By Jim Dower: The fight between WBA light middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KO’s) and former WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KO’s) is less than a month away and there is questions whether the 29-year-old Cotto has anything at all left in the tank. On June 5th, Cotto will be stepping up a weight class to fight Foreman for his World Boxing Association junior middleweight title at Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx, New York. For boxing fans, they don’t quite understand why Cotto, a well known fighter, is interested in taking on what some people see as an obscure paper champion in Foreman.

It does seem a rather odd thing for Cotto to do, especially with much better known opponents available for him to fight like WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto. However, Cotto has taken a great deal of punishment in his recent fights against Antonio Margarito, Manny Pacquiao and Joshua Clottey and this may be Cotto’s way of winning a title without absorbing more punishment. Foreman, although a champion, has zero power and won his title recently against Daniel Santos. Foreman doesn’t hit hard and likes to play a hit and run game when he fights.

Cotto could have selected Foreman in a move to show boxing fans that he’s still relevant by picking up another strap, even it’s one that boxing fans could care less about. So, Cotto could be facing Foreman for that reason. He also could be taking on Foreman to please his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank. Foreman is also a Top Rank fighter, like Cotto, so by fighting him, Cotto is increasing Foreman’s value among the boxing public. It’s a fight that will give Foreman a big shot in the arm to becoming a named fighter.

Foreman has been on television a number of times in the U.S., but due to his unappealing style of fighting, which includes a lot of clinching and running, he hasn’t picked up a big fan base outside of the New York area. Cotto could help Foreman pick up more fans whether he wins or loses against Cotto. There’s also the prospect that Cotto, by winning the WBA junior middleweight title, would have something that Pacquiao wants – a chance at grabbing an 8th world title. Pacquiao, of course, could fight WBC light middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, but then again he’s more dangerous and he’s not a Top Rank fighter like Foreman and Cotto.

I’m sure that Cotto has selected Foreman to fight for one or perhaps all of those reasons. However, Cotto may not have enough left in the tank to pull off the victory and could end up pretty much getting retired by Foreman. A loss against the light hitting Foreman, a very real possibility given how bad Cotto has looked recently, could be the final straw in Cotto’s career. It would be his third defeat in his last five fights and an almost sure sign that he’s past his prime. Cotto would likely continue with his career if he’s beaten by Foreman, but I think he won’t have much luck.