Brad Foster vs Lucien Reid 2 – who wins?
Brad Foster (11-0-2, 4KOs) is forced to defend is British and Commonwealth super-bantamweight titles for a second time to challenger Lucien Reid (8-0-2, 4KOs) after ther first match ended in a controversal draw last September.
Two judges deemed the pair inseperable but the third saw ‘Lethal’ edge the encounter over 'The Blade' at 116-112.
The BBBofC ordered the rematch, so BBN asked their panel of experts for their pick.
Ryan Walsh
British featherweight champion
"I'm going repeat, because it’s rare case to get two draws, but it does happen (Evans v Stalker).
Both decent young fighters who will give it there all again."
Anish Parekh
BBN Writer
"Matchups like this are great. Two up and coming fighters putting their undefeated records on the line to take each other on again.
Both have their upsides but I was quite impressed with Fosters' all round skills when I saw him up close last May in Stevenage.
However, he needs to learn to keep up his work rate in the latter rounds or he is at risk of throwing rounds away.
I reckon he shows some growth in this fight and squeezes past Reid with a close unanimous decision."
Tim Rickson
Sports Agent
"The first fight was so close, you can forgive the judges (just) for any controversy surrounding the scores. However, I personally I had Lucien Reid winning, probably by around two or three rounds. After the fight, Reid was hoisted high by his team whereas Foster was just surrounded by his, and when both their arms were raised at the end, challenger Reid was visibly disappointed but champion Foster shrugged his shoulders instead of celebrating.
The better quality came from Lucien, his punches landed cleaner and his style was more pleasing to the eye. Both boxers made each other miss all night and despite the high amount of punches thrown, very few really landed.
I love Reid's movement and footwork and the way that he pivots around after every shot; it's proof of his extensive amateur pedigree. He's also super sharp and he made Foster miss often. His fitness is great, as he was still dancing on his toes in the final round.
Foster is a worthy champion, he also has fantastic head movement and sharpness, but I think he overloaded on his shots at times, which caused him to miss so often. I think the reason he racked up a few more rounds on the scorecards is when he took control of the centre of the ring, playing the role of the commanding champion.
These two super-bantamweights remind of when I used to watch Matt Marsh vs Rocky Dean at the York Hall. They had three thrilling fights, which Marsh won all three of. Like Reid against Foster, Marsh was just that 10% better all fight.
I've always been a fan of Lucien Reid and respect his talent and ability, and I do think he nicked the first fight, so I'm going to side with him for this one and I believe he'll win on points.
Neither fighter ever looked hurt during their 36 minutes of action, so I can't imagine there being a knockout at any point. I expect another nip and tuck fight, with Reid being that 20% better this time, showing improvements, which should give him a clearer lead on the scorecards."
Ryan Clark
Co-Founder of buymyfight.com
"Very tough one to call, especially in a rematch as both boxers would have learnt a lot from the first encounter with each other. They will adapt accordingly, which makes for a close fight once again.
It’ll come down to who wants it more on the night but I’ll flip a coin and edge towards Lucien Reid this time just because he probably feels there’s revenge to be had. Good luck to both of them."
Steve Wood
Promoter
"Think the champion will just edge a close fight, the recently gained experience will come into play, for me, down the stretch."