WBA Super Welterweight champion Daniel Santos will defend his title against the unbeaten Yuri Foreman next November 14th in Las Vegas, Nevada. For Foreman the fight will allow him to make history – as the first ever Israeli fighter to box for a world title – and for Puerto Rico’s Santos it will be his chance to make the first defence of the belt he won back in July of last year.
Southpaw Santos, now aged almost 34 (his birthday is October 10th) and with a good record of 32-3-1 23Ko has not fought since he upset the previously unbeaten Joachim Alcine last summer. Why Santos has not fought in well over a year is unknown to this writer. However, the WBA champ has got himself a good fight, on a very good card, to return with.
29-year-old Foreman, 27-0 8Ko is a gifted boxer and he has been earning himself a title shot for some time now. His last fight, back in June of this year, was a disappointment, as he and Cornelius Bundrage fought to a no-decision in their WBA eliminator (due to an accidental head butt that forced Foreman to discontinue), but before that fight Foreman won over some good names. Not a hard hitter, the man who was born in Belarus but now lives in Brooklyn used his considerable boxing skills to defeat guys like Anthony Thompson, Andrey Tsurkan, Saul Roman and James Moore.
It’s likely many will see Foreman as the favourite to win in Las Vegas in November. It’s tough got see how the 16 month layoff he’s endured will not hurt Santos, and if the champion is less than sharp he will get countered all night by his younger challenger. One thing that may or may not benefit Santos is his southpaw stance. It’s been some time since Foreman met a lefty, and maybe he will have some problems with the stance. Both men had good amateur records, with Santos winning a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics and Foreman winning three national championships in Israel (where he moved to at the age of nine) and the New York Golden Gloves when he relocated to the US.
There will be a lot of experience in the ring when the two meet, and some quality boxing can be expected as a result. Maybe not a slugfest or a battle for those who enjoy a war, Santos-Foreman will be more one for the purists. Taking an opposing view to that, though, there are some fans who feel Foreman is a fighter who is at times somewhat boring to watch. Santos is definitely the bigger puncher, and it should not be forgotten how he has a win over the teak-tough Antonio Margarito to his name. Only ever stopped once as a pro, by Kofi Jantuah ten years ago, Santos’ chin is also proven. So far there have been no chinks to speak of in Foreman’s chin, but it has to be remembered how the Puerto Rican won his belt with the destruction job he did on the previously unbeaten Alcine.
