Don't mess with the boxer's wife - especially not if it's Leyla Leidecker, the wife of Yuri Foreman.
Foreman lost his WBA super welterweight title on a ninth-round TKO to Miguel Cotto at Yankee Stadium Saturday night in a match that Leidecker insists that referee Arthur Mercante should have stopped.
She claims Mercante should have halted the fight in the seventh round after her husband slipped on the wet canvas and twisted his right knee, which was already in a brace from a previous injury. With only one leg to stand on, Foreman lost his greatest assets - speed and movement - against Cotto.
"Maybe I should punch the referee in his face," said Leidecker, still fuming in the tunnel underneath Yankee Stadium an hour after the fight.
Leidecker, a blond beauty who is a model and former boxer herself, was up screaming from her seat at ringside moments after her husband got up and limped around the ring.
He was a sitting duck for the powerful Cotto, a Puerto Rican who has held world titles at 140 and 147 pounds before adding Foreman's 154-pound title to his mantel on Saturday.
Her pleas to stop the fight went unheeded until Joe Grier, Foreman's trainer, threw in the towel in the eighth round. But Mercante ignored the towel, saying he didn't think it came from the fighter's corner.
After calling time out and asking Foreman if he wanted to go on, Mercante ordered the fight to continue.
"They had to stop it," she said. "He wasn't in any condition to continue fighting. Why put him in the situation of getting hurt more? There was no use continuing. He wasn't going to win. There was no miracle that was going to happen. What was the point? Maybe I should just punch the referee in his face."
Mercante was the referee in the bout between George Khalid Jones and Beethavean Scottland aboard the carrier Intrepid in 2001. Scottland collapsed in the ring, lapsed into a coma and died a week later from injuries sustained in that match.
Leidecker and Mercante had a verbal confrontation in the dressing room after the fight when Mercante came in to check on Foreman. Murray Wilson, Foreman's manager, had to calm her down before things got out of hand.
"I can understand why she was upset," Mercante said. "She's his wife. But he's a champion and I wanted to give him a fair opportunity to defend his title. A few weeks ago, I had just the opposite situation where I stopped a fight and the wife came after me saying that I didn't give her husband a fair chance to defend his title."
Leidecker said she didn't care that her husband wanted to continue fighting on one leg. Mercante should have stopped it, she said.
Yuri Foreman is the man in the ring defending his title, not that loudmouthed harpy he calls a wife.
I don't number among that group you describe in the bold.
Now shush.
He wasn't in a situation where he could make the best choice. That is why you see the ref stopping the fight or the corner throwing in the towel ( which happened) more than fighters quitting. His pride wouldn't allow him to quit even though he had no chance of winning.
His corner realised that and wanted to spare him more punishment, the ref should have respected the opinion of those who can think straight and those that know their fighters capability.
Leyla Leidecker has a right to be pissed. Her husband was getting hurt. Mercante did a great job and let Yuri go out with dignity. I don't agree with her, but she shouldn't be scolded for being upset her husband was getting hurt more than felt was necessary.
http://cache2.asset-cache.net/xc/93206808.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF878921CC759DF4EBAC47D0F7B03D2C53CD79010AA3DBCFAC8E57C19A19CB31575BEB5DE30A760B0D811297
Leyla Leidecker should forget about the referee and Boreman, Instead she should please Miguel Cotto.
I think Miguel deserves it after that great performance.
Mercante Jr would do anything for more tv time.
The dude is a lier too, Yuris trainer told him twice that he throw the towel and after he had a face to say he didnt know who throw the towel.
What a douche
He is only getting jobs cuz his father.
he would probably be ashamed of him
I noticed this mouthy, hardfaced cow on the broadcast.
She should shut her trap and stay out of it.
Mercante was trying to help the Champ go out with pride.
Maybe you should shut your trap? Unlike you her concern isn't him putting on a show for a bunch of blood thirsty twats that gain pleasure out of seeing an unfit fighter continue to take a beating.
When the towel was thrown in, the ref should have stopped the fight, he should have stopped it when he was hobbling around the ring taking clean shots.