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Foreman, Cotto: More Questions than Answers By Ryan Songalia PhilBoxing.com Fri, 04 Jun 2010  A blind man could tell the difference between Yuri Foreman and Miguel Cotto. Literally. One only needs use of his ears to see the cultural divide between the current junior-middleweight champ Foreman and former 140 and 147 pound kingpin Miguel Cotto as they worked out for the press at New York City's Trinity Boxing Club on Tuesday afternoon. Foreman, 29, of Brooklyn, NY by way of Belarus, preferred to skip rope and joke casually with media to the sounds of Black Sabbath and AC/DC. Cotto, also 29, of Caguas, Puerto Rico, filled the air with salsa music performed by Puerto Rican artists Victor Manuelle and Jerry Rivera as he conducted his workout in an all-business manner. An educated guess would assume that these two don't party at the same dance clubs. For those with vision, there was plenty on display in downtown Manhattan to differentiate between the two combatants who will headline the first boxing card at Yankee Stadium in 34 years this Saturday night (HBO/10:15 EST). For Foreman, who won the WBA 154 pound title in his last fight by defeating Puerto Rican stalwart Daniel Santos, the media attention seemed to be a complete change of pace from what he's used to. Though he earned his bones by fighting amongst the Big Apple's best amateur stars, Foreman has flown under the radar for most of his eight-year pro career. The 25+ media members and cameramen scrutinizing his every move while he wrapped his hands and jumped rope seemed to make him uneasy at times. "It's kinda cool," said Foreman, 28-0 (8 KO), in front of a chuckle, "but I prefer to do it more private." Cotto by contrast seemed to be indifferent to the media swarm that hounded him from the moment he left his black SUV with entourage in tow. Cotto broke no smiles as he got down to business, which began by a 40 minute jump-rope session. Suffice it to say that some media members were left looking at their watches. Cotto, 37-2 (24 KO), has been in the spotlight for a long time though, having been the standout pro to emerge from the 2000 Olympics. He knew the media would be patiently waiting for him, no matter how long he took. Having headlined at Madison Square Garden six times and ranking among the best fighters in the sport over the past five years, he knows that boxing is a show business - and that the boxer is the show. "People forget that Miguel has been a big star, even as an amateur," new trainer Emmanuel Steward said. "He will definitely have the advantage [in the spotlight]." Fighting in front of huge crowds is new for Foreman, particularly when he is the focus of much of the adulation. Foreman admits that the thought of fighting in front of 20,000+ is somewhat jarring. Jarring doesn't necessarily mean he's overwhelmed, however. "It will be a special moment for sure," said Foreman. "When I think about it I have a little bit of butterflies. But it's something I've been getting ready for all my life, that entrance when I make my ring walk." The experience gap is not the only variable left to be determined that has complicated efforts to gauge each fighter's odds. Besides adjusting to a new trainer, Cotto has had to contend with the ghosts of several physically damaging fights against Antonio Margarito, Joshua Clottey and Manny Pacquiao, among others in recent years. Steward concedes that only time will tell what Cotto has left after those wars but that he's optimistic about what he's seen in training. "I'm surprised, I haven't seen the wear and tear on Miguel Cotto which is amazing considering that he's had six really tough, physical fights. He's a warrior, never complains. He was telling me 'I'm like a mack truck, I'm strong and I'm motivated again.' " Steward says that the transition with Cotto has been seamless in comparison to his past work with Evander Holyfield (for his rematch with Riddick Bowe) and Aaron Pryor (for his rematch with Alexis Arguello). In both instances, Steward's fighter emerged victorious. "After the second day of training I showed him some balance and he said, 'This is what I used to do, anyway.' I told him 'Put the salsa music on because you like to dance' and he just started moving all over the place. 'In the past for whatever reasons he's had good success with pure boxers. Miguel said, 'Foreman moves well, but he can't punch with his movement. All I'll do is put pressure and catch him when he comes in.' As long as he's in good shape and his balance is good, he'll be OK." Foreman's biggest question mark has been his punching power and killer's instinct. Foreman has only scored two stoppage wins since 2004, but put Santos down twice in his title-winning effort. "Many people look at records and they just have a mindset like, 'that dude can't punch,'" said Foreman. "If they underestimate, they will be surprised." Perhaps it's not an issue of power; perhaps it's about temperament. Foreman, who is the first Orthodox Jew to win a world title since Jackie "Kid" Berg in 1932, is also a rabbinical student that says he'd never want to hurt an opponent. Foreman made sure to clarify that he didn't mean he wouldn't allow a knockout opportunity to pass. "Stoppage and hurting opponents is two different things," said Foreman, who trains with Paterson, NJ's Joe Grier. "Stopping with a good punch to the jaw is OK, but I never want to inflict the damage to hurt that person to go to the hospital. I also don't want to be on that side, either." "Sometimes he doesn't want to show that he has [killer instinct], but I saw a few times that he took it out." said Foreman's assistant trainer Pedro Saiz. "Specifically against Santos and James Moore and Cornelius Bundrage. The mean man comes out, not too much, but a little bit. " I tell him a few different times, you don't have to be Mr. Gentleman in there. To be a boxer, you have to be smart, slick, tough and play dirty sometimes. Sometimes you don't want to play dirty but somebody's gonna play dirty to you and you have to give it back." Even Steward admits that the atmosphere of Yankee Stadium - coupled with the overwhelming support he has received from New York's Jewish community - will galvanize him on fight night. "The way he's fought so far, he's not had to be a warrior. I believe that if he has to, he's a warrior. I think the crowd that particular night, the focus on him being Jewish, the horns that they're gonna blow, he's going to be so fired up that he's gonna fight a great fight. For that night I think he's going to be a warrior." Foreman finds himself in a great position against a star that many believe to be on the downslide. With Cotto being at the tail end of his career, Pacquiao retiring after this year and Margarito banned in America, Foreman has the best chance to replace them as Top Rank's figurehead and leading star. None of the hype and publicity - which included a guest appearance on The Jimmy Kimmel Show as well as being named Grand Marshal of New York's Israeli Parade - will mean anything if Foreman is unable to get over this hump. And Cotto won't have much of a career to revive should he lose. -RS Top photo: Three-time world champion Miguel Cotto(R), Caguas, Puerto Rico signs a baseball for a young fan (L) during a special appearance at Yankee Stadium before the Yankees-Orioles game Thursday afternoon. Cotto will challenge undefeated WBA World Super Welterweight champion Yuri Foreman, Brooklyn, N.Y., for the World Super Welterweight championship, Saturday,June 5 on HBO Championship Boxing at Yankee Stadium. -- Photo Credit: Chris Farina - Top Rank. * * * Ryan Songalia is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryan@ryansongalia.com . An archive of his work can be found at www.ryansongalia.com . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ryansongalia . Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ryan Songalia.  |
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