I'm about to do something that I hate.
Online I playfully mock those who read too much into a fighter's body language. "This fighter turned away from the face-off too early." "This fighter looks scared." "This fighter wouldn't make eye contact."
Many boxing enthusiasts look for these scenarios and ascribe meaning to them, that these split-second gestures or movements signal an edge for one fighter or a disadvantage for another.
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| O'Shaquie Foster after his win on Saturday Photo courtesy of Dylan Trevino/PBC |
I coined a term on Twitter (X) for these people: the #BodyLanguageHeads. This cohort is obsessed with weigh-ins, face-offs, press conferences, ring walks and other situations that don't actually involve the fight itself. I think nine times out of ten what the #BodyLangaugeHeads mention is nonsense, with no bearing on what will happen in an upcoming fight.
Almost all of us aren't psychologists. And even if we were, we still aren't in another person's head. To try to get deep into another person's psyche, especially someone that we don't know, is a fool's errand. For whatever we think we may glean or infer, there's also a very good chance that we may be wrong, or what we think is important turns out to be irrelevant.
However, I did write nine times out of ten earlier. Every once in a while, even my own cynicism regarding the importance of body language gets punctured. Saturday was one of those occasions.
I saw something.
O'Shaquie Foster had just won the second and third rounds in his fight against Stephen Fulton. In the corner after the third, he sat motionless, giving his undivided attention to his trainer, Bobby Benton. Foster didn't look around, change his facial expression, or comment on anything that was said to him. There were no distractions. They were in lockstep. Although there were thousands in the arena, each was only focused on the other.
This was a fighter who was 100% switched on. He was in the zone. He was locked in on the task at hand.
To start the fourth, Foster switched stances, turning southpaw. This was something not discussed in the corner, or if it was, it was coded. The switch was surprising since Foster was already asserting his superiority in the orthodox stance. Yet as a southpaw Foster continued to dominate. Despite the different angles, he made it look easy. Foster wound up staying southpaw until the ninth round and when he returned to orthodox, he didn't skip a beat. He wound up winning a wide unanimous decision in a fight that was perceived as a 50/50 matchup.
That moment in the corner stood out to me because of the up-and-down nature of Foster's career. Foster has had nights where he lost even though he was the superior talent. He also had stretches of fights where he would drift. He would start brightly and then his intensity and commitment would wane. There were other times where it took him several rounds to get started. To my eyes, he had rarely put 10 or 12 great rounds together against a solid opponent.
Foster, who entered Saturday as a junior lightweight champion, had several legitimate reasons to have a loss of focus on Saturday. His fight had after all been scheduled and postponed multiple times. Fulton had blown weight and there were all sorts of backroom machinations regarding what weight and attendant belt Saturday's fight would be contested for. In addition, Foster, a Top Rank boxer, was appearing on a PBC card, and there is always concern when one is not the house fighter.
Yet Foster fought on Saturday with no excuses. There was no backtalk in the corner or expressions of overconfidence. Benton never needed to get on him about a lack of consistent effort (which has been a problem in the past). They were all on the same page.
His performance revealed a new-found maturity and an understanding of his position in boxing. He was no longer the scrappy underdog or the hard-done fighter wronged by the industry. On Saturday he fought like he now saw himself: as a champion. He was past the point of dreaming about becoming one of the best fighters in the sport. He knew that now he was one. Foster finally understood the commitment needed to dominate a top opponent over 12 rounds. Foster embraced his reality in a way that he hadn't in the past.
The judges wouldn't be able to take the fight away from him, because he wouldn't allow it. If Fulton landed a good shot, Foster would get it back and dominate the rest of the round. There was no let up. Foster was searching for his best, found it, and wouldn't let it go.
But with all of the above true, remember the perils of relying on body language. This is boxing after all, where the five-run home run is not only possible but a feature of the sport. Fulton could have landed the perfect punch and put the #BodyLanguageHeads or myself, in this case, to shame.
Singular moments can be very important, or revealing, but we should never forget that they are also just moments. And in boxing a fighter is not in complete control of his destiny; the other fighter gets paid too. Foster could have been doing all the right things and still could have lost. Those are the fine margins in boxing. And it's not that Fulton was ever close to winning per say, but he landed a couple of impressive right hands; one never knows what can happen with the right punch at the right time.
So, yes, I noticed something in the corner with Foster that told me Saturday night would be different, that he may have reached a new level in his career. But I also acknowledge that shit happens in a boxing ring. The best game plan in the world, with perfect execution in the ring, can all be upended in an instant.
I assure you that I will not become a full-fledged #BodyLanguageHead. And yes, there's a sense of shame in these final paragraphs. I understand how ridiculous it is to get caught up in a glance, or a lack of a glance. And yet I did. FORGIVE ME FOR I AM A HUMAN NOT A MACHINE!!!
But let's end this with the seriousness that Foster's performance deserves, because what we saw against Fulton was elite. On Saturday Foster was one of the best fighters in the sport. But I've also been following boxing long enough to know that many fighters have that "one night." If Foster can have another night like Saturday's, then he will really be on his way.
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