New York - It's very cold and blustery here but ticket sales are hot for Yuri Foreman's biggest fight of his career on Thursday night. Foreman, 23-0, will battle NABF super welterweight champion Andrey Tsurkan, 25-2-1, at the Paradise Theatre in the Bronx.
Foreman, 27, is a native of the former Soviet state of Belarus and a former resident of Israel. He has been based in the United States for his entire professional career.
"We have high hopes for Yuri, but we know he is in very tough on Thursday night," said Bob Arum of Top Rank.
Foreman, rated WBA #8, WBO #10, is coming off a win over Anthony 'The Messenger' Thompson of Philadelphia in what was expected to be an explosive matchup but wound up as a scramble of a bout on the Miguel Cotto vs. Zab Judah title card earlier this year at Madison Square Garden.
"That was a very close fight," Foreman said. "The good thing was that I was in condition in the second half of the fight. I just had more energy than him."
Foreman faces a much stronger puncher and more difficult opponent in Tsurkan who is coming off a one-punch KO of Sammy Sparkman on April 11 in the Bronx. Tsurkan was born in Lugansk, Ukraine.
"I grew up in a bad neighborhood," said Tsurkan. "Everyone wanted to be a fighter - a street fighter. I started boxing at 13 years old, won between 180 and 190 amatuer fights and was a four-time champion in the Ukraine."
The opening bout on the VERSUS network will match Sergio 'Maravilla' Martinez, born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, against New York State welterweight champion Russell 'Spiderman' Jordan of Rochester, N.Y. Martinez has a record of 40-1-1, 21 KOs; Jordan is a four-time Rochester Golden Gloves champion and has a pro record of 14-4, 9 KOs.
Martinez, 32, grew up in Argentina where he competed in bicycle racing, tennis and soccer. He first walked into a boxing gym on May 2, 1995 - when he was 20 years old - and said he was hooked. He made his amateur debut about a month later. Martinez is rated WBC #3, WBA #6 as a super welterweight.
Top Rank is co-promoting this event with DiBella Entertainment and Star Boxing.
TOP RANK NOTEBOOK -- Welterweight contender Joshua Clottey, who fights in an eliminator on VERSUS on Thursday, Dec. 20 at the Hard Rock Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas, will be at ringside on Thursday night...
At Latin Fury last weekend in Albuquerque, Ray Sanchez was ahead on two scorecards - 49-46, 49-46 - and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr was ahead on the third card, 48-47. Chavez Jr then won dramatically when he fired hard hooks to the body to slow down and stop Sanchez in the sixth round.....It was a fierce, riveting fight.......Sanchez: "I was four rounds away from winning but I lost my composure. He was better than I thought.".....Bob Arum noted "....Chavez Jr showed he could take a punch. He threw a variety of punches and his composure was awesome." ....There was a big, highly-energized crowd of 6,077 at Tingley Coliseum. It was the biggest Top Rank fight card ever in Albuquerque.....
Julio Cesar Chavez vs. Ray Sanchez attracted 6,077 to Tingley Coliseum this past weekend. That was Top Rank's biggest crowd ever at Tingley, but not in Albuquerque. Researcher Chris Cozzone of New Mexico Boxing.com said tonight Chavez Jr vs. Sanchez was Top Rank's 4th all-time crowd in Albuquerque. It was the biggest fight crowd there in the last 10 years.
TOP RANK ALL-TIME CROWDS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.
8381 - Johnny Tapia vs. Jorge Barrera, Convention Center, 3-8-97
8209 - Johnny Tapia vs. Henry Martinez, The Pit, 10-12-94
6721 - Johnny Tapia vs. Hugo Soto, Sports Stadium, 8-7-96
6077 - Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs. Ray Sanchez, 12-1-07
