HBO SPORTS® PRESENTS A JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE SHOWDOWN WHEN
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®: YURI FOREMAN VS. MIGUEL COTTO
AND VANES MARTIROSYAN VS. JOE GREENE
IS SEEN LIVE FROM YANKEE STADIUM, SATURDAY, JUNE 5 ON HBO
Two formidable opponents with intriguing backstories square off in a junior middleweight title clash when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: YURI FOREMAN VS. MIGUEL COTTO AND VANES MARTIROSYAN VS. JOE GREENE is presented live SATURDAY, JUNE 5 (10:15 p.m. ET/7:15 p.m. PT) from the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, exclusively on HBO. The broadcast team of Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones Jr. will be ringside for all the action, presented in HDTV and in Spanish on HBO Latino.
Roy Jones Jr., who worked as an analyst on the Boxing After Dark series from 1996 to 2005, will be pinch-hitting for Emanuel Steward on the telecast. Steward, who serves as Cotto’s trainer, will resume his HBO broadcast duties in July.
Other HBO playdates: June 6 (8:30 a.m.) and 7 (12:45 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: June 6 (4:30 p.m.) and 8 (11:00 p.m.)
Undefeated junior middleweight titleholder Yuri Foreman (28-0-0, 8 KOs) defends his crown against former 147-pound champ Miguel Cotto (34-2-0, 27 KOs) in the “Stadium Slugfest.” The bout is the centerpiece of the first boxing card at the new Yankee Stadium, continuing the former Yankee Stadium’s long and proud tradition as one of the world’s premier boxing venues. The ring, along with thousands of additional seats, will be set up in right field for what promises to be a memorable night for the sweet science.
A Belarusian-born, Israeli-raised, Orthodox Jew who now makes his home in Brooklyn, the 29-year-old Foreman fights with a compelling combination of heart and determination, delivering in-and-out combinations that often leave opponents frustrated. His formidable stature and enormously long reach allow him to shrink the ring and keep opponents on their heels. Foreman is coming off a near-perfect fight last November when he defeated reigning 154-pound titleholder Daniel Santos, triggering an outpouring of pride in the Jewish community. Outside the ring, Foreman is an aspiring rabbi and ardent Yankees fan who enjoys solid support from New York City boxing community. Unwilling to sit on his title and battle ordinary opponents, Foreman is ready to test his mettle against one of the elite fighters.
The best Puerto Rican boxer since Felix Trinidad, former three-time world champ Cotto wants to bounce back after a tough defeat at the hands of superstar Manny Pacquiao last November. Cotto, who never ducks a challenge, is a relentless pressure fighter who can fire ferocious body shots and thunderous left hooks, and has defeated such brawlers as Carlos Quintana, Shane Mosley, Joshua Clottey, Paulie Malignaggi and Zab Judah. Under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium, he will feed off the energy of his legions of New York supporters. Cotto has become enormously popular in New York, as his success at Madison Square Garden and his Puerto Rican heritage have spurred many New York City boxing fans to rally around his events.
The opening bout is a ten-round junior middleweight bout featuring undefeated contenders looking to elevate their national standing, as Vanes Martirosyan (27-0, 17 KOs) of Glendale, Cal. trades with Brooklyn southpaw Joe Greene (22-0, 14 KOs).
The June 5 Yankee Stadium showdown marks the first pro fight at the Bronx landmark since September 1976, when Muhammad Ali decisioned Ken Norton. The former Yankee Stadium played host to 30 championship bouts in its 86-year history.
All HBO boxing events are broadcast in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.
The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Marc Payton.
® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.
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