Foreman down to earth before Yankee Stadium fight
Yuri Foreman, WBA Super Welterweight champion, spars during his workout at Gleason's Gym in New York. (May 25, 2010) Credit: AP
As the first Orthodox Jew to win a world boxing title in nearly 70 years, Yuri Foreman has gone from obscurity to making the rounds of television talk shows and national magazine interviews. He's a curiosity because of his serious rabbinical studies, but Foreman has handled success with humor and a determination to maintain his perspective.
He might own the WBA 154-pound belt that will accompany him to the ring June 5 at Yankee Stadium, but it's almost as though Foreman (28-0, 8 KOs) views himself as the challenger to Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), who has a bigger name and more impressive resume.
"Coming from country to country, from Russia to Israel to Brooklyn, New York, I've been always looking at myself as an underdog or a contender," Foreman said Tuesday, recalling his long journey. "That's how I'm training, as a contender. For me, it's not what the title belt makes you. It's what you make out of the title belt.
"Being a world champion is great. Once in a while, I wake up in the morning and see the belt on the shelf, and it's kind of nice feeling to have it. But at the same time, I have the same friends, and my wife tells me to do groceries, you know? By the way, my bicycle is over there. That's how I get to the ring."
The ring is at Gleason's Gym in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge. That's where Foreman trains, and also where he met his wife, Hungarian model Leyla Leidecker, when he saw her on a stair-climbing machine.
If anything, success only has encouraged Foreman to work even harder. Trainer Joe Grier says his 29-year-old fighter is prepared to go 20 rounds if necessary, saying his discipline in training is a reflection of Foreman's devotion to his religion. That's a good thing because his record suggests Foreman isn't a knockout puncher.
Not that he doesn't have power. When he scored a lopsided upset over Daniel Santos to win the title in November, Foreman connected with a right hand in the fourth round that had Santos hanging on, and he knocked him down twice. At the same time, Grier wonders if Foreman's religious beliefs prevent him from finishing opponents.
"There's times you notice he has people in trouble, and he tends to sometimes not really pump himself up to finish the job," Grier said. "That might not be in his makeup. But I guarantee you, if he hurts Cotto, he's going to take Cotto out."
Asked if he has the mean streak necessary to succeed in a brutal sport that might conflict with his true nature, Foreman smiled and said, "I don't know. I'm still trying to figure out what my nature is. It's a work in progress."
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