Houston boxer O'Shaquie Foster talks with ABC13 before title bout at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK, New York (KTRK) -- Houston professional boxer O'Shaquie Foster is set to defend his WBC junior lightweight title against contender Abraham Nova at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in the Big Apple on Friday.

The 30-year-old world champion, born in Orange, trains out of Houston. He is preparing for his second defense of his WBC strap and headlining a main event in one of boxing's most popular venues in the United States. Foster's nicknames include "Ice Water" and "Shock," which is significant, especially in his competition in the sport known as the sweet science.

This week, ABC13 caught up with Foster before the fight to talk about his ascent to stardom from being imprisoned in Harris County on an assault charge during the perilous times of Hurricane Harvey.

"When I was in there, I didn't have anybody. Hurricane Harvey hit the jail at the same time. They didn't evacuate us, so we were in the dark for days. So many things came around at that time. It was just like my back was against the wall. Boxing was the only thing I had left," Foster said.

Foster received probation and spent four months in jail. Upon his release, he moved to Houston, where he says he lived in FEMA rooms and re-dedicated his life to boxing.

Foster holds a professional boxing record of 21-2 (12 KOs). He joins Houston's list of current boxing champions with fellow natives Jermell Charlo, who is the WBA junior middleweight champion, and Jermall Charlo, who is the WBC middleweight titlist.

Foster, in the prime of his boxing career, signed a multi-year contract in November 2023 with Top Rank Boxing, a promotional boxing company in Las Vegas owned by legendary promoter Bob Arum. Arum has promoted a plethora of fighters throughout his career, including Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao.

In fact, Foster secured his first world title by earning a unanimous decision over then-WBC super featherweight champion Rey Vargas on Feb. 11, 2023, at the Alamodome in San Antonio. He is also coming off a spectacular 12th-round TKO victory over challenger Eduardo Hernandez on Oct. 28, 2023.

Not overlooking the task at hand, the Orange native looks to land marquee fights by unifying the junior lightweight division in the near future.

Come Feb. 16, Foster strives for greatness in the ring and is looking to draw the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the crowd in "the city that never sleeps."

The bout will be televised on ABC13's sister network, ESPN, on Friday at 8 p.m. CST.