Undefeated Everett boxer Shayna Foppiano is set to enter the ring for the fourth fight of her career, and if you asked her how she feels going into the bout, she’d tell you her third win is on the horizon.
“After the win, the plan is to get maybe one more fight under me and then following that go after the New England title,” said a confident Foppiano (2-0-1, 1 KO), who is finding true value in her work ethic and preparedness. “[The plan] is to beat all the good local girls and expand to fighting around the country,” said Foppiano.
On January 31 (8pm) at the Castleton in Windham, NH she’ll hit the ring against a powerful opponent in Ohio’s Crystal Byers, who happens to also be both a kick boxer and body builder. And she has more fights under her belt than Foppiano. But muscle size and experience isn’t something to make Foppiano flinch on her own skill sets.
“In my opinion, she’ll be slow,” said Foppiano of Byers, who is a smaller but stockier fighter than Foppiano. Weighing in at 140 pounds, Foppiano moved up a weight class to junior lightweight to compete with Byers, who she’s watched fight live before. “To me, it’s not smart to combine body building with boxing because the extra weight slows you down,” said Foppiano, who is lengthier than Byers and will look to utilize speed and combination punches to get the victory. “My footwork is 100% my strength going into the fight. As long as I keep my feet fast, she’ll have a hard time getting to me. ‘Stick and move’, as my trainer would say,” said Foppiano.
When asked if Byers’ stacked upper body makes her weary ahead of the fight, Foppiano was quick to set the record straight: she’s no stranger to power punches.
“Naturally nerves are there, but I train with both men and women that have at least 20 pounds on me, so hard punchers for sure,” said Foppiano. “I’ll be ready,” she said.