Scott Christ of Bad Left Hook is, to me, without a doubt the best boxing writer in the business when it comes to breaking down a fight. And as we're in a rare down weekend for MMA let's turn to Scott as he breaks down tonight's WBA Junior Middleweight Title bout between Yuri Foreman and Miguel Cotto:
Foreman stands 5'11" with a 72-inch reach, compared to Cotto's 5'7" and 67-inch reach. They're both 29 years of age, but Foreman has taken far, far less punishment in his career -- no punishment at all, really. Foreman's first step onto the true world stage came last November on the Cotto-Pacquiao undercard, when he took the WBA belt from Daniel Santos, who was old, out of shape, and clearly well past the days when he was a very underrated fighter.
For the most part, Foreman has been able to dominate his limited foes, but he has had some trouble with the likes of Andrey Tsurkan and Anthony Thompson, both of whom lost split decisions to Foreman in 2007. There is a question of whether or not Foreman can handle real pressure from a good fighter, one who can bang. Cotto was no monster puncher at 147, and won't be at 154 either, but the Cotto of old was one of the best pressure fighters in boxing.
Cotto will need to be that guy again. After a two-fight stint with Joe Santiago serving as his lead trainer, Cotto is now working with Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward, who had been in talks to serve as an adviser to Foreman for this bout. On paper, Foreman, who is tall and likes to use his jab, is more Manny's kind of fighter. But Steward loves a reclamation project, too. The work he's done in recent years with Wladimir Klitschko has been arguably the best work of his career, even including Thomas Hearns. He's taken Klitschko from a very powerful but very susceptible heavyweight to a man who isn't indestructible, but has learned to be damn near impenetrable.
There is much more goodness in the breakdown, so go check it out.
Beyond the technical aspects of the fight there is also something special about seeing boxing return to Yankee Stadium (or go there for the first time if you're going to be a stickler about this being the NEW Yankee Stadium). And a New York crowd for a bout between an Orthodox Jew and a Puerto Rican should be lively to say the least. The combination of crowd make-up and venue should make for a very unusual viewing experience. Add in the storm that is possible (the ring will be covered so it shouldn't impact the fight) and you've just got a very interesting visual aspect.
It'd be dishonest for me to attempt to frame this as a can't miss fight for MMA fans who are not passionate about boxing. When Cotto is on he brings the fight and is an exciting guy to watch, but as Scott put it "If Yuri Foreman wins this fight, it'll probably be clear, widely scored, and dull. If Miguel Cotto wins this fight, it will be because he brings a major storm onto Foreman that Foreman cannot handle."
If you're bored and have HBO I suggest tuning in for a unique event but I can't promise that this will be a great watch.