Cotto Defeats Gutsy Foreman

June 6th, 2010

Puerto Rico’s Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KO’s) became a three division world titleholder Saturday night at Yankee’s Stadium with a 9th round TKO over the incredibly game Yuri Foreman (28-1, 8 KO’s), an aspiring rabbi who fought through an injury to his left knee that left him noticeably limping through the final three rounds of the fight.

Cotto looked sharp throughout negating any size advantage with crisper and more accurate punches. In the early rounds Foreman was noticeably affected by Cotto’s lead left jab that at one point was knocked off balance and left using the top rope to regain his footing.

Foreman’s best round came in the 4th when he was able to counter Cotto with overhand right hands that got the Puerto Rican’s respect. However, Cotto was able to regroup and win subsequent rounds with a plethora of punches that eventually bloodied Foreman’s nose.

In the 7th round, Foreman was moving side to side and looking to box when his right knee gave way from underneath him and he fell to the canvas. Foreman was already sporting a knee brace coming into the fight which he credited to an “old injury” in his postfight interview with HBO’s Max Kellerman. After falling the first time, he was given time to recover and he elected to continue despite his obvious ailment. However, Foreman would slip again due to the knee injury before the frame came to an end.

The 8th round would be the most drama filled of the bout. With the fight underway a white towel came flying into the ring, presumably from Foreman’s corner, as Cotto was continuing to unleash punishment on the clearly handicapped titlist. Foreman wore a look of frustration as the fight appeared to be over with Cotto getting the TKO win and the ring filling with members of both fighter’s camps and commissioners.

However, referee Arthur Mercante Jr. asked Foreman if he wanted to continue and when he nodded his head yes, Mercante ordered everyone out of the ring and the fight resumed.

Despite Foreman’s display of courage and Mercante’s willingness to give him the benefit of the doubt when he wanted to keep fighting, it wouldn’t last much longer. In the 9th round, Cotto nailed Foreman with a left hook to the body that put the future rabbi on the canvas for a legitimate knockdown and Mercante had seen enough. The bout was waved off at 0:43 of the round.

With the victory, Cotto now joins countryman Felix “Tito” Trinidad in winning world titles in three weight divisions during the course of his career.