Yuri Foreman: Difference between revisions
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Foreman was born in [[Gomel]], [[Belarus]]. He started boxing at age 7 in Belarus, which at that time was part of the [[Soviet Union]]. At age 9, he emigrated with his family to [[Israel]]. He trained at an Arab gym. "The first time I walked in, I saw the stares. In their eyes, there was a lot of hatred. But I needed to box; and boy, did they all want to box me," said Foreman on his early days in boxing.<ref>Hauser, Thomas. [http://secondsout.com/ |
Foreman was born in [[Gomel]], [[Belarus]]. He started boxing at age 7 in Belarus, which at that time was part of the [[Soviet Union]]. At age 9, he emigrated with his family to [[Israel]]. He trained at an Arab gym. "[Israeli authorities] wouldn't give us a gym because we were just Russians. We went to City Hall and begged for a place to hang a bag and put up a ring. All they told us was, 'Go box with the Arabs.' So finally I went to the Arab gym. The first time I walked in, I saw the stares. In their eyes, there was a lot of hatred. But I needed to box; and boy, did they all want to box me. After a while, the wall that was between us melted. We all wanted the same thing. I traveled with them as teammates. It helped that I won almost all the time. And finally, we became friends," said Foreman on his early days in boxing.<ref>Hauser, Thomas. [http://www.secondsout.com/usa-boxing-news/usa-boxing-news/the-haifa-connection-roman-greenberg-and-yuri-foreman "The Haifa Connection: Roman Greenberg and Yuri Foreman"], SecondsOut.com, accessed 18/08/10</ref> In Israel he became an amateur boxer and won 3 national boxing championships. Foreman later moved to [[Brooklyn, New York]]. |
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==Amateur career== |
==Amateur career== |
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Revision as of 18:38, 18 August 2010
Yuri Foreman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 5, 1980 |
| Nationality |  Israeli |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Super Welterweight |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 30 |
| Wins | 28 |
| Wins by KO | 8 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 1 |
Yuri Foreman (born August 5, 1980) is a Belarusian-born Israeli professional boxer. He is a former World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight champion.
Early life
Foreman was born in Gomel, Belarus. He started boxing at age 7 in Belarus, which at that time was part of the Soviet Union. At age 9, he emigrated with his family to Israel. He trained at an Arab gym. "[Israeli authorities] wouldn't give us a gym because we were just Russians. We went to City Hall and begged for a place to hang a bag and put up a ring. All they told us was, 'Go box with the Arabs.' So finally I went to the Arab gym. The first time I walked in, I saw the stares. In their eyes, there was a lot of hatred. But I needed to box; and boy, did they all want to box me. After a while, the wall that was between us melted. We all wanted the same thing. I traveled with them as teammates. It helped that I won almost all the time. And finally, we became friends," said Foreman on his early days in boxing.[1] In Israel he became an amateur boxer and won 3 national boxing championships. Foreman later moved to Brooklyn, New York.
Amateur career
In 2001, Foreman won the New York Golden Gloves. During his amateur career, Foreman compiled a 75–5 record.
Professional career
Foreman turned professional in 2002 and remained undefeated for 29 fights until June 5, 2010, in which he lost by TKO in the ninth round to Miguel Cotto.
Light middleweight
Foreman defeated favored Anthony Thompson (23 (17 KOs)-2-0) of Philadelphia on June 9, 2007, in a tactical 10-round junior middleweight split decision in Madison Square Garden on the undercard of the Miguel Cotto-Zab Judah fight. The scores were 97–93 and 96–94 for Foreman, and 96–94 for Thompson.[2] Representatives for Germany-based 70-kg (154-pound) titlist Sergei Dzindziruk were in the house to scout the fight, with the intention of offering a title shot to the winner.[3]
In September 2007, he was ranked as the 8th-best welterweight (67 kg, or 147 pounds) challenger by the WBA.[4]
In December 2007, Foreman won a 10-round split decision over Andrey Tsurkan (25–3; 16 KOs), to take the NABF super welterweight title from him at the Paradise Theater on Grand Concourse in The Bronx, New York City.[5]
In April 2008 he beat 28–4–0 Saul Roman in a unanimous decision. In October 2008, he defeated Vinroy Barrett (22–7, 11 KOs) from Kingston, Jamaica, on the Hopkins-Pavlik undercard.
Foreman defeated James Moore (16–1; 10 KOs), in a 10-round unanimous decision for Foreman’s NABF title at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on December 13, 2008. In his last five outings before the Moore fight, Foreman won decisions over fighters with a cumulative record of 118–17–2.[6]
WBA title
On November 14, 2009, Foreman defeated Daniel Santos 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.[7]
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.
Foreman fought Miguel Cotto on June 5, 2010, the first fight to take place at the new Yankee Stadium. 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. A week later, the Israeli fighter had surgery on his right knee, which had been injured since he was 15 years old. He faces about six months of recovery from the surgery.[8]
Jewish heritage and rabbinic studies
Foreman, "the first Orthodox Jew to own a world title since Barney Ross held championships in two divisions in 1935",[9] is one of three top contemporary Jewish boxers. The others are Dmitry Salita (30–1–1), a junior welterweight, and heavyweight Roman Greenberg (27–1–0). A fourth boxer, former junior welterweight and undisputed welterweight champion Zab Judah (38–6–0), has been referred to in the press as "the best Jewish fighter of all time",[10] which is questionable since Zab Judah thanked his "Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" after his fight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.[11][12]
“I thought at first that people were pulling my leg. Mike Marley said that Yuri was becoming a Rabbi. But that’s true, he is. So I see Jim Borzell out there, and Jim handles John Duddy. 'So,' I said to Borzell, 'can you get John to go to Seminary? What a fight, a Priest against a Rabbi, and I’ll get somebody from Nevada who’s Mormon to referee the fight.'”[13]
— Bob Arum
In the post-fight interview of his December 2007 win over Andrey Tsurkan, Foreman raised his hands and wished the television audience a happy Chanukah.[14] Foreman, who wears a Star of David on his boxing trunks, is an aspiring rabbi. "Boxing is sometimes spiritual in its own way," he said. "You have the physical and mental challenges in boxing, just like you have lots of challenges in exploring the different levels of Judaism. They are different but the same."[14]
Foreman studies the Talmud and Jewish mysticism in the morning, trains for boxing in the afternoon and attends rabbinical classes twice a week at the IYYUN Institute, a Jewish educational center in Gowanus. "Yuri is a very good student," said Rabbi DovBer Pinson, an author and lecturer who is Foreman's teacher. "Most people (in the class) who find out that he's a boxer are very surprised. He doesn't have that boxing personality, at least in the perception of what a boxer is. He's not the rough kid on the block. He's a sweet, easy-going kid."[14]
TV and film
Foreman has appeared various times in nationally televised fights on ESPN and Showtime. He played in a Hollywood film Fighting starring Channing Tatum and Terrence Howard.[14]*His wife, Leyla Leidecker, is making a documentary about women fighting in the Daily News Golden Gloves.[14] Foreman also appeared on a radio program title "American Sports" which airs on rustymikeradio.com.
Professional boxing record
References
- ^ Hauser, Thomas. "The Haifa Connection: Roman Greenberg and Yuri Foreman", SecondsOut.com, accessed 18/08/10
- ^ Abrams, Marc. "Cotto thrills packed Garden by stopping Judah", 15Rounds.com, 6/10/07, accessed 12/26/07
- ^ Rafael, Dan. "Soto scores dominant KO over Pacquiao in 7th round", ESPN, 6/10/07, accessed 12/26/07
- ^ WCBSTV
- ^ "Foreman remains undefeated with split decision over Tsurkan", USA Today (Associated Press), accessed 12/26/2007
- ^ "Yuri Foreman vs. James Moore on December 13 in AC". BoxingScene.com. October 27, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
- ^ Israeli WBA boxer takes world title November 18, 2009, Israel21c. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
- ^ Kim, Jason (June 12, 2010). "Foreman's knee surgery a success". BoxingNews24.com. Retrieved June 12, 2010.
- ^ "Ready to Rumble: Boxing Rabbi Foreman Works Out at Gleason’s Gym" May 27, 2010 by John Torenli, BrooklynEagle.com, Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
- ^ Sullivan, C.J. "Is Boxing Relevant?", New York Press, December 14, 2005. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
- ^ "Yuri Foreman in the NYT", April 3, 2008 by Matt Miller, BadLeftHook.com, SB Nation. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
- ^ "Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Zab Judah Pt.8", at 0:45 in April 8, 2006 HBO video on YouTube.com posted by YoungMayMoney. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
- ^ Glick, Jerry, "Pavlik-Taylor II : The Hype Begins," SecondsOut.com, accessed 12/29/07
- ^ a b c d e Abramson, Mitch. "Rabbi-d tenacity: Foreman mixes religion with boxing", New York Daily News, 12/11/07, accessed 12/26/2007
External links
- [1] Jewish Telegraph Agency Article
- Profile on SHO
- Boxing record for Yuri Foreman from BoxRec (registration required)
- Official website
- "Mazel Tough", New York Magazine, 4/15/09
- "Yuri Foreman, New Yorker", MaxBoxing, 4/24/03
- "The Haifa Connection: Roman Greenberg and Yuri Foreman," Seconds Out
- "Introducing Yuri Foreman", Everlast
- "“The Word” Featuring Yuri Foreman", Boxing Scene, 6/5/07
- "The Tale of the Tape and the Talmud", The New York Times, 12/11/07
- "Rabbi Knows Best", New York Cool, 8/10/08