Tweet
Don't miss all the action this Saturday, June 5, as former jr. welterweight and welterweight champion Miguel Cotto makes his debut at 154 pounds when he challenges WBA jr. middleweight champion Yuri Foreman at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York and televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing at 10:15PM ET/7:15PM PT. What's at stake? How will the fight play out? Check out the FightHype Breakdown to see why you don't want to miss this fight!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN...
The return of boxing to Yankee Stadium! While it may not be Ali versus Norton, it is still a reasonably interesting matchup and it should provide a lively atmosphere and fun crowd. This is Cotto's first fight since he was taken apart by Manny Pacquiao, and it will also be his initial attempt at junior middleweight. Things are a little different for Yuri Foreman, who will not only be making the leap into main event status, but he will also be making his first defense of the WBA title that he won from Daniel Santos back in November of last year.
For Yuri Foreman, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Not only will he be fighting a recognizable name, but he will also be on the grand stage right in the center of the replacement of the House that Ruth built. No matter what, it will be historic since this is the first fight taking place at the new Yankee Stadium. A win for Foreman catapults the already marketable Rabbi to another level. While his style and low key demeanor will make it hard to reach the type of popularity his handlers deem likely, he can still make quite a name for himself. A fight against Antonio Margarito looms if Foreman can come out with the W and it sure sounds like there is no plan B. A loss for Foreman isn't the end of the line either. He will still have the looks and interesting story necessary to land dates and draw some crowds. Even with the loss, the Margarito fight remains possible should Miguel Cotto stay true to his word and refuse to share a ring with the Tijuana native. Plus there are other young fighters at junior middle looking for a named opponent. Alfredo Angulo, Kermit Cinton, and even Paul Williams all come to mind. Whether or not Top Rank would be interested in those fights remains to be seen.
This fight feels like a last chance for Miguel Cotto to regain that top billing status. A win nets him another title and a potential new lease on life at junior middleweight, if he opts to stay there. Much like Yuri Foreman, Antonio Margarito seems to be the likely choice of opponent, though it could come down to Cotto simply passing on the fight as he said he would. It is possible he would look to an all-Puerto Rican showdown against Kermit Cintron; that fight has been rumored in the past. Who knows? Maybe seeing a well-known name who also happens to be a rather small junior middleweight could entice Oscar Dela Hoya to return for one last shot at glory. You know the fight would sell, especially with the Mexico versus Puerto Rico rivalry alive and well. If Cotto were to lose, I don't see him allowing other fighters to use him as a gatekeeper, which could lead to a Mosley rematch as a last payday for both guys, or even a last ditch shot against a younger guy like Angulo. Either way, I would expect Miguel Cotto to begin planning for life after boxing if Yuri Foreman is able to pull off the upset on Saturday night.
WHEN THE BELL RINGS...
Emanuel Steward is now in the corner of Miguel Cotto and if you listen to what he has to say, there are no signs of wear and tear on the Caguas native. His feet look better than ever, his reflexes are just fine, and there is no evidence of his man being ruined. Steward acknowledges the punishment Cotto has taken along the way against fighters like Ricardo Torres, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley and Joshua Clottey, as well as the outright beatings at the hands of Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao.
While Yuri Foreman is nowhere near the dynamo Manny Pacquiao is, he does have some nice handspeed and he knows how to move around the ring. It will be interesting to see how Cotto reacts when he gets hit in there. Will he be willing to throw his jab when Foreman does? Will he be able to land the right hand over Foreman's jab? Cotto is going to give up 5 or 6 inches in reach, and 4 ½ inches in height. How will he combat that against an effective stick-and-move boxer?
Early on, look for Cotto's focus to be on getting his feet underneath him. He isn't going to be overly aggressive; he may even try to outbox Foreman in hopes that he can get him to stop moving so much. There will be some exchanges in there, but nothing too heated; just enough to score points for the champ, but at the same time, remind Foreman that Cotto can still punch.
As the middle rounds approach, what will be interesting to look for is how each fighter is applying their gameplan. Will Cotto begin to work moving forward behind a jab while digging downstairs to take the legs out of Foreman, or will he continue looking to counter, regardless of how much the fight slows up? Will Foreman continue to land his longer, straighter shots and flurries inside, before circling out of the way, or will he find himself looking to stay the bigger man and remind Cotto that even a generally light-hitting junior middleweight is a different animal than a welterweight?
Either way, I expect this fight to see the later rounds as each man trades moments of effectiveness. Cotto will land at times when he counters and when he looks to dig inside; and Foreman will be able to consistently get to Cotto from a distance that is safe from return fire.
THE CALL...
Asking Miguel Cotto to move up to junior middleweight and perform well after the multiple wars he has been through seems like a lot, but Cotto is a damn good fighter. I am just not sure what to expect out of him. It's a new weight and he took a hellacious beating in his last fight. In fact, he has been the worse for wear in three of his last four fights. Eventually something has to give. The matchmaking does make sense here though, because while I do think Foreman can hurt Cotto, I don't think he is the type of guy that can **** Cotto out of there. He does not punch hard enough and he won't land the types of shots Miguel doesn't see coming.
No matter how I play this fight out though, it feels like Cotto is here to make Foreman look good, not vice versa. Miguel Cotto is a proud fighter and he will have some moments, but I see Foreman's constant movement, height, reach, good handspeed and underrated boxing skills winning out. At some point, all fighters lose to a guy they would have beaten on the vast majority of nights earlier in their career and this is that point for Miguel Cotto. Foreman will make a decent showing for himself and that will prove to be enough to walk away with a decision win. It should be reasonably competitive, though not all that intense. 115–113...115–112...116–112...something in that area sounds about right.
Link
Comment