Foreman, a Pillar of Discipline, to Fight in November

Junior middleweight Yuri Foreman is scheduled to get back into the ring on November 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. His opponent is slated to be Javier Gonzalez.

Foreman is coming off of an eight-round decision against Jamal Davis last July. In that fight, Foreman, who is the consummate boxer, threw right hand leads and led more with power punches than he normally does. In a phone interview with The Jewish Boxing Blog, Foreman said he knew Davis would continue to come forward and put pressure of Foreman, so Yuri wanted to be more aggressive.

Foreman constantly moved, waiting for the moment that Davis was slightly off balance to strike. There were moments when Foreman was able to trap Davis in the corner or push him against the ropes, but Foreman usually waited for the referee to break the two men. Yuri noted that he used this strategy because "Davis has decent power and is a good inside fighter."

Yuri stayed disciplined throughout the bout and stuck to his strategy. "I'm always working to perfect my own style," he said, "I'm not going to play by the rules of my opponent. I'm in control; I'm going to do my own thing."

Foreman's next opponent, Javier Gomez, sports a 14-11 record with 10 KOs, but he's been stopped eight times. Gomez has been knocked out by some good fighters such as Eddie Gomez and Victor Cayo, but he has also been stopped by men who have very little experience and didn't having winning records. Foreman said he doesn't feel any pressure to knockout his opponent, "Why would I put extra pressure on myself? As my coach says, 'If it comes, it comes.'"

Foreman has been in rabbinical training and has submitted his final exam answers to his rabbi; he's now waiting for a response. When asked which he more identifies himself as, a boxer or a rabbi, he said, "It's not one or the other. There are times to be a boxer and there are times to be a rabbi."

There is clearly some overlap between the two professions. Foreman described boxing as "a thinking man's game. The goal is to outsmart the other guy." He also noted, "A good boxer can control his emotions. He can think calmly in a difficult situation." Rabbis need some of the same skills.

A month before his next fight, Foreman isn't yet thinking much about that night. He's focused on the physical and mental development it takes to train for the contest. With regards to fighting away from his New York home in Florida, Foreman says it's simply part of the profession. "I'm a boxer; the job requires traveling," Foreman said matter-of-factly. His wife will likely stay in New York for the fight and Foreman will miss what he describes as her "good analytic eye."

This will likely be Foreman's final eight-rounder before he moves up to ten rounds. About future fights, Foreman explained, "The goal is to win on November 12. We'll see from there."