Miguel Cotto makes his move to the light middleweight division this Saturday as he challenges Yuri Foreman for his 154-pound title. The fight will be held at Yankee Stadium, the first since 1976. HBO will televise the event beginning at 10:15pm ET. The undercard will feature a light middleweight bout between Vanes Martirosyan and Joe Greene.
Yuri Foreman vs. Miguel Cotto
WBA Light Middleweight Title
Money Line: Foreman +175; Cotto -220
Yuri Foreman, 28-0 (8 KOs), will be making his first WBA title defense this Saturday at Yankee Stadium in New York. Foreman won the title from Daniel Santos in November on an HBO PPV card. The main event that night: Manny Pacquiao vs. Foreman’s opponent Saturday night, Miguel Cotto. Foreman’s background is an interesting one. He was born in Belarus, moved to Israel, and now fights out of Brooklyn, New York. In addition to honing his boxing craft, Foreman is also training to be a rabbi. In-ring experience doesn’t favor Foreman as he has fought a slew of Contender castoffs and only been 12 rounds once in his career. And it’s not like he’s been ending his fights early. Foreman has a 28% knockout rate. What Foreman does possess is discipline, good footwork, and a consistent jab. He moved all around the ring on Santos, forcing him to chase. When Santos caught up he was met with jabs. Foreman is not the type to beat himself so it will take an extremely focused effort from Cotto to take the title.
Miguel Cotto, 34-2 (27 KOs), is looking for a world title in a third weight class this Saturday against Yuri Foreman. From 2004 to 2008, Miguel Cotto dominated both the 140-pound and 147-pound divisions. Then came his loss to Antonio Margarito. There is a chance that Margarito was “plastered” in that fight, just as he was caught doing prior to his bout with Shane Mosley the following year. But no matter your theories on Margarito-Cotto, the fact remains that Cotto hasn’t been the same fighter since. He struggled in defeating Joshua Clottey and was outclassed by Manny Pacquiao in his last fight. A change was desperately needed and it came in the form of Emanuel Steward, Cotto’s new trainer. Cotto may be ring weary but he’s actually two months younger than Foreman (both are 29). Cotto may be damaged goods but his propensity to work the body may be just the right gameplan to topple Foreman.
Staff Predictions
Corey: The elements are coming together in what could be the perfect storm for Yuri Foreman. A natural junior middleweight, he has a significant size advantage over Miguel Cotto, who cut his teeth at 140 and 147 pounds. Foreman is a boxer first and won’t play into Cotto’s hands by exchanging more often than he can afford. Should Cotto be able to cut the ring off, Foreman’s bigger build should help him withstand Miguel’s trademark body punching. And it’s no secret that Cotto’s career is winding down while Foreman sees tremendous upside with a win. With that said, expect Cotto to give a spirited effort, because he knows no other way to fight, but Foreman will have his hand raised at the end of a close one, winning 115-113.
Paul: At this point, Miguel Cotto is like a puppy dog who’s been run over in traffic…twice. Even the slightest sound of cars and trucks will send him scurrying under the bed. Cotto’s suffered two recent, horrendous beatings. Margarito took his heart and Pacquiao, likely, took his soul. I’m not sold on Foreman, but I think he’s young enough, fresh enough and big enough to bring out the scared puppy dog in Cotto. Expect Cotto to do well early, but to fade quickly as soon as Foreman begins to fight back. I’m going out on a limb here: Yuri Foreman via TKO or RTD 9th round.
Trent: It’s clear that Cotto isn’t the same fighter he was pre-Margarito. I realize this prediction comes down to the notion of Cotto being a shot fighter. If you think Cotto is shot, pick Foreman. If you think Cotto still has something left then go with the Puerto Rican. But Yuri Foreman hasn’t sold me yet. This is no doubt the biggest stage and the biggest fight of Foreman’s career. I think that Emanuel Steward is just what Cotto needed to rejuvenate his career. Foreman will circle but Cotto will cut him off as he did in the first half of the Margarito fight. Body shots will slow Foreman down en route to a 9th round stoppage in favor of Miguel Cotto.
