Former champion Foreman to have surgery on knee -- USA Today

By Dave Skretta, AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK — Former junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman will need surgery on his right knee after tearing his meniscus and stretching ligaments Saturday night at Yankee Stadium.

Foreman was hurt in the seventh round of his fight against Miguel Cotto, which he eventually lost when referee Arthur Mercante Jr. waved it off early in the ninth round.

Foreman visited Dr. Gerard Varlotta, a joint specialist at The Rusk Institute in New York, and was told Monday he would need surgery on the knee. Foreman wasn't sure when it will be scheduled or how long he might be out of the ring.

"I will need surgery and I don't know yet how big it is," Foreman told The Associated Press. "I'm going to find out soon, probably in the next day or two."

Foreman said Varlotta was ringside for the fight and saw the injury happen.

The aspiring rabbi hurt himself when he slipped to the canvas in the seventh round on a steamy night in the Bronx. Foreman elected to continue fighting, even though he could barely move around, and survived to the end of the round.

Early in the eighth, Foreman was trading blows with Cotto when his corner threw a white towel into the ring to stop the fight. Mercante angrily tossed the towel out, even though dozens of people were already flooding through the ropes, and asked Foreman whether he wanted to keep fighting. Foreman said yes, the ring was cleared and the bout resumed.

Foreman's biggest weapon is his speed and defense, and his movement was compromised by the balky right knee. Cotto was able to stand in front of Foreman and finally landed a crushing body shot early in the ninth round that ended the fight.

Foreman said that besides the knee injury, he came out of the first main event at Yankee Stadium in more than three decades in good shape a few bumps and bruises and some swelling from the barrage of blows landed by Cotto, now a three-division world champion.

"Yeah," Foreman said, "I feel OK."

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: usatoday.com

Bottom Line, Arthur Mercante Jr. Adhered To The Rulebook -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

The fight itself was no classic, as Yuri Foreman found out right quick that we'd pulled a Mark Twain deal on him and you, that the press had decided prematurely that 29-year-old Miguel Cotto was stick-a-fork-in-him done.

Not so, it looked like in minute one, as Cotto's hand speed was there, and his legs were sturdy underneath him. And if his power didn't exactly overwhelm at 154, and he looked a bit more like his brother Jose than the Miguel who'd won three titles, it was still enough to get the better of Foreman.

Yuri, as we'd posited on ESPNNewYork.com (here's the link, check the seventh-to-last paragraph...sports.espn.go.com/new-york/news/story), was perhaps the beneficiary of an avalanche of pre-fight hype. We focused excessively on his superlative backstory, the rabbi-to-be angle, and neglected to examine the resume, and compare it to Cotto's, as much as was warranted. And guess what? I more than played a part in that.

LOL.

Cotto sized up Foreman's lack of pop immediately and as Frank Lotierzo will point out in a column that goes up tonight, that lack of firepower made Cotto infinitely bolder. It's much easier to stick to your agenda when you know the other guy has to catch you totally unawares with a perfectly placed shot to hurt you.

So the scorecards, two of which gave Yuri just one round, another gave him two, hinted at the lack of drama in the bout. But no one on the New York fight scene will soon forget this main event, because of what went down in the eighth round. Foreman trainer Joe Grier didn't like the way his fighter was looking, as he'd slipped twice and was favoring his right knee, which he'd hurt as a teen in Israel. So, responding to his own eyes, and the lobbying of Foreman's wife Leyla, a few rows away from the corner, he lobbed a towel into the ring. This, in his mind, signaled a surrender. In the mind of referee Arthur Mercante, that towel did no such thing.

From my seat in press row, I howled in protest as Mercante blew off the towel, refused to accept the flag of surrender. After a delay in which Mercante, Grier, Foreman and the New York State Athletic Commission conferred, the action re-commenced. We heard a message of supposed clarification from a well meaning Michael Buffer, who said that Mercante had refused to acknowledge the towel because he didn't know its origin, and said it came from an "outside source." On fight night, I heard that, and howled louder. Because I was pretty damned sure I'd seen Grier lob the towel. It didn't come from some hot dog vendor, or whatever.

So my Irish was up. I was heated.

Then the eighth round ended. Foreman went to his corner. He was looked at by Grier, and by a ring doc. He said he wanted to continue. His knee was hurting him, but he wanted to go on. He wanted to be the brave warrior, represent himself, and his nation of origin, with valor. We always ask the combatants we most revere to do just that, right?

Cotto knew he had a wounded animal in front of him to start the ninth, and he bore in for the kill. This was no Andrey Tsurkan, or James Moore and David Santos coming in to finish the deal. This was Miguel Cotto, a veteran of the very highest levels battles. Was this 'A' grade Cotto, classic Cotto? No, but it was still 'B+" grade, better than anything Foreman has ever had to contend with. I'd been muttering to myself, and Tweeting, that Cotto should go to the body, take something from Yuri's legs. He did, with a Micky Ward special.

Foreman went down, in agony, and now Mercante pulled the plug. He gave the kid every chance to pull the miracle upset, but Cotto, and his limitations as a boxer, were too much for him. It was over, less than a minute into the ninth round.

But the controversy lingered. TowelGate, I referred to the incident in my ESPNNewYork column that went up that night. At the Stadium we debated the issue. We wondered why Mercante hadn't accepted the towel. We saw a hurt warrior, on a gimpy leg, we didn't want him to take unnecessary punishment. We heard Mercante's explanation after the bout, heard him say, “The towel came in, in the heat of battle. There was a good exchange going at that moment. And the towel came in and I felt it wasn’t necessary… and I didn’t know where it came from. About ten seconds prior to that, someone from the corner stepped up and said, “Stop the fight, stop the fight.” I looked and there was no one in the corner. There was no need to stop the fight. They were just in the middle of a good fight, a great fight. That’s what the fans came to see. It was a shame…”

That last part stood out for me, at the time. Why, I wondered, is that even part of the equation to Mercante? You all know I lobby all the time for fighters to see themselves as entertainer-athletes, if they wish to maximize their earnings, and lean towards being offensive minded pugilists if they want to be seen as fan-friendly boxers. But a ref can't let that factor into his decision-making, in my mind.

So I wasn't all pro Mercante on Saturday night, for sure. But I must make this admission--that is because I wasn't in possession of all the fact. Fact is, NY rules say that he did the right thing.
Here's Rule 210.17 from their rulebook. It's been in there since the 1930s, I believe.

"No one shall throw any towel into the ring as a signal of defeat or for any other reason."

There you go. Only the ref or the doctor can stop a fight, according to commission rules. Though a cornerman can stop the bout by walking up onto the apron, and getting his fighter disqualified.

Mercante knew that on that night. In the stands, I didn't. In press row, we weren't sure if the refusal to honor the cornerman's signal of submission was part of the unified rules, or a NY-centric rule. The fans, most of them, didn't know the rule. Buffer tried to do the right thing by offering clarity, but his effort fell short, as the towel didn't get thrown from any grassy knoll.

NYSAC chief Melvina Lathan talked to TSS on Monday. "I do think Arthur did what he was supposed to do. I always tell the referees, 'Be aware of the fighter, and if you feel he is not defending himself properly, and you feel the need to stop it, I'll back you one hundred percent. I much prefer that the fight be stopped sooner rather than later."

NYSAC director of boxing Ralph Petrillo told TSS that Mercante did the right thing in the eighth as well. "There was no way for him to ascertain where the towel came from. He did the right thing, and went to the corner." (Mercante said after that Grier denied throwing the white towel when Mercante asked him about it.) Now, the trainer could have come up to the apron with a commissioner to stop it, by disqualification. And Grier could have stopped the fight in between rounds, by telling the doctor or ref. And the fighter wanted to continue."

"Foreman's a fighter, a champion, he came to fight, to defend himself, and his belt, and his people," Lathan continued. "There were some great exchanges still. I think Arthur did a remarkable job, he did what he was supposed to do. He knows the rules, he responded appropriately. All in all, it was a magical evening of boxing. We had full cooperation from all forces, the NYPD, MTA, State Police, Yankee Stadium security, our office. No one was hurt. It was a great evening, for the families, for the people in the Bronx, for boxing."

FYI Lathan's tenure as chief was just extended, by three years. As far as we can discern, the refs and judges underneath her umbrella appreciate the fact that she backs them up, and doesn't second guess them. If I'm Mercante, I'm appreciative, because in this day and age, cover your ass is the prime motivator for too many people in power. But Lathan is in his corner, full on, and seems to understand that critics will rail from the sidelines, expecting perfection during a period of disarray.

Could he or should he have pulled the plug, because Foreman's leg compromised his mobility? Maybe. But as I said before, don't we revere those fighters who keep on competing, even though they broke their hand, or their eye is closed? Don't the fighters themselves enter the ring with eyes wide open? Didn't Foreman desire to keep battling, and was he not defending himself and answering back with offense?

Bottom line, Mercante did indeed adhere to the rulebook. Should we look hard at the rule as it exists in the rulebook? Maybe so. But on June 5, Mercante did indeed act in accordance with the rulebook.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Round marred by bad decisions -- New York Post

By George Willis, New York Post

History will remember Yuri Foreman for his courage and Miguel Cotto for his accomplishment. Thirty-four years after Muhammad Ali fought Ken Norton at the old Yankee Stadium, the Jewish kid from Israel and the determined Puerto Rican did themselves proud in the new ballpark in The Bronx. Too bad I can't say that for everyone else involved in Cotto's ninth-round TKO victory.

The mess of an eighth round when Foreman's corner threw a towel of surrender into the ring only to be ignored by referee Arthur Mercante Jr., was a showcase of bad decision making that could have gotten someone hurt.

Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) is now a four-time world champion in three weight divisions with another big fight on the horizon, while Foreman (28-1, 8 KOs) has earned tons of respect from the 20,272 in attendance after injuring his right knee in an awkward fall in the seventh round. Robbed of his mobility, the Brooklyn-based Foreman stood and fought on one leg earning more fans than when he started. But just about everyone else with a role needs to make sure the mistakes made in the eighth round aren't repeated.

Let's start with Mercante. Selected to work the fight as a tribute to his late father, who worked Ali-Norton, Mercante was having a good night until the eighth round, when Foreman's trainer Joe Grier threw in the towel with 1:13 left. Cotto raised his hand in triumph, and Grier entered the ring. The fight should have been stopped there.

But with promoters, corner men and cameras all in the ring thinking the bout was over, Mercante ushered everyone out, and asked Foreman if he wanted to continue. Since when does a fighter decide how much punishment he should take? A fighter's will to continue should never supersede the desires of his trainer. Mercante even told Foreman: "You're fighting hard. I don't want to see you lose like that."

Mercante would later defend his action by saying: "There was no need to stop the fight. They were in the middle of a great fight. The people came to see the fight. I thought I did the right thing to let it continue."

I don't. Foreman wasn't going to win the fight on one leg. He was only going to take more punishment.

Grier didn't distinguish himself either. At the post- fight press conference, he admitted he threw the towel into the ring be cause he was trying to stop the fight. He also took a swipe at the New York State Athletic Commission.

"Prior to me throwing the towel in I realized that it was a violation," Grier said, "but before I threw that towel in, there were three [NYSAC] inspectors in that corner and I asked them, 'How do I go about getting the fight stopped?' They said, 'Well, let me get the referee's attention.' They couldn't get the referee's attention. I said, 'I've got to get it stopped because he's really starting to get banged up.' They said, 'Go ahead.' So I threw it in. I don't know what else I was expected to do.' "

He should have been expected to stand by his decision. Instead, he wasn't emphatic enough with Mercante and allowed the fight to continue into the ninth. And how does a trainer for a world champion not know how to "go about getting a fight stopped?"

The inspectors failed, too. They were supposed to get Mercante's attention when Grier said he wanted the fight stopped. They yelled at Mercante to stop the fight, but the referee didn't acknowledge them. All this was happening while Foreman's wife Leyla Leidecker was screaming at Foreman's corner to "Stop the fight."

Said Grier: "I wanted [Foreman] to leave with dignity."

Foreman didn't need the ninth round for that.

george.willis@nypost.com

Source: nypost.com

Hype couldn't help Foreman in ring -- ESPN

By Michael Woods, Special to ESPNNewYork.com

NEW YORK -- Three days before the Miguel Cotto-Yuri Foreman clash at Yankee Stadium, we asked Foreman if it was possible that the press had hyped the rabbi-in-training angle to kingdom come, if he considered that maybe his superlative backstory was making pundits overlook the fact that his résumé wasn't sterling.

So many fightwriters and fans were picking the WBA 154-pound champion to upset three-time titlist Miguel Cotto -- whose résumé was beyond reproach -- that the Puerto Rican was no longer the favorite in the court of public opinion.

Foreman answered, We'll see Saturday night.

We did indeed. And the résumé theory held true.

Foreman fought a better grade of athlete than he had previously, maybe two steps better. Team Foreman, like seemingly everyone else, gave Cotto the Mark Twain treatment heading in to the tussle, exaggerating his demise. But we saw from minute one that Cotto's legs were bouncy, he held the weight at 154 well, and his punches had snap.

Ref Arthur Mercante Jr. saw enough 40 seconds into the ninth, as a left hook to the body shifted Foreman's internal organs to an excruciating degree.

This was no Daniel Santos, the man Foreman had wrested the title from last November. Even if wars with Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao have sapped some vitality from Cotto, he's still a formidable pugilist, in the pound-for-pound top 15.

Cotto rises to 35-2, while Foreman is 28-1.

Boxing held up to its rep as the theater of the unexpected, when Foreman trainer Joe Grier threw in the towel in the eighth, sensing that his fighter's right knee was in bad shape after he'd slipped on the wet canvas. But Mercante disregarded the towel, believing that Foreman was in decent shape to continue, and said after that he didn't know who had thrown in the white flag of surrender.

"It was a lot of pain, it was very sharp," Foreman, 29, said of the balky knee. "I didn't want it to stop, I wanted it to continue. I'm a world champion, now a former world champion. I'm not just quitting. We need to fight."

Foreman will get the knee checked out, thinking there might be ligament damage. He said he had a similar injury as a kid in Israel but didn't have health insurance, so he never had it correctly diagnosed.

Promoter Bob Arum said if the injury is bad, Foreman will need to do rehab and will come back against sub-Cotto-level competition.

With the loss, Foreman's cred doesn't dip that much. He showed grit, fighting on a bum knee, and started to trade with Cotto when the Puerto Rican's power shots sapped his ability to keep up the constant movement. From the opening bell, the 29-year-old Cotto's power edge stood out. His jab buzzed the Brooklyner, and his counter left hooks had Foreman fighting to keep his equilibrium several times.

Foreman's best round was the fourth; he appeared to be getting his range. But though he made Cotto miss, he didn't make the now-four-time-titlist pay. Foreman's movement was too often without purpose. His jab needed to be an offensive weapon, as the rest of his arsenal won't make anyone cringe in fear, let along Cotto, who's faced men with chainsaws for fists and kept coming forward.

Cotto, after the ludicrous delay for the "mystery towel" incident, finished the job with a left hook to the body. The loser -- who said after, "Thank God for keeping us both healthy, more or less," winning points for perspective -- needed to be busier to convince the judges that his brand of boxing was better. But it was Cotto who had the volume edge 115-329 to 71-281, and no judge had Foreman winning more than two rounds.

Foreman can take solace in the knowledge that he is not likely to hear the "Yuri Boreman" slam in the near future, seeing as how he stood in the pocket late in the game, and was in it to win it. And he will forever by associated with the strange scenario at the Stadium, Towelgate In The Bronx; there was nothing boring in that bizarre eighth-round interlude.

Michael Woods is a contributor to ESPNNewYork.com and ESPN The Magazine and editor of TheSweetScience.com.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Miguel Cotto Dethrones Yuri Foreman by Ninth-Round TKO -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

NEW YORK -- Concerning challenger Miguel Cotto, there were a number of major questions to be answered entering Saturday night's challenge for the WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) title owned by Yuri Foreman.

Among them, how much did the 29-year-old former three-time champion have left, given the bloody wars he had during an 11th-round knockout loss to Antonio Margarito in July 2008, a split-decision victory over Joshua Clottey in June 2009 and November's 12-round stoppage loss to Manny Pacquiao that dethroned him as WBO welterweight (140 pounds) king?

All three bouts left Cotto with severe cuts and bruises, including one particularly cavernous gash over a left eye that routinely streamed blood down his left cheek.

There was also the question of whether or not Manny Steward, Cotto's third trainer in five fights, could adequately improve the Puerto Rican fighter's ability to punch cleanly and effectively from close range as an aggressive pursuer of the elusive Foreman.

There was also the question of whether or not Cotto could handle the rise in weight, being at the highest division of his career, where he weighed a half-pound less than the 154-pound Foreman.

Cotto (35-2, 28 knockouts) answered all of those questions with Saturday night's ninth round, technical knockout victory over Foreman (28-1, eight KOs), before 20,727 in the first-ever boxing show at the new Yankee Stadium.

Cotto dropped Foreman with a left hand to the body 42 seconds into the ninth round, after which referee Arthur Mercante stepped in and waved an end to the bout.

"I came to win the fight, and my goal was to put pressure on him all along. After the fourth round, which Foreman may have won, I went to the corner and Manny Steward told me to stay focused," said Cotto. "Even when he went down, I thought, 'I still have to fight.'"

Foreman had already injured his right leg twice in the eighth round, going down twice in pain after twisting and apparently re-injuring a leg on which he wore a knee brace.

A towel from the direction of Foreman's corner had been thrown into the ring, but Mercante overruled it, saying that it came from a source other than Foreman's trainer, Joe Grier.

"I heard that someone was yelling, 'Stop the fight, stop the fight,' and then, the towel was thrown in. At that moment, I didn't know who threw the towel in, although I have a pretty good idea who did it now," said Mercante.

"When I resumed the fight, I called time to let both guys rest," said Mercante. "Yuri was always game to fight. Both men showed the mark of champions in a great fight tonight."

But the towel was thrown in by Grier, responding to Foreman's wife, Leyla Leidecker, who pleaded for him to stop the fight.

"I saw the replay on the screen, and I saw the towel come in," said Cotto, who earned $2 million plus upside to Foreman's $750,000.

"And I thought, 'Fight's over, this is wrong. The fight should be stopped,'" said Cotto. "But hey, he was hurt, working on one leg, and I still kept on fighting. This is a world title fight."

But as a result, the fight continued into the ninth, where Cotto ended things.

"I was surprised. I thought that the corner would have stopped the fight, but there were a lot of bad decisions going on in there," said Manny Steward, Cotto's trainer.

"I knew where the towel came from, and it came right from their corner. The fight was over, and it was wrong to have continued," said Steward. "But I thought that Miguel Cotto fought the perfect fight -- good jab, good right hand. I was very pleased with his effort."

Foreman said he wanted to continue despite injuring his knee.

"I was there the entire fight. The brace is for an old injury. I was making side-to-side movements, however, and it just gave out. I felt a sharp pain and that's why I went down," said Foreman.

"Arthur Mercante let me try to work it out. I'm a world champion, or a former world champion," said Foreman. "I would have never quit. I did not want the fight to be stopped."

Cotto also improved to 8-0, with three knockouts in bouts in New York, including a mark of 6-0 at Madison Square Garden, with four of those contests taking place on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day Parade.

At Madison Square Garden, Cotto defeated former world champions Clottey, Shane Mosley, Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah, the latter, by 11th-round knockout.

Foreman-Cotto brought a fight to a Yankee Stadium for the first time since 1976, when Muhammad Ali defeated Ken Norton at the former venue by 15-round decision.

Cotto, who stood 5-foot-7 to Foreman's 5-11, crowded the taller man throughout the fight.

Cotto will now weigh his options on whether to move up into the higher weight class and defend his crown, or to return to welterweight for other opportunities.

"I have to wait and see," said Cotto. "What's better, to go back down or to stay here. But I'm always ready to fight the big fights."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Cotto triumphs over injured Foreman at Yankee Stadium -- USA Today

By Bob Velin, USA TODAY

NEW YORK — The unquestioned star of the show Saturday night was the massive, $1.5-billion glittering home of the New York Yankees and the 20,272 fans that rocked it.

But the way the show ended was as bizarre as anything the new Yankee Stadium, or its predecessor, "The House That Ruth Built," had seen since hosting its first fight 87 years ago.

Miguel Cotto, fighting before a nationalistic and electrified crowd of supporters waving Puerto Rican flags, stopped WBA super welterweight champion Yuri Foreman, who had his own sizable Jewish cheering section, with a crushing body shot that dropped the champion at 42 seconds of the ninth round, and referee Arthur Mercante Jr. stopped it. With his new title, Cotto became a four-time world champion, in his third weight division.

But Cotto thought he had won the fight in the previous round when Foreman's trainer, Joe Grier, threw in the towel after his fighter, limping badly, had injured his knee. The fight appeared stopped in that eighth round, the ring filled with people and Cotto celebrated his return as a champion.

Or so he thought. Mercante, much to everyone's surprise, announced that the fight was not over and ordered all but the fighters out of the ring.

Cotto and Foreman finished the wild round, then came out for the ninth. Cotto (35-2, 28 KOs) smelled blood and attacked the limping Foreman full force. Foreman, who had slipped or whose knee had buckled several times earlier in the fight, tried unsuccessfully to avoid Cotto's onslaught. The Puerto Rican caught Foreman with the final left hook that dropped the champion, and Mercante stopped it.

"I knew the towel came from that corner, and the fight should have been stopped (in the eighth round)," said Cotto's new trainer, Emanuel Steward. "There were a lot of bad decisions going on in there."

Mercante said he didn't know where the towel came from, thinking it was thrown by someone not connected to Foreman's corner. But it was indeed Grier who tossed it in.

"There was no need to stop the fight. They were in the middle of a great fight," Mercante said. "That's what the fans came to see. I thought I did the right thing. You see a white towel thrown, and if you noticed I called time. They had an extra minute to rest. I went over to Yuri and said 'suck it up, kid.' "

Cotto, who had suffered recent brutal beatings at the hands of Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao, who was at ringside, landed 115 of 329 punches, while Foreman, the rabbi-to-be and first Israeli world champion, landed 71 of 281. Foreman's first career loss dropped his record to 28-1, with 8 KOs.

"I proved this night, everybody who said Miguel Cotto was finished, everybody failed," Cotto said. "Miguel is back."

Cotto was well ahead on the scorecards when Foreman's knee twisted awkwardly in the seventh round. He was already wearing a knee brace from a bicycle injury he suffered as a teenager in Israel, and his family lacked health insurance to get it checked out at the time.

"I was making side-to-side movement and it gave out," said Foreman, who had suffered an earlier cut over his right eye. "It was very painful, a sharp pain," he said. "I couldn't really do a lot of movements."

Steward, a Hall of Fame trainer, said he thought Cotto, who earned $2 million for his night's work, "had fought a perfect fight."

Cotto, who wore Yankee pinstriped shorts, said he simply followed the instructions of Steward, who has trained such champions as Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard, and currently Wladimir Klitschko.

"My jab is back, my movement is back, my left hook to the body is back," Cotto said.

Foreman said he thought the fight was over when the towel was tossed in, but kept fighting because he was the champion. "We're the world champion," he said. "We're not quitting. We need to fight."

Foreman, the Belarus-born fighter who was raised in Israel and emigrated to the U.S. just before his 19th birthday, is about a year and a half away from finishing his rabbinical studies. He had to wait at his hotel until the Jewish sabbath ended at sundown Saturday, then received a police escort to the stadium.

He said last week he would wait to see what happens Saturday night before he decides on his future.

Cotto said he was undecided whether to stay at 154 pounds or go back down to 147. "I'm always ready to fight the big fights," he said.

This was a big fight simply because it was the first time in 34 years the Yankees' home field hosted a fight. The new stadium with the old facade towered around the ring, which was set up behind second base. Many fans, especially those in the cheaper seats, arrived for the earliest of the undercard fights. The four levels of the stands were filled from the first-base said to the third-base side, as well as the 7,000-8,000 seats around the ring.

The energy level was palpable, even for the undercard fights. Cameras flashed continually as fans preserved their memories of the first fight at the New York Yankees since Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton fought for the heavyweight title in 1976. Ali won that controversial decision in his rubber match with Norton. Ironically, it was Mercante's late father, Arthur Mercante, who refereed that fight.

Fans waved Puerto Rican and Israeli flags throughout the stadium, though the former greatly outnumbered the latter. Three national anthems were played—Puerto Rico, Israel and the U.S.

The fans were clearly happy just to be witnessing history.

William Block of New York, a Yankees season-ticketholder, said, "It's a perfect place for a boxing match. I wanted to see what the place looked like at a boxing match, quite frankly. I know what it looks like during games and the World Series. This is pretty impressive."

Billy Childress, from central New Jersey, said the fight was attractive to him because it was the first fight there in 34 years. "It is a must-see event," he said. "It's pretty amazing that we're sitting in the middle of center field. You can almost imagine how the Yankee players feel out here. It's pretty magical right now."

His friend, Jason Jones, of Hoboken, N.J., said he wasn't pulling for either fighter, he just want to see a good fight. He called himself a Floyd Mayweather fan. "I want to see Mayweather-Pacquiao," he said. "But if it happens, I doubt it will be here."

On the televised (HBO) undercard between two undefeated fighters, former U.S. Olympian Vanes Martirosyan scored a unanimous 10-round decision over New York's own "Mean" Joe Greene.

In a physical fight that saw Greene (22-1, 14 KOs) knocked down in the 10th, Martirosyan (28-0, 17 KOs) won by scores of 96-93, 96-93 and 98-91.

In the first fight at the new stadium, Christian Martinez of New York scored a technical knockout over Jonathan Cuba at 1:18 of the fourth and final round of their super lightweight bout.

Source: usatoday.com

Pacquiao prepares to receive US accolades -- Manila Bulletin

By NICK GIONGCO, Manila Bulletin

Aside from the Fighter of the Year (2009) award that he will receive this Friday from the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, Manny Pacquiao is also going to be feted by the elite group as the recipient of the Fighter of the Decade honor.

This will be the third time that Pacquiao is getting the coveted BWAA trophy and the Filipino star, who got elected to the Philippine congress last month, is excited personally grace the formal affair.

“To be named Fighter of the Year is already a big honor,” said Pacquiao, who leaves for the US tonight with wife Jinkee and kids, adviser Mike Koncz and perennial training camp assistant Roger Fernandez.

“So, when I learned that I will also be honored as (the BWAA’s) Fighter of the Decade, I felt I was walking on air,” added the 31-year-old fighter, who had also won the BWAA award in 2006 and 2008.

The New York trip is actually two-fold for Pacquiao.

The day after the BWAA event, Pacquiao will be an interested spectator when Miguel Cotto faces Yuri Foreman in a super-welterweight (154 lbs) clash at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

The winner of the Cotto-Foreman bout will be considered as a prime candidate to challenge Pacquiao in the event a deal with Floyd Mayweather for a Nov. 13 fight is not reached by the parties of the two star fighters.

Pacquiao, Cotto, and Foreman all fight under the promotional banner of Top Rank chief Bob Arum.

Source: mb.com.ph

Arum Looks To Cotto-Foreman, Waits For "Money" Response On Manny Fight -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

Bob Arum is gearing up for the June 5 showdown at Yankee Stadium, pitting two Top Rank fighters, Yuri Foreman of Brooklyn and Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico, against each other. On Tuesday, Arum was at the famed and fabled Gleasons Gym in Brooklyn, watching Foreman do a workout for press. He weighed in on the importance of having high profile bouts in mega stadiums, and termed the Cotto-Foreman fight a 50-50 flip of the coin special. But not too much time passed before Arum, who is still basking in the glow of Manny Pacquiao's Congressional win, was asked if Pacquaio-Mayweather would go down on Nov. 13 in Texas, as he desires.

The ball is firmly in Mayweather's court, the promoter told TSS. He didn't specify on the who, what, when and where of negotiations, but Arum said he communicated to Team Mayweather that Pacman will agree to drug testing 14 days before a fight, as was requested by Team Mayweather in the last, disastrous round of negotiations. And, has Team Mayweather responded?

"Nothing," Arum said. "Haven't heard a word. The ball is completely in Mayweather's court. Every term has been agreed to." Cynics who think Mayweather is looking to erect unpassable hurdles, so this fight won't go down, suspect that Mayweather will try and use his last showing, physically and financially, to put forward new demands to Team Pacquiao. Like, my fight against Mosley did so much better than yours against Clottey, I deserve that much bigger slice of the pie. So far, a re-slicing of the pie hasn't been suggested to Arum, he said. "It's still a 50-50 split," he said.

As of today, Arum said, no meeting is scheduled with Team Mayweather, ie Al Haymon, Richard Schaefer and Leonard Ellerbe, so don't expect a breakthrough soon. Pacquiao will be in New York early next week, with his whole family, giving them a taste of the NYC tourist experience, so hopefully we'll have movement by then. Arum has not, he said, put Plan B aka Antonio Margarito versus Pacquiao, into high gear. The Master of the Plaster Disaster would still need to be re-licensed in the US, so that's one hurdle to that bout, but indications are that he'll be able to get the okay to fight in the States by the end of the year.

Foreman's affable backer, NYC restaurant owner Murray Wilson, was at Gleasons. He said that if his guys gets the better of Cotto, which he expects, a showdown with Margarito would make sense. If that goes well, then a bout with Pacquiao is on his wish list. He almost had that locked down before Clottey got the date, and was about to sign the deal with Arum when Pacquiao advisor Michael Koncz sent word that Foreman was out as an opponent, even though Freddie Roach had given the thumbs up. "Koncz said no, Yuri was too big," Wilson told TSS. "Yuri didn't grow overnight. Freddie agreed to it."

Wilson said that Cotto ex cornerman Miguel Diaz, who was let go by Cotto because he didn't inspect Margarito's hands before they fought, has said, "The only time Cotto is going to touch Foreman is during the glove touch before the bout."

SPEEDBAG Arum is pumped to do more of these big stadium fights. He's eyeing Dodger Stadium, perhaps for a Juan Manuel Lopez/Rafael Marquez bout, for next year.

---Foreman's gorgeous wife, model Leyla Leidecker, was at Gleasons, checking on her guy. She directed a documentary about women fighting in the NY Golden Gloves, and she said it's available on Netflix. Here's the URL to tell you more about it. http://www.goldenglovesmovie.com/

--Arum will get roasted, er, toasted by the Friars Club in NYC next week. Ex footballer Jim brown, and hulking Canadian ex heavyweight George Chuvalo will be there to honor the 78-year-old Brooklyn-born dealmaker.

Source: thesweetscience.com

Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao: What Will Be, or Might Have Been? -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

In the wake of Saturday's dominance by unbeaten, six-time titlist, Floyd Mayweather over WBA welterweight (147 pounds) king, Shane Mosley, whose crown was not on the line, Mayweather will likely supplant seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao, on most experts' list as the sports' No. 1 fighter, pound-for-pound.

There are some, however, who will point out November's 12th-round knockout by the 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts) that dethroned 29-year-old Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) as WBO welterweight champ -- this, over a man who unanimously decisioned Mosley in November of 2007 in defense of the WBA crown he held at the time.

Pacquiao is also coming off of a March 13, unanimous, 12-round decision over hard-punching, defensive specialist, Joshua Clottey (35-4, 20 KOs), during which he -- like Mayweather against Mosley -- won virtually every round on the judges' cards.

The 33-year-old Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), for his part, was equally, if not more, sensational during September's rout of WBO and WBA lightweight (135 pounds) champion, Juan Manuel Marquez (50-5-1, 37 KOs), who has drawn, and, lost a split-decision to Pacquiao in May of 2004, and, March of 2008 -- two verdicts in which Marquez still insists that he was victorious.

"I watched the fight this past weekend, and I thought that Floyd did a very good job. It's clear, however, that Mosley is not the old Mosley, particularly when he had Floyd in trouble in the second round and he had nothing to follow up with," said Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank, which promotes Pacquiao. "I think that Mosley should really seriously consider retiring. But that doesn't negate the fact that Floyd had an excellent performance."

Where Mayweather never has suffered defeat, Pacquiao is 12-0, with eight knockouts since losing a unanimous decision to former world champion, Erik Morales, at 130 pounds in March of 2005.

So who is truly boxing's best fighter, pound-for-pound?

Obviously, it should be decided in the ring, which at this point, could be easier said than done.

At one point, in mid-December, it appeared that Mayweather-Pacquiao was a done deal and headed for the MGM Grand, with a source close to the negotiations telling FanHouse that contracts for a March 13 bout could "definitely be finalized this week."

The fighters had agreed on a 50-50 split of the purse, eight ounce gloves, and the welterweight limit rather than a catch weight.

"We agreed to everything in principle, but there are still some finer points that need to be negotiated," Pacquiao told FanHouse on Dec. 5, during his first interview with American media from the Philippines following his win over Cotto. "[Promoter] Bob [Arum] is going to take all of this back to Floyd Mayweather and then, hopefully, it will be all worked out. We believe that the deal will get done."

The negotiations had even survived an incident on the 78th birthday of Arum, who received a call from Golden Boy Promotions' CEO, Richard Schaefer, scuttling the next morning's trip to tour The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium with owner Jerry Jones and HBO's Ross Greenburg

"As far as I'm concerned, the deal is already done. The only issue is the venue. We've countered the offer and the majority of the things just have to be accepted by Bob Arum," said Pacquiao's adviser, Michael Koncz, at the time.

"We're not in a panic mode," said Koncz. "We're used to this for every fight. It's routine. We come to an agreement down the road, then the contract is sent to us for review."

Pacquiao had even agreed to Olympic-style, random drug tests -- which include the drawing of both blood and urine -- at the request of Mayweather's camp, which had insinuated that the Filipino star may have used steroids since he's maintained his punching power from 106 to nearly 147 pounds.

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, he had "no problem" with the drug testing, and Koncz, speaking for Pacquiao, said that the fighter would welcome such a procedure.

"Our reaction is, 'So what?' We know Manny doesn't take any illegal drugs or anything. And none of this is getting under Manny's skin or anything," Koncz said at the time. "I'm here with Manny, and to him, it's like a joke. It's a laughing matter. It's something foolish anyway. Why would we be concerned? We know he doesn't do any of that s**t."

By late December, however, the deal was off after Pacquiao had apparently changed his mind about the random testing. Later, Pacquiao cited his belief that he would be weakened from having his blood drawn closer than within 24 days of the fight.

Pacquiao also filed a lawsuit seeking compensatory and punitive damages for defamation of character against alleged steroid accusations, naming Richard Schaefer and Oscar de la Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, as well as Floyd Mayweather. Jr., Floyd Mayweather Sr., and, the fighter's uncle and trainer, Roger Mayweather.

So what will it take to revisit Mayweather-Pacquiao?

"As far as I'm concerned, Mayweather is the one to dictate. Floyd Mayweather is the king of the world now. So, we all know that from watching 24/7 that the USADA drug testing and what it did for the sport. The respect that it brought to boxing," said De La Hoya, president of the promotional company that works with Mayweather Promotions.

"We know that all fighters can be clean and are clean because of what they showed on 24/7," said de La Hoya. "As long as we can keep on doing that, if fighters can agree to all of that, then we have fights, and we can make fights. But if they're not going to agree to it, then how can we make fights?"

Mayweather would likely demand a heftier side of the purse -- in other words, no more 50-50 split -- and insist that Pacquiao be randomly tested, as did Mosley, by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

"If you're a clean athlete, take your test," said Mayweather days before facing Mosley. "Show the world, you know what? I'm a natural athlete. Take the test. Let them come get you at any time and take the test."

Mayweather claims not to need Pacquiao, having earned a non-heavyweight record guaranteed purse of $22.5 million against Mosley's $7 million.

Mayweather could move into the middleweight (160 pounds) division and face Argentinian southpaw, Sergio Martinez (45-2-2, 24 knockouts), a WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) king who dethroned Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) as WBO and WBC midddleweight titlist last month.

Pacquiao is running for congress in the Philippines right now, leading in the polls, and awaiting Arum's arrival and support, the promoter said. Arum, who departed for the Philippines on Tuesday, would not comment on a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.

"I'm not going to talk about it until I see the results of the election, and that's where we're really all coming from right now," Arum said of an election whose results will be announced on May 10.

"I'm going over to the Philippines to do what I can to provide moral support for Manny Pacquiao," said Arum. "And, very frankly, nobody is going to discuss anything about any fights with anybody until after the outcome of this election."

Arum has outlined options for Pacquiao should Mayweather not materialize.

There is a fight against former champion Antonio Margarito (37-6, 27 KOs), a January, 2009, knockout victim against Mosley, who takes on 29-year-old Roberto Garcia (28-2, 21 KOs) on Saturday night.

Garcia will be Margarito's first bout following a one-year suspension by the California State Athletic Commission over the discovery of a plaster-like substance in his gloves before facing Mosley.

Pacquiao-Margarito could take place at The Dallas Cowboys Stadium "if Margarito wants to come down to welterweight."

The winner of a June 5 bout between WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champ, Yuri Foreman (28-0, eight KOs) and Cotto could be could be another possibility, particularly if Cotto wins and a rematch comes to fruition, affording Pacquiao a shot at a record eighth crown in as many weight classes.

"As far as that fight [Mayweather-Pacquiao,] people can keep discussing who is better. It's good for the sport," said Arum. "It's great that they're discussing it. It's clear that this [Mayweather-Pacquiao] is the fight that the fans want to see."

The question is, will they see it?

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Yuri Foreman To Appear On Jimmel Kimmel Live Thursday Night -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Yuri Foreman, a 29-year-old Brooklyn resident who is scheduled to to defend his crown on June 5 at the new Yankees' Stadium against Miguel Cotto, will appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight at 12:05 p.m.

In doing so, Foreman is following the path of seven-division titlist and promotional stablemate, Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), who appeared on the show before each of his past two fights -- November's 12th-round knockout over Cotto that earned him the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title, and last month's 12-round unanimous decision over Joshua Clottey.

Foreman (28-0, eight knockouts) was born in Gomel, Belarus, raised in Israel, and is studying to be a rabbi.

Foreman earned a unanimous, 12-round decision over Puerto Rico's Daniel Santos on the Pacquiao-Cotto under card in November to become the first Israeli to win a professional boxing title, and the first orthodox Jew to do so in nearly seven years.

Billed as "The Stadium Slugfest," Foreman-Cotto marks the return of boxing to a Yankees' home stadium for the first time since Sept. 28, 1976, when Muhammed Ali earned a 15-round decision over Ken Norton at the original Yankees' Stadium.

When Foreman steps into the ring against Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), he will be accomplishing yet another milestone as the first boxing champion to ever do so.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Stadium primed for Foreman-Cotto bout -- MLB.com

By Tim Britton, MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Yankee Stadium's upper deck will be the place to see uppercuts one day this summer.

On June 5, Miguel Cotto will challenge Yuri Foreman for the World Boxing Association's Super Welterweight Championship in the first fight to be held at a Yankees' home ballpark since Ken Norton battled Muhammad Ali in 1976. It will be a first for the new stadium, which opened last year.

The ring will be set up in right-center field on the playing surface, with a canopy overhead and seating both in the stands and on the field. The headline match between Cotto and Foreman will start at 11:30 p.m. and can be seen live on HBO. Tickets will go on sale on April 16.

"Yankee Stadium ...the name itself just brings up memories of fabulous sports nights," said Bob Arum, CEO of Top Rank, the promotions company that helped bring the fight together. "How could anybody who has any kind of feeling for momentous events not be here on Saturday, June 5?"

Foreman, a native of Belarus and current resident of Brooklyn, is the reigning super welterweight champ, earning that title in November by defeating Daniel Santos. He will enter the fight with a 28-0 mark. Instead of relaxing after earning his title belt, Foreman wanted to challenge himself by taking on another former world champion in Cotto, who will move up a weight class for the bout.

Cotto, who was raised in Puerto Rico but has spent several years in the Bronx, is one of the biggest names in boxing and looking to rebound after a loss to Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas in November. That was just Cotto's second loss in 36 career fights.

Arum and Top Rank have worked to stage boxing events in some of the country's biggest and newest venues. Just last month, Pacquiao battled Joshua Clottey in the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington in front of more than 50,000 fans.

"It enables us to put the sport of boxing at a new level and on a new platform where it can be seen by so many people on a big stage," said Arum, who added that the set-up at Yankee Stadium will allow for variable ticket prices and greater availability. "We can confidently expect to have 30,000 people here."

The fighters themselves are excited for the chance not only to challenge each other, but to do so in one of the most hallowed venues in American sports.

"Fighting here, at the home of the greatest baseball team in America, is more than an honor for me," said Cotto, excited by the possibility of an even larger crowd here than for his fights at Madison Square Garden.

"I never imagined anything like this," Foreman said as he took in the Stadium from the third-base line. "I'm living the American Dream."

This first fight at Yankee Stadium -- already dubbed "Stadium Slugfest" on the promotional material -- will rejuvenate a tradition of major boxing events in the Bronx. The old Yankee Stadium across 161st Street hosted 30 championship fights that included the likes of Gene Tunney, James Braddock, and Sugar Ray Robinson. It was home to the famous bout between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling in 1938 and the first televised boxing match in 1939 between Max Baer and Lou Nova.

The Yankees grounds crew will have plenty of time to get the field back into playing shape after the fight. The Bronx Bombers begin a road trip the day before the bout and don't return home until six days after it for Interleague Play and a series with the Astros.

Tim Britton is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Source: mlb.mlb.com

Cotto-Foreman to box at Yankee Stadium in June -- The Associated Press

By DAVE SKRETTA, The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Boxing is back at Yankee Stadium after more than three decades.

Greats such as Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton have been replaced by Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman, and the ballpark where they once fought stands as a shell of its former self just across the street.

The dream of Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum to return to the ballpark in the Bronx was realized Friday, when Cotto and Foreman were introduced at the new, $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium. They'll meet for Foreman's junior middleweight title June 5 in the first sports event besides baseball since the facility opened last spring.

"How can anybody that has any kind of feeling for momentous things not be here?" Arum said.

After the Yankees wrap up a three-game home series June 3 against the Baltimore Orioles, the stadium will be turned over to Top Rank promotions. The ring will be built in right-center field, under an enormous canopy, with about 7,000 field-level seats.

The rest of the seating will be in the outfield bleachers and down the first-base line, and promoters hope between 30,000 and 35,000 fans show up.

"It's an honor fighting here," said Foreman, the WBA titleholder, who was born in Belarus but makes his home in Brooklyn. "It's a dream."

Yankee Stadium has a proud tradition of hosting fights. Harry Greb fought under the famous facade, along with Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey and James Braddock — the Cinderella Man.

When the 1920s beget the '30s, the great Joe Louis fought the first of his record 11 bouts at Yankee Stadium, including his famous victory over German champion Max Schmeling on June 22, 1938, that avenged an earlier loss in the same ballpark.

In later years, Jake LaMotta, Rocky Graziano and Sugar Ray Robinson were the marquee names on the front gate. Rocky Marciano won four straight fights there in the 1950s, before Ali and Norton fought on Sept. 28, 1976.

"As a boxing fan, you can't forget any of those names," Yankees chief operating officer Lonn Trost said. "Yankee Stadium was, is and will always remain a fabric in the life of boxing."

Several factors played into why there hasn't been a major fight at the ballpark in the past three decades. Ownership became tepid about erecting a ring on the infield grass, which had drainage problems. Casinos created competition for marquee events by offering exorbitant site fees.

The Ali-Norton fight also left a bitter taste for some, mostly because the fight was dull and members of the NYPD went on strike that day. The Bronx turned into a scene of chaos, and many fans getting off the subway immediately returned to Manhattan.

"Whenever I thought of the possibility in the interim years of coming back and doing a fight at Yankee Stadium, that went through my mind," Arum said. "Now remember, it's 34, 35 years later, and things change. But it was a really bad experience."

There are plenty of story lines involving the two fighters, though they'll probably take a back seat to Yankee Stadium, a monument to success and excess all at once.

Foreman, a self-proclaimed Yankees fan, is studying to become a rabbi and has backing from the large Jewish population in the New York metropolitan area. The sabbath doesn't officially end until sundown on Saturday night, so the main event start time will be pushed back to 11:30 p.m.

The first title fight at the old stadium also featured a Jewish champion. Benny Leonard defended his title against Lew Tendler on July 23, 1923, just a few months after the doors opened for the first time.

"When I won the world title on Nov. 14, they told me to take a few fights, some easy fights, then get into something better," Foreman said. "Being a world champion is not just easy fights, it's fighting other world champions. And Miguel Cotto is another world champion."

Or at least a former world champion.

Cotto has lost two of his last four fights, including a stoppage loss to pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao last November on the same night Foreman won his title in Las Vegas.

The former welterweight has numerous fans in New York City who trace their roots to his native Puerto Rico, many of them residing in the Bronx.

Cotto has headlined at Madison Square Garden several times on the eve of the Puerto Rican Day parade, which this year falls a week after the fight, when the Yankees are at home.

"I know it's going to be a tough fight for us, a tough fight for Yuri, too," said Cotto, who will fight at junior middleweight for the first time. "But we are owners of our own destiny, you know? We'll try hard, and I guarantee you we're going to make a great show."

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Source: google.com

Bob Arum: Site 'Deal Done' for Yankees Stadium to Host Foreman-Cotto -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum has just completed the deal with Yankees Stadium to hold WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Yuri Foreman's June 5 defense of his title against Puerto Rican former three-time world champion, Miguel Cotto, at the venue.

"The deal is done, and we're looking forward to a great event at Yankees Stadium. It's of historic significance, which, of course, is well-known. Hopefully, this will start a new era for boxing at Yankees Stadium," said Arum, 78. "I think it's a great thing for boxing, and I'm very, very happy about it."

(From left to right, Cotto, Felix Trinidad and Foreman are pictured at right above).

Arum has been working out the details with Yankees' chief operating officer Lonn Trost, and, head HBO sports officials such as Ross Greenburg and Kerry Davis.

"I'm not sure when tickets will go on sale, but certainly not until the end of March. We have to get the whole campaign in order," said Arum. "But it will be scaled from $50 to $400."

Arum already has secured the March 13 WBO welterweight (147 pounds) clash between seven-division king Manny Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) and Joshua Clottey (35-3, KOs) at Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Tex.

Boxing's future, said Arum, lies in outdoor stadium bouts such as Foreman-Cotto and Pacquiao-Clottey.

"I think that outdoor stadiums are the way to go. Oversees, they've been doing it for a while," said Arum, who promoted the last boxing match at the old Yankees Stadium in 1976, when Muhammad Ali earned a 15-round decision over Ken Norton against the backdrop of a police strike.

"I really think that putting boxing in venues is the way to go," Arum said, "because I think that it elevates the sport, and that it elevates interest in the sport, and I'm happy that I'm bringing it back."

The Foreman-Cotto bout will share the evening with a bar mitzvah party which initially threatened the fight being held there.

But accommodations were worked out with the family of the boy, Scott Ballan, to hold the party and the fight on the same night for the first time in the stadium's history.

About 150 guests for the bar mitzvah party for the son of Yankees' lead bond lawyer Jon Ballan will be given tickets that will allow them to spend the evening celebrating the boy as well as watching Foreman-Cotto.

Foreman is studying to be a rabbi along with being the first Israeli to win a professional boxing title, a feat with November's 12-round unanimous decision over Puerto Rico's Daniel Santos.

Cotto has been a big draw at Madison Square Garden due to the large Puerto Rican population in the area, and is 6-0 at Madison Square Garden, where he has decisioned Clottey, Shane Mosley, and Paulie Malignaggi, and knocked out Zab Judah.

"In Yankees Stadium, you have the Puerto Rican icon, Miguel Cotto, who is struggling to get back into the mix. And he's going up against this orthodox Jewish champion, who is extremely unique in the sport," said Arum.

"There's a tremendous Puerto Rican population in the New York-Metropolitan area, and there are more Jewish people in New York then there are in Tel Aviv," said Arum. "So it's a very, very major city for Jews, and we expect that both the Puerto Ricans and the Jews will come out, as well as other people, to support this event."

Pacquiao-Clottey represents the first boxing match to be held at the Cowboys Stadium, whose domed facility seats 80,000, but is expandable enough so that it can hold up to 111,000.

The stadium's major feature, a gargantuan, high-definition screen known as "Jerry-Tron," after stadium owner, Jerry Jones, which is believed to be the largest in the world.

Arum watched the Cowboys defeat the Eagles, 34-14, in a January, first- round, playoff game from Jones' luxurious box suite along with Top Rank president Todd duBoef.

"As far as Pacquiao-Clottey, it's a legitimate, welterweight fight, and it features the most recognizable and most popular fighter in the world today, Manny Pacquiao, who people know has never been in a dull fight," said Arum.

"Every one of Pacquiao's fights is exciting, they're interesting, and they're experiences that, when you see them, you remember them for the rest of you life," said Arum. "And people want to witness a Pacquiao fight in person. Particularly a competitive Pacquiao fight, which, the fight with Clottey is. And that's what you have to have in a place like a Cowboys' Stadium."

Cowboys Stadium has a retractable ceiling that protects against rain, and boasts over 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and more.

The setup allows fans the ability to watch the action beyond just the field as most, if not all of the displays, will be operating on fight night, according to Jones.

Arum said that even though Cowboys Stadium has been set up to seat 45,000, it is likely to expand due to an expected sellout.

"At Cowboys Stadium, we have under 7,000 tickets left to sell," said Arum. "So when we sell those 7,000, which we expect to do, we'll have an absolute sellout."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

***

Yuri Foreman: 'I'm Looking Forward to This Fight' With Miguel Cotto -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

A rabbinical student who was born in Gomel, Belarus, the 29-year-old Yuri Foreman defeated Puerto Rico's Daniel Santos in November to improve to 28-0 with eight knockouts and take his WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) crown.

In doing so, Foreman became the first Israeli to win a world boxing title, not to mention the first soon-to-be Rabbi to do so.

Foreman did not fight on the Sabbath due to his faith -- a fact that was evident when Foreman took the ring against Santos at 6:30 on Saturday night. The Jewish Sabbath runs from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.

The story of Foreman, whose first name, in English translation is "George," has been thrust to the forefront of the boxing world.

A recent subject of an A-1 story in the Los Angeles Times, Foreman discussed with FanHouse, in this Q&A, how he is using his championship to reach children and students, and talked about the irony of his upcoming, June 5 title defense against Miguel Cotto,being shared with a bar mitzvah party at Yankees Stadium.


FanHouse: With all of the recent attention, does it feel as if you've been thrust into the forefront of boxing in general?

Yuri Foreman: Yeah, compared to before November, it's been like that. But I guess that that's normal, and that's what comes with all of the hard work that I've been putting in. I've been able to take that success into the ring.


FH: Have you been able to do any of the things you've wanted to do as far as delivering your message from within your religious faith and toward the healing you hope to achieve in the Middle East -- all as a byproduct of being a world boxing champion?

Foreman: Right now, besides boxing, and putting boxing aside, I go to the yeshivas [educational institutions unique to classical Judaism,] I study my rabbinical program. I do visit yeshivas and schools, and do a lot of talking to kids.

I hope to give them some type or some kind of form of inspiration. Right now, that's some of the work, and that is what I'm doing.


FH: What are the age groups or ranges in age of kids have you spoken to?

Foreman: It varies. From 10-to-12, to 18, 19, 20 years old. Some sixth, seventh, eighth-graders and higher. And there have been some college kids too. Mostly in New York, right in that area.


FH: Any question or questions that have been particularly striking to you, perhaps how you reconcile the violence in the ring and the notion of peace in the Middle East?

Foreman: Mostly the questions are like, 'How do I combine being a boxer and my religion,' you know, that's often the primary question. Basically, it's many kids. Young kids.

They have whatever dreams that they have -- being an actor, being an athlete, or being a musician. I make sure that I let them know that you can combine your dreams with your spiritual activities in Judaism. It's necessary.

Like, you have to be close to God and Judaism, and religion. Actually, not necessarily only Jewish kids, but non-Jewish kids as well [need to be attached to a form of faith].


FH: Is the question of reconciliation an easier one for you to understand now that you've done it than it is to relate that notion to others?

Foreman: It is something that presents challenges to explain it. But, you know, for example, for myself, in the beginning, I had to grow to prove it to myself. But now that I'm a world champion, I can see the result, you know.

And many kids can see it as well. They can see someone who is successful, and, basically, blending those two worlds.


FH: What do you think of the irony of you -- a soon-to-be Rabbi -- fighting a world championship at Yankees' Stadium in an event set up by your Jewish promoter, Bob Arum, and involving a kid celebrating his bar mitzvah party all on June 5 at Yankees Stadium?

Foreman: [Laughs for about 15 seconds.] It's very ironic. To have a potential problem with my first title defense being the fact that someone is having a bar mitzvah there on the same night. I can tell you that the bar mitzvah kid is definitely going to remember that one.


FH: What sort of night do you hope to give this kid on the night of the Miguel Cotto fight?

Foreman: You know, according to Jewish tradition, you're getting into adulthood. Right now, there is going to be a bar mitzvah ceremony [in the morning,] and he's going to experience the fight [at night,] first-hand.

He'll see both parallels. You can celebrate your manhood, and then, you can see the two men -- two fighters -- doing their business. Two fighters, basically, boxing.


FH: How close to being done is the Miguel Cotto fight?

Foreman: I know that it's close. I don't know the details. I have a feeling that it's going to happen on June 5. I think it's going to happen. I don't know the details regarding how close or how far.

I'm looking forward to this fight, and it's a great opportunity for me to fight a historic fight in Yankees Stadium. It's a great opportunity to fight a great fighter like Miguel Cotto.


FH: Is there anyone on your record whose style you can compare favorably to that of Miguel Cotto's?

Foreman: No, I can't. He's very different. Actually, all of my opponents vary in style and I have had to train differently for each fight and take a different approach.

And Miguel Cotto is just as different. He's a terrific fighter, and a great champion, and I'll have to have a different approach to him as well.


FH: What does Miguel Cotto bring to the table?

Foreman: Miguel Cotto definitely brings in a lot of experience. He's been in some very big fights, and so that's what he has. In terms of strength and style, you know, Miguel Cotto is very good overall. His strength and his speed.


FH: Having fought on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto, what did you see in that fight from ringside, up close and personal, from your next opponent?

Foreman: I saw the same Miguel -- always coming forward. Always fighting according to a game plan, I guess. He stuck to it, and he showed a lot of discipline in the ring. It's a very tough task, again. He has good punching power.


FH: Do you feel as if you are the underdog?

Foreman: I don't go into that, and I don't give in to things like being the underdog or the favorite. I just go to the gym, and I train to work on myself -- to get myself better and to get my job done.


FH: When do you believe that you will begin training for this fight?

Foreman: I'm already, pretty much, going to the gym -- the Gleason's Gym in New York. Every day, I'm in the gym. But about two months before the fight, my training is going to get more intensified.


FH: I understand that, in addition to your regular trainers, Joe Greer, and, assistant, Pedro Saiz, you are bringing in Emanuel Steward to help out? Can you define their roles?

Foreman: My corner stays the same. I'm not changing pretty much anything. Emanuel, I believe, is going to come to New York and we'll have an opportunity to have him for a couple of weeks before the fight. Definitely, he's a great trainer.

Perhaps he can add something and I can learn something from him, and that's about it.


FH: Is there anything specific that your manager, Murray Wilson, was looking to add by bringing in Emanuel Steward?

Foreman: Murray was reaching out to Manny, and it's great to have a legendary trainer to be giving me some training. But again, I'm looking forward to it. But I don't have any specifics. I'm open to anything.


FH: Citing, in part, your height [5-foot-10] and reach, Manny Pacquiao bypassed you, among others, as an opponent in favor of Joshua Clottey.

What do you believe you showed him over the course of your victory over Daniel Santos -- a fairly lopsided win during which you dropped Santos twice?

Foreman: I pretty much showed myself that I should be more aggressive, but I didn't surprise myself that I can hit. I always knew that I could hit, but it was just a matter of putting good things together -- boxing and being aggressive.

And Pacquiao, listen, is such a great fighter in my eyes. Really, he's pretty much the pound-for-pound best. And that's a great compliment when it's coming from him that he's considering me as a fighter or an opponent. That's a great honor.


FH: You heard the Puerto Rican fans cheering for Daniel Santos when you fought him in Las Vegas, and you overcame that. Now, you are fighting a Puerto Rican fighter for the second time, in Miguel Cotto, and you were booed when you and he were introduced in New York when Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez dethroned Steven Luevano.

What have you learned about the Puerto Rican pride?

Foreman: As it applies to Puerto Rican people, I admire, first of all, how supportive they are of their fighters. It's like that in baseball, and it's like that in boxing. I really do appreciate that and it's great to see.

No matter where it is, they're buying tickets, and they're coming and they're supporting their fighters. But there are going to be a few Puerto Ricans cheering for me as well.

There are a few Puerto Rican fighters at Gleason's Gym who are going to come and support me -- at least that is what they have told me.


FH: Will you do anything between now and the fight to promote yourself within the Jewish community, and if so, what sort of numbers do you expect to see in terms of of people coming to support you on the night that you face Miguel Cotto?

Foreman: I hope that we're going to equal the Puerto Rican fans, you know? I hope so. I'm definitely going to participate in trying to promote the fight in the Jewish community.

There is a big Jewish population in the area, just like there is a lot of Puerto Rican support in the area. I hope the Jewish community -- the Russian Jewish community -- will come and support me.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

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Foreman-Cotto bout might be held at Yankee Stadium -- Los Angeles Times

By Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times

When Yuri Foreman beat Daniel Santos in Las Vegas in November, it was big news because it made Foreman the first Israeli in history to win a professional boxing crown. And now promoter Bob Arum is trying to line up a big venue for Foreman's anticipated title defense in June against former welterweight champion Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico.

The June 12 fight is scheduled for Madison Square Garden but Arum is hoping to move it to Yankee Stadium, according to Team Foreman. Scheduling difficulties would force the date of the fight to move mainly because the other world champions who compete at the Stadium, the New York Yankees, are home for much of the month. But there are two Saturdays -- June 5, when the Yankees will play in Toronto, and June 26, when they'll play at Dodger Stadium -- that are open.

"The magnitude of this event cannot be overestimated," said Foreman's publicist, Dovid Efune. ""It may be the biggest Jewish sporting event of all time. Definitely since David fought Goliath."

Foreman (28-0, 8 knockouts) was only less excited.

"I know the Jewish community in New York is very excited about this," he said. "And I am very excited."

Cotto (34-2, 27 KO) will be stepping up in weight, to 154 pounds, to fight for Foreman's junior middleweight. Cotto has lost two of last four fights.

The last world championship boxing match to be held in Yankee Stadium was in September 1976 when Muhammad Ali successfully defended his heavyweight title against Ken Norton at the old Yankee Stadium.

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

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Cotto/Foreman: A High-Profile Fight Foreman CAN Win -- The Sweet Science

By Frank Lotierzo, The Sweet Science

During the Gamboa-Mtagwa / Lopez-Luevano HBO boxing after dark card this past weekend, former junior welterweight and welterweight title holder Miguel Cotto 34-2 (27) was interviewed by Bob Papa. Miguel looked good physically and spoke quite clearly.

The last time Cotto was in the ring he was stopped by Manny Pacquiao in the 12th round. Cotto gave Pacquiao everything he had but couldn't quite handle Manny's combination of speed, power and unconventional southpaw attack. Shortly after the fight Miguel's father passed away from an apparent heart attack. So it's been a rough two months for Miguel.

If there ever was a real fighter in the sport of professional boxing it's Miguel Cotto. This guy has never backed down from any fighter and has constantly sought to fight the best available opposition every time out. Having fought the likes of Paulie Malignaggi, Carlos Quintana, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey and Manny Pacquiao, his record reads like a virtual who's who list of the top fighters of his era.

During the interview with Papa, Cotto indicated that he's planning on going through with a proposed bout against WBA junior middleweight champ Yuri Foreman 28-0 (8) at Madison Square Garden. Foreman lives in Brooklyn and has a large following in New York City as does Cotto. The fight is tentatively scheduled for June 12th, the day before the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. Since becoming a main event fighter Cotto has routinely headlined boxing cards on the Saturday night on the eve of the parade when a large faction of the city's residents with Puerto Rican roots turn out at The Garden in support of Cotto.

The last time Foreman fought it was on the under card of the Pacquiao-Cotto bout. Foreman won a very workman-like unanimous decision over Daniel Santos, controlling the action most of the way and in the process captured the first world title of career since making his pro-debut eight years ago.

"He's a great champion, pound-for-pound one of the best fighters out," is how Foreman described Cotto.

For Cotto the fight with Foreman would be his first fight at 154 pounds and affords him a chance to win a third world title in three different weight divisions. My first inclination after finding out Foreman-Cotto was in the works was perhaps Miguel should take an easy fight coming off the brutal bout with Pacquiao. However, Cotto doesn't go the easy fight route which is terrific for fight fans but will no doubt shorten his career. Then after thinking about it, it's good matchmaking on the part of Bob Arum who has promotional ties to both Cotto and Foreman.

Foreman's a little too big for Cotto, but he's not fast nor can he punch. But Cotto isn't the fighter he once was. It's a high profile fight that Foreman can win (and there aren't too many of those), where Cotto can earn another good payday and not get hurt. And it's not like Cotto would be in over his head against Foreman and couldn't win. It's pretty transparent as to why the fight will most likely be realized, but it's a win-win for all involved.

Cotto's biggest obstacle will be dealing with Foreman's height and reach depending on how much is left in the reservoir of the fantastic fighter he once was. At this stage of Cotto's career, having fought Shane Mosley, Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey and Manny Pacquiao in four of his last six fights between November of 2007 and November of 2009, Miguel has endured a lot of punishment. He really must be managed carefully. Even in the two bouts he won against Mosley and Clottey, Miguel was manhandled physically - but luckily for him he fought the smarter fight strategically which enabled him to escape with a decision win over both.

Foreman hasn't fought a single A-level fighter. Cotto, despite being on the decline, represents his sternest test. A win by Cotto extends his career at the championship level and will no doubt maneuver him into position for another big fight and pay-day. So it cannot be said that Arum has hurt him. Miguel also may have been bothered by having to make 145 against Pacquiao in his last fight. No, it didn't effect the outcome of the bout, but it was obvious watching him on HBO's 24/7 that it bothered him mentally.

Fighting at 154 will be a relief mentally, but it could really hinder him physically and make him a sitting duck for Foreman if the weight noticeably slows him down. On the other hand if Foreman beats Cotto, it won't be in a brutal fashion. And if he were to lose to him, it won't be in a manner that he won't be able to recover and come back from.

Foreman vs. Cotto represents an opportunity for Yuri Foreman to mark his arrival, and for Miguel Cotto it's a chance for him to remain a major player among the welterweight and junior middleweight elite.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

Source: thesweetscience.com

WBA King, Rabbi-to-be, Yuri Foreman, 'Ready' For Miguel Cotto -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

NEW YORK --FanHouse caught up to WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Yuri Foreman, on Saturday night while the soon-to-be rabbi was sitting ringside for his promoter, Top Rank's, HBO-televised featherweight (126-pound) championship double-header in Madison Square Garden's 5,000 capacity WaMu Theater.

As he sat there, the 29-year-old Foreman (28-0, eight knockouts) was among the overflow crowd of 5,142 -- many of whom were Puerto Ricans -- and got a taste for the greeting that may yet await him when he defends his crown against 29-year-old, former, two-time welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), in the MSG's main arena on June 12.

In Saturday night's main event, Puerto Rico's Juan Manuel Lopez (28-0, 25 KOs) dethroned Steven Luevano (37-2-1, 15 KOs) of La Puente, Calif., with a seventh-round knockout to earn the WBO's featherweight crown.

Lopez-Luevano was preceded by a second-round knockout by WBA king Yuriorkis Gamboa (17-0, 15 KOs) over Tanzanian, Rogers Mtagwa (26-14-2, 18 KOs).

But even before the action began in the last two fights, Foreman, Cotto and former welterweight, junior middleweight, and middleweight champion, Felix Trinidad of Puerto Rico were introduced in the ring.

The two Puerto Ricans were loudly cheered, while Foreman, a Brooklyn resident, was roundly booed.

"Yeah, I'm ready, man. Today, they introduced me, and there were some boos here. You know, I guess there are going to be even more boos on June 12, you know?" said Foreman, who dethroned Puerto Rico's hard-hitting, southpaw, Daniel Santos (32-4-1, 23 KOs), on Nov. 14 by a one-sided, unanimous decision, twice flooring the ex-champion.

"But I'm looking forward to it, you know?," said Foreman, who was born in Gomel, Belarus, became the first Israeli citizen to win a professional boxing title, and is a rabbinical student.

"No one gave me a chance against Santos, but I was ready," said Foreman, all the while, shouting above the deafening noise of the screaming crowd. "And I'm looking forward to showcasing my skills in a big fight like that against Cotto."

Foreman and Cotto, who sat about eight seats apart throughout the night, had been invited to New York by Top Rank CEO, Bob Arum, to finalize the negotiations for their matchup.

Foreman had been considered an opponent for seven-division champion Manny Pacquiao after the WBO titlist's welterweight defense against Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) was disolved amid a negotiations impasse.

But Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) has since elected to face Ghana's 32-year-old Joshua Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs) on March 13 at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium in Arlington, Tex.

"Manny felt that Yuri was a bridge too far, and he was reluctant to fight him. I can understand that," said Arum, referring to the fact that the 5-foot-6 Pacquiao saw the 5-11 Foreman as perhaps too tall and rangy an opponent, even as there was a chance that Pacquiao could have earned an unprecedented eighth crown in as many different divisions.

A Bronx resident, Clottey is coming off of June's 12-round, split-decision loss to Cotto, whom Pacquiao dethroned via 12th-round knockout for the WBO crown on Nov. 14. Foreman defeated Santos on the undercard of Pacquiao-Cotto.

"I take it as a compliment that he didn't want to fight me. I'm as tall as Oscar De La Hoya," said Foreman, referring to the former world champion whom Pacquiao stopped in the eighth round in December of 2008.

"You know, they didn't want to fight me because of my height, my reach, and, basically my skills. I'm going to take it as a compliment," said Foreman. "[Pacquiao's trainer] Freddie Roach is a great trainer, and if he didn't want to fight me, I'll just take it as a compliment."

As far as facing Cotto, Foreman acknowledged that he may well be facing his greatest opponent -- even as Santos owns a victory over former world champion, Antonio Margarito, the other man to have beaten Cotto.

"Miguel Cotto is a great, great fighter and he was a great champion. I've always been watching his fights," said Foreman. "But you know, the opportunity to fight a great fighter like him, and to be in the same ring, and to have a chance at beating him would be a great, great thing for me."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Cotto appears ready to return to ring -- The Washington Post

By DAVE SKRETTA, The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Former welterweight champion Miguel Cotto is expected back in the ring in June, likely challenging junior middleweight titleholder Yuri Foreman at Madison Square Garden.

Cotto plans to watch countryman Juan Manuel Lopez fight Steven Luevano for a featherweight title on Saturday night in the theater at MSG. That fight is part of a double-header that sees Yuriorkis Gamboa and Rogers Mtagwa fighting for another featherweight belt.

"Cotto is coming in for the fight, and we'll start discussing it," Top Rank president Todd duBoef said Wednesday. "They're the ones who called us and said, 'We want to fight Yuri Foreman,' so we'll see what we can do."

DuBoef said he has Madison Square Garden on hold for June 12, the day before the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. Cotto has regularly headlined that Saturday night, when a substantial segment of the city's roughly 800,000 residents with Puerto Rican roots come out in support.

The significance of the date wasn't lost on Foreman, either.

"Friends say, 'Yuri, you're fighting in New York, Madison Square Garden, everybody is going to be rooting for you!' I say, 'Um, well, it's the day before the Puerto Rican Day Parade,'" he said with a broad grin.

"It's the opportunity of a lifetime," said Foreman, a New York-based native of Belarus who also is studying to become a rabbi. "You have to understand, where I come from, the Soviet Union, then Israel, to fight in Madison Square Garden is huge."

Foreman won his title with a comprehensive victory over Daniel Santos on the undercard of Cotto's brutal fight against Manny Pacquiao in November.

Foreman was considered a possible opponent for Pacquiao before the pound-for-pound king decided the height difference was too much. Pacquiao instead decided to fight Joshua Clottey on March 13 at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

"He's a great champion, pound-for-pound one of the best fighters out there," Foreman said of Cotto, who would be moving up to 154 pounds. "I'm very hopeful it gets made, but I don't know where I'm standing. Hopefully we're very close to closing the door."

Cotto has had perhaps the most difficult year of his professional life, splitting with his uncle and longtime trainer Evangelista Cotto before losing that bloody fight to Pacquiao.

Outside the ring, the Puerto Rican star lost his father, Miguel Sr., to an apparent heart attack earlier this month. He also had a breach of contract lawsuit filed against him by his uncle and a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him by an administrator of a residential property he owns in the U.S. territory.

DuBoef said he doesn't believe the distractions will prevent Cotto from fighting.

"I think he's going to come in here (Saturday) not really that concerned, because June is a while from now," duBoef said.

Source: washingtonpost.com