Boxing News Boxing News
WBU featherweight titlist Steve Foster Jr. faces journeyman Jim Betts tomorrow in Bolton in a non-title bout as he gears up for much higher profile contests that are on the horizon for the Manchester area puncher. The son of former Commonwealth light middleweight titlist Steve “The Viking” Foster, Steve Jr. has ripped through the domestic scene to win first the English belt and then knocking out Livingston Ruiz this past February to take the vacant WBU crown. Twenty-four-year-old Foster, 18-0 (12), will be facing former British and Commonwealth bantamweight title challenger Jim Betts, 18-5 (6), of Scunthorpe, England. Betts has been unlucky of late, dropping three straight after winning eighteen of his first twenty bouts. Betts lost to decent opposition however, and having faced both Nicky Booth and Bernard Dunne, he knows a much better competition level than Foster.
The bad news for Betts is that Foster has a sharp as nails left hook and in his most difficult challenge, an October 2004 struggle with former British titlist Gary Thornhill, repeatedly raked the more experienced man until Thornhill was stopped in the ninth. Betts also doesn’t have the strongest of chins, getting stopped in three of his five losses including being knocked out in April by light hitting Mickey Coveney.
Should Foster get past Betts as is expected, the Salford man can look forward to a possible match-up with European, Commonwealth and British kingpin Nicky Cook and then if successful perhaps a showdown with WBO champion Scott Harrison down the road.
Curtis McCormick can be reached at thomaspointrd@aol.com
