By Chris Williams: Having taken huge amount of punishment in the last three years of his career, former WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KO’s) comes into his title fight against WBA junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-0, 8 KO’s) in a serious situation where he can’t afford to lose again. Cotto, 29, will be fighting Foreman at Yankee Stadium, in New York on June 5th, and badly needing a win to remain one of boxing’s big stars.

It might have been a better idea for Cotto’s promoter Bob Arum to give Cotto a couple of rebuilding fights to get himself back together after getting pulverized in his last fight by Manny Pacquiao. This beating, as well as the brutal punishment that Cotto took in his fights with Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Ricardo Torres, Antonio Margarito and Joshua Clottey couldn’t have helped him any. Cotto’s trainer, Emanuel Steward, says he hasn’t noticed any deterioration with Cotto while training him.

However, it’s one thing for a fighter to train effectively after being in a number of wars and a total different thing having to take additional punishment against a fresh fighter. Cotto hasn’t looked really good since being taken out by Margarito in an 11th round TKO in July 2008. Although Cotto did beat Michael Jennings in the 5th round in his fight after the loss to Margarito, Cotto looked bad in getting by Clottey by a 12 round split decision in June 2009.

Foreman, 29, is the same age as Cotto, but he’s taken a lot less punishment in his eight year pro career and that’s not just because he hasn’t faced the same kinds of fighters. Foreman is just a lot better defensively compared to Cotto. Foreman blocks shots with his gloves, not with his face like Cotto. He also backs away when his opposition is coming at him trying to attack him. This is why Foreman is a young 29, and still unbeaten rather than having lost two out of his last four fights like Cotto.

On June 5th, Cotto is going to have a lot of problems with Foreman and I expect Foreman to give Cotto a royal beating, causing him to take a knee multiple times and then send him into retirement. Cotto was a great fighter in his prime, but I think he’s taken too much punishment in his fights with Margarito, Clottey, Mosley, Judah, Torres and Pacquiao and I think Foreman will be the straw that broke the camel’s back and put Cotto into retirement.

If Arum had matched Cotto soft for three or four fights, I think Cotto would still have major problems against Foreman. I do think he would do a lot better under those circumstances than I do coming off a brutal beating against Pacquiao and being thrown in with Foreman. That’s really not doing Cotto any favors whatsoever. I know Cotto wants only big money fights now, but he’s taken too punishment and needs a rest from things. Foreman isn’t a rest and I think Cotto and Arum are going to be sorry that the Foreman fight was made.

Arum would like to put Cotto back in with Pacquiao in a needless rematch, but one that would make Arum, Cotto and Pacquiao a lot of money. I think if that was Cotto’s last fight of his career, I could accept it. However, Cotto wants to continue fighting after the Foreman fight and is hoping to get a shot against Pacquiao. I think this fight is going to backfire on him, as Foreman is going to give him a tremendous beating and stop him.