Boxing returns to Yankee Stadium for the first time in 34 years Saturday night and most analysts are having a very difficult time predicting a winner between Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman.
Does Cotto have anything left in his gas tank after brutal defeats at the fists of Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao? Is Foreman a true world class contender or just an also ran getting ten minutes of fistic fame against a Puerto Rican icon?
The uncertainty surrounding Cotto – Foreman is reflected in the gaming odds for the bout. Cotto, a mainstay in world class main events for several years now, is merely a two to one favorite to win in the Bronx.
There are those who believe Cotto’s first venture into the 154 pound weight limit, the contracted maximum on Saturday night, would allow him to come into the contest without the trials and tribulations of shedding off pounds to make the welterweight limit of 147. In theory, this seven pound difference is supposed to make Cotto a little bit fresher than Foreman who has spent his eight year professional career as a junior middleweight.
A Cotto advantage surrounding the scales might have evaporated, as more than one New York source informs me that the Puerto Rican looked to be shedding weight during a media workout Monday afternoon. Instead of a leisurely session of jumping rope and mitt work, Cotto engaged in serious stretching and jump ropes for approximately 30 minutes followed by an aggressive four rounds of mitt work with new trainer Emmanuel Steward.
One observer, who would rather remain anonymous, stated, “It definitely looked like Cotto was working very hard to lose weight before the weigh-in on Friday.”
Not a good sign for a fighter who has clocked some tough rounds on his body during the last two years and is moving up in weight class.
