The more technical Foster (26-3, 12 KOs) proved that his entire arsenal was elite by pouring cold water over the flame that was Navarrete (40-3-1, 33 KOs) on Saturday in San Antonio and even knocked him down twice in the final round en route to a unanimous decision win. 

"Ice Water" Foster came into the clash with the WBC title and left with The Ring title as well as "Vaquero" Navarrete's IBF and WBO belts. 

"I feel like it was a great performance. I finished strong," he said at his post-fight press conference. "There were a lot of people saying that I ain't have no power and that I wasn't going to be able to keep him off of me, and I showed that I'm an all-around fighter.

"Everybody is always talking about how I just got a jab and how I just like to move. I showed that I got a lot more in my arsenal behind my jab and everything. A lot of people are going to think twice now about saying certain things about me." 

Foster outlanded Navarrete 157-97, and his career-best performance was punctuated with a pair of 12th-round knockdowns. 

Judges scored the contest 118-108, 118-108 and 115-111 in favor of Foster, but it was difficult to reward Navarrete with more than two rounds. 

"I knew I controlled the fight. I knew I won the fight," Foster said. "There was no way they could rob me. I controlled every round. He did land some good shots. He's an awkward fighter. He's a great champion, but I knew I was doing the most work there … I knew that by the end of the night I was going to have a crowd on my side. I'm a warrior.

"I felt like I was breaking him down. I just wanted him to overwork a little bit and play mind games with him. Come to him, and then let him apply pressure and let him outwork himself a little bit. Coming into the fight, I knew that I was going to be able to run at him and take shots, and that's what I did." 

Foster frustrated Navarrete and nullified his prototypical pressure from the onset with beautifully timed counterpunches. The knockdowns came from counter right hands with Foster near the ropes. 

"I knew that as the rounds went on I needed to pick it up. The earlier rounds were a little bit too close, and my coaches kept telling me that," Foster said. "Probably like in the third or fourth round or something [I started figuring him out]. I started to get his timing down and his rhythm down.

"I could have picked it up in the earlier [rounds to stop him], but that is something that I am going to have to work on. It played out like it played out ... I give him the biggest respect. He said he was going to come out there and put his face in front of me and he did." 

Foster then compared Navarrete with one of the most notorious unorthodox fighters of all time. 

"Oh man, [Navarrete's awkwardness] is at the top. He's up there with Emanuel Augustus," Foster said, alluding to the journeyman lightweight noted for giving Floyd Mayweather Jr. the toughest fight of his early career in 2000. "He's super awkward. He throws some crazy angles, but I did a lot of studying on him. Every night I was watching him and just trying to pick up his tendencies. I didn't let him really get off the uppercuts and the long-range shots, but eventually an awkward fighter like that is going to get something in, and he did, but it didn't hurt me. 

"He caught me with a couple shots. He's a strong champion. He got heavy hands, but I got a chin. I'm not really worried about power because I feel like I got my own, and I showed that. I neutralized him and showed the world that I'm one of the best."

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan