By Jim Dower: Former World Boxing Association junior middleweight champion Yuri Foreman (28-1, 1 KO’s) will require surgery to repair his right knee, which he injured during the 7th round of his title bout against challenger Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KO’s) last Saturday night at the Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx, New York. According to ESPN, the 29-year-old Foreman tore the meniscus in his right knee and additionally stretched ligaments in the knee as well. Foreman got the news about his knee after visiting Dr. Gerard Variottta at the Rusk Institute in New York.

It’s unknown now when Foreman plans on having the knee surgery. Foreman was wearing a knee brace on the knee during the fight. Apparently, Foreman injured his right knee years ago at age 15 when he fell off his bicycle. The knee has been giving him problems for awhile now, as it seemed like Foreman was slightly favoring his left leg prior to injuring his right during the fight.

Foreman, an in an out style of fighter who likes to use a lot of movement to confuse his opponents, fought well during the first six rounds against Cotto. However, after Foreman injured his right knee in the 7th, he was unable to move effectively around the ring and became much more stationary. This allowed Cotto, the stronger fighter, to load up on his shots and land much better than he had during the first six rounds.

With Cotto going after him all out trying to score a knockout, Foreman fought as best as he could, trading shots with Cotto. Unfortunately for Foreman, his right knee continued to cause him problems, as he slipped on the canvas again a short while later. He also limped noticeably around the ring and seemed to be unable to put much weight on the knee.

The referee encouraged Foreman constantly, almost as if he was Foreman’s coach. It seemed like a bizarre thing for a referee because they usually don’t encourage fighters. However, it made for interesting drama in that was no longer really interesting. It was only a matter of time before Foreman took Foreman out. In the 9th, the end came when Cotto caught Foreman with a precisely placed left hook to the body that put him down. The referee put a stop to it before Foreman could try to continue. It was a good stoppage but it appeared to come two rounds too late.