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Promoter Bob Arum has questioned whether Emanuel Steward's renowned skills as a trainer can work for Miguel Cotto in his world title challenge to WBA beltholder Yuri Foreman on Saturday night.
The Puerto Rican star is attempting to become a three-weight, four-time world champion at Yankee Stadium when he faces the New York-based Israeli light-middleweight Foreman in the Bronx.
It will be 29-year-old Cotto's first fight since turning to Hall of Fame trainer Steward after being pummelled by Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas last November, and since Cotto's father and mentor Miguel Cotto Sr died on January 3.
Steward's repertoire speaks for itself having guided the careers of many world champions including Tommy Hearns, Lennox Lewis and current IBF and WBO Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Top Rank founder and CEO Arum, who promotes both Cotto and Foreman, believes the Kronk Gym supremo may not be as effective at taking on fighters midway through their professional careers.
Disaster
"Obviously, Manny can't hurt, he's a great trainer," Arum said of Steward. "But he's taking a guy in the middle of a race.
"It's not like Tommy Hearns and the Kronk guys he got from the beginning.
"He happened to do a marvellous job with Klitschko, taking him in the middle but with other fighters he hasn't done particularly well.
"When he took Oscar (de la Hoya), that was a disaster. Jermain Taylor, that wasn't effective. How he's going to do with Cotto, I don't know."
In trying to define the contest between his fighters, Arum called on the styles of ring legends Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, whom he promoted in the last title fight to be staged at Yankee Stadium in 1976, when Ali won a decision over Ken Norton.
Reminiscent
"A lot of smart people pick (Foreman) to win but whether he does or not, I don't know, because Cotto has shown to be a terrific fighter.
"I don't want to be ridiculed for this but the styles of each boxer are reminiscent, Foreman's style of Ali - stand outside, box outside, use the jab - and Cotto is Frazier - come in, land the body punch.
"You could never tell who was going to win those fights and you really can't tell with this one.
"Yuri is a tremendous boxer but whether he'll be able to hold off Cotto, who is a very aggressive fighter who comes in and throws body punches for 12 rounds, we'll have to see."
The Puerto Rican star is attempting to become a three-weight, four-time world champion at Yankee Stadium when he faces the New York-based Israeli light-middleweight Foreman in the Bronx.
It will be 29-year-old Cotto's first fight since turning to Hall of Fame trainer Steward after being pummelled by Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas last November, and since Cotto's father and mentor Miguel Cotto Sr died on January 3.
Steward's repertoire speaks for itself having guided the careers of many world champions including Tommy Hearns, Lennox Lewis and current IBF and WBO Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
Top Rank founder and CEO Arum, who promotes both Cotto and Foreman, believes the Kronk Gym supremo may not be as effective at taking on fighters midway through their professional careers.
Disaster
"Obviously, Manny can't hurt, he's a great trainer," Arum said of Steward. "But he's taking a guy in the middle of a race.
"It's not like Tommy Hearns and the Kronk guys he got from the beginning.
"He happened to do a marvellous job with Klitschko, taking him in the middle but with other fighters he hasn't done particularly well.
"When he took Oscar (de la Hoya), that was a disaster. Jermain Taylor, that wasn't effective. How he's going to do with Cotto, I don't know."
In trying to define the contest between his fighters, Arum called on the styles of ring legends Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, whom he promoted in the last title fight to be staged at Yankee Stadium in 1976, when Ali won a decision over Ken Norton.
Reminiscent
"A lot of smart people pick (Foreman) to win but whether he does or not, I don't know, because Cotto has shown to be a terrific fighter.
"I don't want to be ridiculed for this but the styles of each boxer are reminiscent, Foreman's style of Ali - stand outside, box outside, use the jab - and Cotto is Frazier - come in, land the body punch.
"You could never tell who was going to win those fights and you really can't tell with this one.
"Yuri is a tremendous boxer but whether he'll be able to hold off Cotto, who is a very aggressive fighter who comes in and throws body punches for 12 rounds, we'll have to see."
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