I recently had the pleasure of speaking with boxing historian and author, Mike Silver. Mike talked about Cotto-Foreman, the current state of the sport, and the importance of the Pacquiao-Mayweather mega-bout. He also gave an overview on his critically acclaimed book, ?The Arc of Boxing: The Rise and Decline of the Sweet Science”.
LS: It?s an honor to talk to you, Mike. I?d like to get your opinion on a few things.
MS: Thank you, Lorne. I appreciate your interest.
LS: Let?s talk about the Cotto-Foreman fight.
MS: I was at the stadium–eleventh-row ringside.
LS: Well, I thought it was a great fight. I was impressed with both of them. What do you think about Arthur Mercante Jr. allowing it to go on after Foreman?s knee was hurt?
MS: Well, I wouldn?t go so far as to say it was a ?great? fight. I think that word is a bit overworked in boxing today, but it was a good fight?interesting because of the different styles and it had the built in electricity of a big fight at Yankee Stadium. As for the referee?s judgment; I was disappointed. I can understand the confusion as that kind of injury does not happen often in a boxing ring and the people in charge seemed unsure of how to react, but what should always be foremost in any referee?s mind is the safety of the fighters. I know that Arthur has compassion for the fighters but sometimes that compassion can be misplaced. On the replay, you could overhear him say to Foreman, ?Walk it off. I don?t want you to lose like this, kid?. That?s not the function of the referee. His first priority should have been to determine if the fighter?s ability to defend himself was compromised.
From the beginning of the fight it was obvious that Foreman was in over his head, but he was surviving because of his mobile footwork. Once the knee went out, he lost that mobility. Especially after the second fall it was obvious that allowing the fight to continue would result in Foreman having no chance to make it a competitive fight. All he could look forward to was a worse beating. Incredibly, nobody seemed to want to take responsibility for stopping the fight. When the doctor visited Foreman?s corner between the 7th and 8th rounds he did not examine or even touch the knee. All he did was stare at Foreman?s face and ask if he wanted to continue. When Foreman said ?yes? the doc just shrugged his shoulders. He might as well have been sitting in the bleachers.Certainly the commissioner could have overruled Mercante Jr. and stopped the fight.
Look, Foreman showed what a gutsy fighter he is by wanting to continue even though hobbled after the first fall but it was totally unnecessary to let that fight continue, especially after the towel flew into the ring. Also, who knows what additional damage the knee sustained by letting the fight continue.
Bottom line: Commission officials failed in their responsibility to the fighter. Thankfully Foreman went down from a terrific body shot in the ninth round which gave the referee the excuse he needed to stop the fight. But any punches Foreman took to the head or body after that towel flew into the ring were totally unnecessary. I shudder to think what would have happened if Foreman had been seriously hurt by subsequent punches after Mercante cleared the ring and allowed the fight to continue when it should have been stopped. The news then would have focused on the incompetence and negligence of the Athletic Commission officials.
LS: Mike, what did you think of Cotto?s performance?
MS: I did not like the way Cotto reacted to the occasional right hands that landed on his chin. I still do not think he has recovered completely from the Pacquiao and Margarito beatings. Cotto was lucky he was not facing a more experienced and aggressive fighter. I?ve always admired Cotto?s heart and professionalism but I think it?s time for him to retire.
