Yuri Foreman-Miguel Cotto announcement expected soon

by SC on Jan 14, 2010 11:57 AM EST in News Analysis Comment 15 comments

Miguel Cotto will reportedly climb back into the ring on June 12 to face Yuri Foreman. (Photo by Al Bello / Getty Images)

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Primera Hora reports that an announcement from Top Rank is expected soon regarding the rumored Yuri Foreman-Miguel Cotto clash for Foreman's WBA junior middleweight title.

Foreman and Cotto would face off on June 12 at Madison Square Garden. Foreman's manager Murray Wilson says that on a scale of 1 to 10, he'd put the likelihood that this fight is made at nine. Pretty good odds.

The weekend has in recent years been expected to host a Cotto fight at Madison Square Garden, with the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City the following afternoon. Cotto has fought Joshua Clottey (2009), Zab Judah (2007), Paulie Malignaggi (2006), and Muhammad Abdullaev (2005) on the second Saturday of June in recent years.

Outside of Abdullaev, all of the opponents have also been New York-based fighters, as Foreman is.

Honestly, I think it's a very interesting fight. Cotto has lost all of two fights, one of them with the big asterisk and the other to Manny Pacquiao. Foreman isn't a big hitter, isn't particularly quick, but will have a serious height advantage, and there are certainly reasons to think that Cotto is pretty beaten up mentally and physically at this point in his career. Foreman's very fresh, having really taken zero punishment in his entire career. We thought that he'd be stepping up in class against Daniel Santos on the Cotto-Pacquiao undercard, but Santos was old and out of shape, and Foreman had his way with him to win his first major title.

I said before that I think I'd favor Foreman right now, and for the moment, I stick with that. I think Cotto has definitely lost a step or even a half-step, and frankly I also believe Foreman is a guy whose talent I underrated. I used to think quite little of him, but he just makes no mistakes in the ring, and that's a big deal. Cotto would be the most talented foe of his career, but the size will be a factor. Miguel was not a big welterweight and could be tiny as a junior middleweight.

Here's hoping that HBO will go in for the bout, and that we won't be stuck with a Top Rank PPV. There's no word yet about that, but Cotto is a favorite at HBO (and with good reason), and Foreman's probably about as hot a name as he's ever going to be right now.

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“Foreman isn’t a big hitter, isn’t particularly quick”

Ringing endorsement.

by tichbou on Jan 14, 2010 12:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

'.....but he just makes no mistakes in the ring, and thats a big deal'

;)

I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)

by BrianBrock on Jan 14, 2010 4:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

although

I would like Cotto here, mentally he showed how tough he is in the Clottey fight with the eye, and he fought his ass off against Pacquiao. I’d like to think he must be feeling quite positive take on someone up in weight first up coming back, when maybe he doesn’t really seem to have the build to go 154.

I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘’Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'’ (Bernard Hopkins)

by BrianBrock on Jan 14, 2010 4:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, that’s why he’s so avoided. =)

by Fj-3 on Jan 15, 2010 9:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Who is going to be training Cotto?

I would think after the Pac fight he would get a new corner. Maybe get Evangelista back because they made up after the death of Sr.?

by waldo47 on Jan 14, 2010 12:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

will it really matter who trains him, this is the kosher krusher he's fighting

by laksskal on Jan 14, 2010 4:22 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

I'd favor Cotto in t his fight. Yuri packs no punch and I believe Cotto wil be able to walk him down.

by The Pinoy Pikey on Jan 14, 2010 5:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Na the KRUSHER

Simply can not be beaten. Except maybe by sledgehammer.

Seriously, Foreman either boxes from distance and moves a lot and get a comfortable decision, or he doesn’t handle a fighter as tough as Cotto at all well and gets dropped in the ninth.

"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey

by Drunken cutman on Jan 14, 2010 5:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I feel like that is my prediction for almost every YUUUURRRRRIIII fight

except for the inevitable Krusher-Spinks showdown.

by tichbou on Jan 14, 2010 5:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Foreman in one

Bet your granny on it.

"Honey i forgot to duck" - Jack Dempsey

by Drunken cutman on Jan 14, 2010 4:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hahaha

This is actually good news.

I was talking to some people who actually thought Pacquiao put Cotto into retirement.

by Owner on Jan 14, 2010 6:06 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I missed the Cotto-Clottey fight at MSG

Not planning to miss this one.

by Polish Rifle on Jan 14, 2010 6:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think this proposal has a mild resemblance to Juan Diaz vs. Paulie Malignaggi.

To be sure, Cotto’s a better PFP fighter than Diaz even if he’s lost a step, and the differences between their styles are not insignificant, but they have a few similarities as well. And the similarities between Malignaggi and Foreman are even greater (not saying they’re identical, just similar).

I don’t think Malignaggi would have been able to control distance so well against Diaz if he hadn’t been clearly the bigger man. But he was.

Then again, Carlos Quintana’s a good technical boxer too and he’s only a little bit shorter than Foreman, and that didn’t seem to trouble Cotto too much.

by taco pal on Jan 14, 2010 10:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs