Foster looks unlucky to lose out on points

Foster sways away from Edwards. Images: Lawrence Lustig/Boxxer

BOXING is subjective, but I’m still scratching my head over the defeat Lichfield’s Brad Foster suffered at the hands of unbeaten Welsh hope Rhys Edwards.

At the end of 10 competitive rounds on Boxxer’s big bill at The Halls, Wolverhampton, last night, referee Ron Kearney had the former British super-bantam champ down by a 97-94 margin.

I had the 26-year-old, gashed over the left eye, a victor by two rounds. It’s not the first time Foster, blessed with razor sharp reflexes, has been on the wrong end of a controversial decision.

He and his team strongly disagreed with the points loss to Jason Cunningham, with British and European belts on the line.

At ringside following last night’s televised setback, Foster told me grimly: “I don’t have much luck, do I? Hopefully, that’s going to change.”

Penygraig’s Edwards stuck to his task and looked the fresher down the stretch. To this observer, it was too little, too late, although there were those at ringside who agreed with Mr Kearney.

Early on, Brad looked back to his best. He slipped shots well and found the target with flashing right hands thrown out of a crouch.

The cut opened as early as the second and Foster (9st) responded with lefts to head and body, my notes for the third stating: “Foster looking sharp.”

Blood streams from cut over Foster’s eye

Edwards was taking too long to unload and copped two eye-catching rights in the sixth followed by stiff jabs.

To his credit, the Welshman began to solve the puzzle before him, marching forward in the seventh and landing a fine right uppercut in the eighth.

Tellingly, my notes for that round state: “Foster needs to land more.”

If he had taken his foot off the gas, it was to prove very costly. By the ninth, blood streamed from Foster’s worsening wound. He showed slick defensive moves, although Edwards (9st 1lbs) took the session behind his jab.

Foster reasserted himself with hooks to head and body in the last – capping, in my book, a victory that pushed him back in title contention.

Brad Foster was once considered the golden boy of British boxing, a young man with the world at his feet.

After suffering his third defeat in 20 outings (two draws) the image may be tarnished, but nothing last night suggested Foster had slipped from his brilliant best.

Simply, the Gods of boxing are no longer smiling down on Brad. And the Gods of boxing can be very fickle.