Miguel Cotto vs. Yuri Foreman
Encyclopedia
Miguel Cotto
vs. Yuri Foreman
, billed as Stadium Slugfest, was a boxing
super welterweight fight for the WBA
Super Welterweight championship. The bout was held on June 5, 2010, at Yankee Stadium
, in New York City
, United States
. Cotto won the fight via technical knockout in the ninth round.
Cotto, a three time world champion, was coming from a TKO loss at Welterweight to Manny Pacquiao
. After the fight the Puerto Rican moved up to the Junior Middleweight division to challenge Foreman for his WBA title. At the other side, the Israeli fighter was coming from a win against Daniel Santos
.
The fight also showcased the return of boxing to The Bronx
. It was the first big match in the area since September 1976, when Muhammad Ali
outpointed Ken Norton
in the first Yankee Stadium.
, negotiations began to pursue a contest against Manny Pacquiao
. Even before Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton
, Bob Arum, who represents both Cotto and Pacquiao, stated that he was interested in this matchup. Subsequently, Pacquiao expressed interest in fighting Cotto. The fight was sanctioned as a world title fight in the welterweight division, where the weight limit is 147 pounds, however Cotto's camp agreed to fight at a catchweight of 145 pounds to accommodate Pacquiao's smaller physique. Cotto's camp also conceded the larger share of the purse to Pacquiao, who received a 65% share of pay-per-view buys, compared to Cotto's 35% share.
On November 14, 2009, Pacquiao defeated Cotto by TKO 55 seconds into the 12th round, dethroning Cotto as a WBO
welterweight champion. The fight generated 1.25 million buys and 70 million dollars in domestic pay-per-view revenue, making it the most watched boxing event of 2009. Pacquiao earned around 22 million dollars for his part in the fight, whilst Cotto earned around 12 million dollars. Pacquiao-Cotto
also generated a live gate of $8,847,550 from an official crowd of 15,930.
by a 12-round unanimous decision to become the new WBA super welterweight champion and Israel's first WBA champion. He also became Israel's second world boxing champion, following about a month after Hagar Finer
won the Women's International Boxing Federation
bantamweight world championship.
In early January 2010, Foreman began talks with Bob Arum
to arrange for himself and Filipino
boxer seven-division world champion
Manny Pacquiao
, to meet on March 13, 2010. However, Pacquiao rejected the offer.
. It was the first major bout in the area since September 1976, when Muhammad Ali
fought Ken Norton
in the original Yankee Stadium.
This was Cotto's first fight with his new trainer, Emanuel Steward
. The latter was already handling Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko
. Joe Santiago, who became Cotto's trainer after Evangelista Cotto's departure, was still part of the Puerto Rican's corner. Steward joined Cotto's corner with Santiago, Joe Chavez and Jose Cotto. The American trainer expected an impressive win by his boxer and this bout showed what Cotto had left in his skills, after taking a lot of punishment against several recent opponents such as Antonio Margarito
, Joshua Clottey
and Manny Pacquiao
.
Cotto weighted 153 pounds, while Foreman came in at 154.
Cotto tried to put pressure from the first round, connecting with his jab and some hard shots. He apparently stunned his opponent with a quick jab before the end of the round. Foreman came out more active in the second round, using his footwork and jab. The two traded hard combinations in the final minute; Cotto was able to hit Foreman with a solid right hand. Round three began with the same way, with the two boxer trading hard hooks; Foreman threw some good shot but Cotto hit the Israeli fighter with some of his own. In the fourth round Foreman caught Cotto with three hard shots, followed by a right hard a minute later. The Puerto Rican continued to use the jab and put pressure. At the end of the fourth, Foreman's nose began to bleed. At the start of the fifth, the two started to trade punches and hard left hooks until the end. Cotto used his quick punches and moved to outbox Foreman in round six. Foreman went down from a slip in the 7th Round when his already braced, right knee buckled. He got back to his feet and continued fighting despite heavily favoring the knee. After a few more falls from the knee giving out and Cotto beginning to land, Foreman's trainer Joe Grier threw in the towel midway through the 8th Round. Naturally, the ring filled with both camps and officials. Cotto and Foreman even embraced, believing it was over. Feeling that Foreman was in no immediate danger, however, Referee Arthur Mercante Jr. asked him if he wanted to continue, and he did. While the crowd was not sure what was happening, the ring was cleared after a delay of a couple of minutes and the fight resumed with about half the round remaining. Cotto landed a left hook to the body and Foreman went down 42 seconds into the 9th Round, seemingly as much from the blow as from his inability to put weight on the leg, and Mercante called off the fight.
At the time of the stoppage, Cotto was leading in all the judges' scorecards by 79-73 twice and 78-74.
Other informations
FROM HBO: Saturday night’s HBO World Championship Boxing telecast: Yuri Foreman vs. Miguel Cotto (3.9 rating) was the highest rated boxing main event this year on the network. The live telecast from Yankee Stadium on Saturday plus a replay Sunday morning was watched by about 1.9 million viewers.
Foreman has since revealed that he will need knee surgery due to the injury he sustained in the bout. The Israeli boxer also expressed his interest in a potential rematch with Cotto. However, it’s not likely to happen, as Cotto said he prefers to go after only popular fighters for the big money fights and Foreman doesn’t fall into the category. A week after the Cotto-Foreman bout, the Israeli fighter had his right knee successfully operated; Foreman has also revealed that he had been carrying his knee problem for 14 years, since he was 15 years old, and had never had it operated on.
Miguel Cotto also revealed that he will keep Emanuel Steward as his head trainer.
Miguel Cotto
Miguel Ángel Cotto Vázquez is a Puerto Rican professional boxer and the reigning WBA light middleweight champion. He is the younger brother of contender Jose Miguel Cotto and cousin of Abner Cotto...
vs. Yuri Foreman
Yuri Foreman
Yuri Foreman is a Belarusian-born Israeli-American professional boxer. He is a former World Boxing Association super welterweight champion...
, billed as Stadium Slugfest, was a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
super welterweight fight for the WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
Super Welterweight championship. The bout was held on June 5, 2010, at Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Cotto won the fight via technical knockout in the ninth round.
Cotto, a three time world champion, was coming from a TKO loss at Welterweight to Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
. After the fight the Puerto Rican moved up to the Junior Middleweight division to challenge Foreman for his WBA title. At the other side, the Israeli fighter was coming from a win against Daniel Santos
Daniel Santos (boxer)
Daniel Santos is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur Santos represented Puerto Rico in international events, including the 1990 and 1992 Junior World Championships, Pan American Boxing Tournament, Goodwill Games, 1995 Pan American Games and the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he won a...
.
The fight also showcased the return of boxing to The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. It was the first big match in the area since September 1976, when Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
outpointed Ken Norton
Ken Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. is a former heavyweight boxer. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak Muhammad Ali where he famously broke Ali's jaw, on March 31, 1973, becoming only the second man to defeat Ali as a professional .He and Ali...
in the first Yankee Stadium.
Miguel Cotto
Immediately after the fight against Joshua ClotteyJoshua Clottey
Joshua Clottey is a Ghanaian professional boxer. Born in Accra, Ghana, Clottey now lives in the Bronx, New York. He is the former IBF welterweight champion. He's also the brother of veteran boxers Judas Clottey and Emmanuel Clottey....
, negotiations began to pursue a contest against Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
. Even before Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton
Ricky Hatton
Richard John Hatton MBE, more commonly known as Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton, , is a former British professional boxer, and currently a promoter....
, Bob Arum, who represents both Cotto and Pacquiao, stated that he was interested in this matchup. Subsequently, Pacquiao expressed interest in fighting Cotto. The fight was sanctioned as a world title fight in the welterweight division, where the weight limit is 147 pounds, however Cotto's camp agreed to fight at a catchweight of 145 pounds to accommodate Pacquiao's smaller physique. Cotto's camp also conceded the larger share of the purse to Pacquiao, who received a 65% share of pay-per-view buys, compared to Cotto's 35% share.
On November 14, 2009, Pacquiao defeated Cotto by TKO 55 seconds into the 12th round, dethroning Cotto as a WBO
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
welterweight champion. The fight generated 1.25 million buys and 70 million dollars in domestic pay-per-view revenue, making it the most watched boxing event of 2009. Pacquiao earned around 22 million dollars for his part in the fight, whilst Cotto earned around 12 million dollars. Pacquiao-Cotto
Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto
Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto, billed as Firepower, was a boxing welterweight superfight for the WBO World welterweight championship. The bout was held on November 14, 2009, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States...
also generated a live gate of $8,847,550 from an official crowd of 15,930.
Yuri Foreman
On November 14, 2009, Foreman defeated Daniel SantosDaniel Santos (boxer)
Daniel Santos is a Puerto Rican professional boxer. As an amateur Santos represented Puerto Rico in international events, including the 1990 and 1992 Junior World Championships, Pan American Boxing Tournament, Goodwill Games, 1995 Pan American Games and the 1996 Summer Olympics, where he won a...
by a 12-round unanimous decision to become the new WBA super welterweight champion and Israel's first WBA champion. He also became Israel's second world boxing champion, following about a month after Hagar Finer
Hagar Finer
-Biography:Hagar Finer was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 15, 1984. She took up martial arts at the age of 13 and became the Israeli karate champion for her age group. At 17, she switched to boxing at the urging of her coach, Raanan Tal.-References:...
won the Women's International Boxing Federation
Women's International Boxing Federation
The WIBF is, along with the WIBA, IWBF and others, one of the more recognized world championship fight sanctioning organizations in women's boxing. The organization is based in Miami, Florida, and is not associated with male boxing's IBF.The WIBF was formed in the middle 1990s. It is presided by...
bantamweight world championship.
In early January 2010, Foreman began talks with Bob Arum
Bob Arum
Robert "Bob" Arum is the founder and CEO of Top Rank, a professional boxing promotion company based in Las Vegas. He also worked for the US Attorney's Office for the southern district of New York in the tax division....
to arrange for himself and Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
boxer seven-division world champion
Septuple champion
In different sports when a sportsman wins seven crowns, titles, medals, belts or another distinctions is called a Septuple Champion.-Boxing:In boxing, a septuple champion is a boxer who has won world titles in seven different weight classes....
Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
, to meet on March 13, 2010. However, Pacquiao rejected the offer.
Pre-fight information
The match showcased the return of boxing to The BronxThe Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. It was the first major bout in the area since September 1976, when Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
fought Ken Norton
Ken Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. is a former heavyweight boxer. He is best known for his 12-round victory over a peak Muhammad Ali where he famously broke Ali's jaw, on March 31, 1973, becoming only the second man to defeat Ali as a professional .He and Ali...
in the original Yankee Stadium.
This was Cotto's first fight with his new trainer, Emanuel Steward
Emanuel Steward
Emanuel Steward is an American boxing trainer, commentator and inductee of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.-Life and career:...
. The latter was already handling Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschko
Wladimir Klitschko is a Ukrainian heavyweight boxer. Klitschko is the WBA , IBF, WBO Super, IBO & Ring Magazine Champion. His older brother Vitali Klitschko is the current WBC champion...
. Joe Santiago, who became Cotto's trainer after Evangelista Cotto's departure, was still part of the Puerto Rican's corner. Steward joined Cotto's corner with Santiago, Joe Chavez and Jose Cotto. The American trainer expected an impressive win by his boxer and this bout showed what Cotto had left in his skills, after taking a lot of punishment against several recent opponents such as Antonio Margarito
Antonio Margarito
Antonio Margarito Montiel is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a former WBA, WBO, & IBF welterweight champion...
, Joshua Clottey
Joshua Clottey
Joshua Clottey is a Ghanaian professional boxer. Born in Accra, Ghana, Clottey now lives in the Bronx, New York. He is the former IBF welterweight champion. He's also the brother of veteran boxers Judas Clottey and Emmanuel Clottey....
and Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
.
Cotto weighted 153 pounds, while Foreman came in at 154.
The fight
At the time of the stoppage, Cotto was leading in all the judges' scorecards by 79-73 twice and 78-74.
Other informations
FROM HBO: Saturday night’s HBO World Championship Boxing telecast: Yuri Foreman vs. Miguel Cotto (3.9 rating) was the highest rated boxing main event this year on the network. The live telecast from Yankee Stadium on Saturday plus a replay Sunday morning was watched by about 1.9 million viewers.
Punch stats
- Total punches: Cotto landed 115 out of 329 (35%), whereas Foreman landed 71 out of 281 (25%).
- Total jabs: Cotto landed 39 out of 165 (24%), whereas Foreman landed 21 out of 145 (14%).
- Total power punches: Cotto landed 76 out of 164 (46%), whereas Foreman landed 50 out of 136 (37%).
Televised
- Light Middleweight bout:
Pawel Wolak vs. 
James Moore
- Wolak defeated Moore via unanimous decision (97-93, 97-93, 96-94).
- Featherweight bout:
Jorge Díaz vs. 
Jae Sung Lee
- Díaz defeated Lee via technical knockout. The fight was stopped at 1:54 of round six.
- NABF and WBO NABO light middleweight title bout: Vanes MartirosyanVanes MartirosyanVanes "The Nightmare" Martirosyan is an American boxer of Armenian descent.- Amateur :His family moved to Glendale, CA, when he was four years old, he started boxing when he was seven after his father, also an amateur boxer found out there was a gym nearby.Martirosyan was taken out of junior high...
vs. Joe GreeneJoe Greene (boxer)Joe Greene in Brooklyn, New York but now resides and trains in Queens is a professional middleweight American boxer. At a height of 5'10 with a Southpaw stance, Greene has a professional record of 22 wins , 1 loss and 0 draws....
- Martirosyan defeated Greene via unanimous decision (96-93, 98-91, 96-93) to retain the NABF and WBO NABO light middleweight title.
Untelevised
- Lightweight bout: Abner CottoAbner CottoAbner Cotto Román is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who currently competes in the lightweight division. He is a member of the Cotto family, which has produced a professional world champion and multiple amateur medalists. As an amateur, Cotto represented Puerto Rico in international competition...
vs. Edgar Portillo
- Cotto defeated Portillo via unanimous decision (59-55, 59-55, 58-56).
- Light Welterweight bout: Christian Martínez vs. Jonathan Cuba
- Martínez defeated Cuba via via technical knockout. The fight was stopped at 1:18 of round four.
- Welterweight bout: Terry Baterbaugh vs. Tommy Rainone
- Baterbaugh defeated Portillo via unanimous decision (59-55, 59-55, 60-54).
- Lightweight bout: Juan González vs. Juan Lucio
- González defeated Lucio via unanimous decision (39-37, 39-37, 40-36).
Aftermath
With this victory, Cotto took the WBA junior middleweight title becoming a four time world champion.Foreman has since revealed that he will need knee surgery due to the injury he sustained in the bout. The Israeli boxer also expressed his interest in a potential rematch with Cotto. However, it’s not likely to happen, as Cotto said he prefers to go after only popular fighters for the big money fights and Foreman doesn’t fall into the category. A week after the Cotto-Foreman bout, the Israeli fighter had his right knee successfully operated; Foreman has also revealed that he had been carrying his knee problem for 14 years, since he was 15 years old, and had never had it operated on.
Miguel Cotto also revealed that he will keep Emanuel Steward as his head trainer.