It?s been almost a quarter century since a pair of pugilists stepped into the squared circle at the undisputed Roman Coliseum of North American sports, better known as Yankee Stadium.
Muhammad Ali needed 15 tough rounds to sneak past Ken Norton on the evening of Sept. 28, 1976 ? the last time the ?House that Ruth Built?, newly remodeled and re-opened that year, hosted a boxing match.
Brooklyn?s Yuri Foreman, a rabbinical student who just happens to own a share of the junior middleweight championship, and former three-time titleholder Miguel Cotto will usher in a new era of boxing at Yankee Stadium II tomorrow night.
The bout, which will be televised nationally on HBO, hardly carries the cache of that third Ali-Norton showdown. But it will provide an opportunity for the undefeated but thus far underestimated Foreman to make himself a household name.
?He has good speed, is a very talented fighter and has tremendous speed and a lot of determination,? legendary trainer Emmanuel Steward said of Foreman during Wednesday?s press conference at the Stadium, which expects to hold upwards of 30,000 fans for the bout.
?They say he can?t punch, but I think it?s going to be an extremely tough fight.?
Kind words coming from the opposition as Steward will actually be in Cotto?s corner come fight night. As for Foreman, who will observe the traditional Sabbath on Saturday before leaving his New York hotel after nightfall in plenty of time to enter the ring for the most important of his 29 fights, the Stadium will serve as a launching pad or crash site for his career.
While many feel the 29-year-old Cotto is at a crossroads following a pair of devastating knockout losses to Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao, Foreman, also 29, could be on the cusp of becoming one of the biggest stories in boxing.
If, of course, he can find a way to beat his more experienced and more powerful rival.
Foreman has recorded only eight of his first 28 victories via knockout. Cotto?s 27 KOs make him a much more lethal one-punch threat in the ring.
?People, I guess, are entitled to their opinions,? Foreman said when asked if he could stand up to Cotto?s power while unleashing some vicious blows of his own Saturday night.
?I don?t have to agree with them. It?s one thing to see on TV, to watch the fight. It?s one thing actually being in the ring and feeling the punch. On the paper I might not be a power puncher, but believe me, a clean shot connects to the head, it?s a painful, painful thing.?
Steward, for the most part, agreed with Foreman?s assessment.
?I don?t feel that he has great punching power but it is much better than people give him credit for,? the Hall of Fame trainer noted. ?I was at a lot of his fights…the fighters he didn?t knock out were the fighters no one was knocking out. I think he is a much better puncher than people give him credit for.?
The normally reserved Cotto, who figures to have a large contingent of Puerto Rican fans in the crowd, has maintained a quiet confidence leading up to the fight.
But he didn?t mince words when asked about the outcome.
?We trained hard to put on a good show,? Cotto said. ?I don?t know what is going to happen on that night, but I?m pretty sure, no matter what way, when it is over, I?m going to be the winner of the fight.?
Of course, Brooklyn-born promoter Bob Arum isn?t taking sides. But he did note the significance of Foreman?s emergence as a rising star in the sweet science.
?Yuri Foreman, his whole history, he has lived in Brooklyn for a long while and is part of the very large Jewish ethnic population in the city,? Arum said. ?He is an observant religious Jew who is going to become a rabbi – he fits in New York City better than he fits in Tel Aviv.?
The only remaining question is whether or not Foreman fits in with boxing?s elite. He hopes to provide a resounding answer with his fists tomorrow night.
