REIGNING WBA light-middleweight champion Yuri Foreman defends against Miguel Cotto at Yankee Stadium on June 5 and hopes his successes in the ring will inspire more people of Jewish faith to take up the sweet science. Hall of famers such as Abe Attell, Maxie Rosenbloom, Benny Leonard and Britain?s own ?Whitechapel Windmill? Jack ?Kid? Berg were all devoted followers of Judaism but the past half century or so has seen numbers dwindle.
?In the 1900s boxing was dominated by Jewish boxers but not so much now. I see the 21st century as the beginning of Jewish revival and I am part of it,? said Foreman, 28-0 (8).
Yuri was born in Gomel, Belarus when the nation was still part of the Soviet Union. When Communism fell in 1991 his family moved to Israel for a better life. Yuri appreciates how difficult it must have been for his family to adapt.
?The immigrant life is very tough,? Foreman stated. ?|I could get used to it. For my parents though; a new life, new jobs, new climate, not much money and below the poverty line. I began to see very quickly that boxing would be my way out. Being a Russian in Israel was difficult because you are a second-class citizen.
?Near my city, Haifa, there wasn?t a boxing gym so the nearest boxing was in close villages where the Arabs lived. They had some equipment and this where I used to travel to train. It was tough and everybody wanted a piece of me. I was three times national champion in Israel then I moved to America.?
Foreman was forced to become independent in his new homeland.
?I came here by myself and I found a job in Manhattan, it was very low paid but I was still [the] living the American dream,? he pointed out. ?I was working 9am until 6pm and then I was going running and training at a boxing gym and I did that for about three years.?
During those three years Yuri won the 2001 New York Golden Gloves and turned pro the following January. It was at this period that the young light-middleweight begun to explore his religion in more depth.
?At time I figured I needed some spiritual support so me and my wife [Leyla, a female boxer he met at Gleeson?s Gym] started to research Judaism,? he explained. ?I understood I was Jewish and I was spiritual but I didn?t know much about Judaism and myself.?
Now he attends regular classes to become a Rabbi and his faith dominates almost every aspect of his life. Under the strict rules of his religion a boxer is not permitted to fight, or even train, on the Sabbath, which runs from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.
?In the beginning it was very hard to be observant but when you become a title contender you fight at night way after sundown so it?s no longer a problem,? said Foreman. ?Another aspect is the of eating Kosher food but that is very easy. Every store in New York is carrying lots of Kosher.?
In November of last year, Foreman saw his years of dedication come to fruition when he floored Daniel Santos twice on the way to relieving the veteran of his WBA title by unanimous decision.
?It was an amazing feeling,? Foreman remembered. ?It was a childhood dream come true. I have been working hard for 15 years and suddenly winning it is huge. I?m very satisfied.?
On June 5 Foreman has the chance to solidify his standing on the world stage by defeating the aforementioned Cotto in the prestigious Yankee Stadium venue.
?He?s a great champion and fighter,? Foreman said of his opponent. ?I had the pleasure of meeting him and he is a great person. I have watched many of his fights and he has impressed me with his skills and his heart. To fight someone like Miguel is an honour to me and I?ll have a chance against him to show my skills.?
Few would have blamed him for taking a more routine first defence of his title. But a boxing jury is growing by the week suggesting that Cotto is on the way down and now might be a good time to fight the Puerto Rican.
?Boxing should not be about defending your title against so-so fighters,? Foreman declared. ?I want to fight the best because it makes me a better fighter. I know what his strengths are. I know he has fast hands, good punching power and he?s been in the ring with great fighters. But I?ll be ready for whatever Cotto turns up, young or old.?
With followers of Foreman and fanatics of Cotto clamouring to fill out the baseball stadium the champion knows that he is seen as the underdog and may be going into something of a lion?s den.
?As long as the lions can?t get to the cage I will execute my gameplan,? he laughed. ?All of my 28 fights will be combined for this one fight, as will my knowledge. I had to fight many good fighters to get the No. 1 spot to fight for the title. And I was happy to work for it. One man and his lions are not about to take that away from me.?
