Ahmed (4-0, 2 KOs) were allowed to face inept underdogs who had combined to win two of their 174 professional fights.

That’s not a typo.

Jake Pollard, who was stopped in the fifth round by Safari, slipped 1-122-1 (again, you read that correctly). Kasey Brandum is 1-51 after losing by first-round TKO to Ahmed.

Apologists for the pointless practice of matching prospects against hopeless opponents couldn’t even defend the British Boxing Board of Control’s approval of these two fights.

Pollard and Brandum are either incapable of winning fights or, more alarming, not trying in some cases. Either way, at what other job would employees be welcomed back regularly if they failed 99 percent of the time?