Every fight promotion has to have a story line. In fact, the more story lines, the more threads that can be woven for media and thus public speculation and debate, the better.
Obviously, the goal of every promotion is producing some word of mouth. In that sense, boxing matches are like first run movies.
For the June 5 Yuri Foreman WBA junior middleweight title defense against plucky Puerto Rican hero?and he?s still all that and a steaming plate of mofongo?Miguel Cotto, there are numerous threads.
One, is rabbi to be Foreman anything more than some fluke champ who caught Boricua Banger Daniel Santos when he had sat around for 14 months and was swinging like a rusty gate?
After being hammered by Antonio Margarito and then by Manny Pacquiao, does Cotto have any mileage left or is time for him to park his career, count his money and retain his health?
Winning Team: Coach Roach, Manny Pacquiao, they might remind Manny Steward of his success with Thomas “Hitman” Hearns (AP Photo)
But there?s a new ?sidebar??that?s oldtime newspaper lingo, boys?to this fight at Yankee Stadium the night before the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Enter, stage left, Kronk ?Goldfather? Manny Steward.
He lobbied to become Cotto?s chief tactician for the Pacman fight but his trial baloon was quickly deflated. Cotto instead chose a lifelong pal to be his gym and corner jockey and it was a mistake.
Having said, you could have had Whitey Bimstein, Angelo Dundee and Eddie Futch as a triumvirate working against Pacman and Futc prot?g? Freddie Roach, the outcome would have been the same.
Steward, who chats up a fight like the oldtimer he is, adds some panache to this otherwise pedestrian event.
He almost went to work for Brooklyn resident Foreman before signing on with Cotto.
But is this title bout a referendum on Motown Manny?
No, no and hell, no. He turned out world champs at Kronk faster than Ford and Chevrolet turned out cars on the nearby assembly lines.
Kronkmeister Emmanel Steward is certainly not yesterday’s news as a trainer or as a TV fight analyst (AP Photo)
He?s won big bouts with Julio Cesar Chavez and dragged Oliver McCall away from the bottle and the crack pipe long enough to knock out Lennox Lewis…in London, no less! I was there, in Jolly Ollie?s dressing room before and after that shocker.
Steward?s Hall Of Fame status is secure, he has nothing to prove as a top trainer or as a TV fight analyst.
Steward?s been there, done all that.
But, hey, it gives up something else to chew the fat about.
If Foreman wins, it?s no reflection on Steward. If Cotto wins, it will be a surprise, sure, but it certainly would not rank high on Steward?s glittering resume.
It?s an added story line, no more and no less.
You want to talk big deal for Manny, then he would have to be in the gym and in the corner and beat the other Manny, the one from Gensan…but, hey, why should I give Team Mayweather any genius ideas like that?
Maybe it takes a Manny to beat a Manny?
