Cotto takes swipe at critics as Bronx tale takes a twist

MIGUEL COTTO claimed he had answered his critics after stopping Yuri Foreman in the ninth round of their fight at Yankee Stadium to claim the WBA light-middleweight title.

The 29-year-old Puerto Rican bounced back from a defeat to Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas in November by stopping Foreman with a left hook to the body but only after a bizarre series of events that began in the seventh round when the Israeli suffered a knee injury.

Cotto, with Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward in his corner for the first time, moved his professional record to 35-2 (28 KOs) and sent Foreman to the first defeat of his career in his 29th pro contest to claim his fourth world title and his first at 154 pounds having previously won belts at light-welterweight and welterweight.

Two brutal defeats in the last two years to Antonio Margarito and then Pacquiao had led many pundits to believe that Cotto’s time as an elite boxer was up, but the new champion was more than happy to put the record straight.

“I think I proved this night to everybody who said ‘Cotto is finished’ that everybody has failed,” Cotto said.

“I’m happy with my performance and we had worked on a lot of things we did tonight and I think it showed.

“Like Emanuel said to me straight after the fight, ‘you’re back’.”

Cotto made the far sharper start to the contest and took the first round having troubled Foreman with his jab.

The Israeli improved in the second round as he got his feet working more effectively but Cotto was still landing the jab and packing some power behind it at times.

Foreman continued to find his range in the fourth and used his superior speed to sting Cotto with darting assaults and increased aggression, although the Puerto Rican responded with further left jabs and began doubling up with powerful rights behind them.

The fight was developing into an intriguing battle with Cotto’s power just getting the edge over Foreman’s speed as both boxers enjoyed periods of superiority in the fifth and sixth rounds.

The seventh round turned the fight on its head though as Foreman fell to the floor after his right knee appeared to give way. The champion, who had already been wearing a support on the joint, was severely restricted in his movement but continued gamely, Cotto catching him with a hook that knocked out the Israeli’s mouthguard.

Referee Arthur Mercante Jnr gave Foreman the chance to rest but the fighter declined and made it through to the bell and the champion reappeared for the eighth.

There was further confusion when a towel flew into the ring from Foreman’s corner during the eighth, only for Mercante to order the fight to continue having cleared the ring of cornermen and officials after a delay of two minutes 57 seconds.

Amid the confusion, Foreman again lasted out the round but when he went down in the ninth from a Cotto left hook to the ribs, Mercante called a halt to the contest.

Foreman revealed afterwards that he had been troubled by a knee problem since falling off his bike as a 15-year-old in Israel, but had never had the injury checked out because until recently he had not been able to afford medical insurance.