Yuri Foreman

This could have been a triumphant homecoming for Miguel Cotto, his opportunity to show New York City, his adopted hometown, that the losses, both in the ring and out, of the past couple of years might have dented him, but had hardly broken him.

And in truth, it is quite possible that he was going on to defeat Yuri Foreman even if his gallant opponent had not slipped and twisted his knee in the seventh round, robbing him of the best part of his game, his fluid mobility.

But it did happen, and pandemonium ensued, and the first fight at Yankee Stadium in 34 years ended with a conclusion that could not have fully satisfied anyone.

For six rounds, the Stadium was electric, the fight interesting and, to my eyes, close. Foreman was fighting a careful fight, Cotto a high-pressure one, and both were performing reasonably well.

And then, just at the point that the fight was heating up -- my scorecard had the bout dead even, three rounds apiece, heading into the fateful and nearly fatal seventh -- it suddenly came to grinding halt.


"I beat him twice tonight," Miguel Cotto said of Yuri Foreman.
Foreman slipped, for reasons that remained unclear several hours after the fight. The fighter said he did it while trying to slide out of danger along the ropes. His manager, Murray Wilson, insisted the mishap occurred because of a puddle of water that had accumulated near Cotto's corner and was never adequately wiped up by the commission inspectors.

But both agreed on what was obvious to anyone in Yankee Stadium -- once Foreman lost his legs, he had essentially lost the fight.

The end didn't come, officially, for another round plus 42 seconds, when a beautiful Cotto left hook to the floating ribs along the right side of Foreman's abdomen dropped him to a knee, where referee Arthur Mercante immediately waved the fight over.