Trainor says Yuri Foreman is where he belongs
Published on: 5th April, 2010
Trainor says Yuri Foreman is where he belongs | Related News
WAYNE — Yuri Foreman will work out today at the Joe Grier Boxing Academy in Paterson, right where Grier is certain the super welterweight world champion belongs as he begins training camp for the biggest fight of his career.
Speculation swirled recently regarding renowned trainer Emanuel Steward joining Foreman’s team. Murray Wilson, Foreman’s manager, told boxingscene.com that Steward would work with Foreman for the first few weeks of camp, probably at the famed Kronk Gym in Detroit, where Steward has trained Thomas Hearns and numerous other champions.
Steward instead decided to train Puerto Rican star Miguel Cotto, the undefeated Foreman’s opponent June 5 at Yankee Stadium. And that’s perfectly fine by Grier.
“With another trainer taking my position, I wouldn’t have been comfortable with that,” said Grier, a retired Passaic County Sheriff’s Department captain who fought as a welterweight in the 1970s. “And I’m sure if it was vice versa, he wouldn’t have been too comfortable with it, either. That would lead to chaos in your camp.”
Grier, who has trained Foreman for six years, was particularly leery because he remembers how Steward’s addition to the camp of another world champion trained by another trainer from Paterson caused friction about a decade ago. Steward and the late Oscar Suarez often butted heads while training flamboyant former featherweight champion Naseem Hamed, and Steward publicly criticized Suarez after England’s Hamed suffered a lopsided loss to Mexico’s Marco Antonio Barrera nine years ago in Las Vegas.
“We don’t need chaos in our camp,” Grier said. “I’m pleased that it worked out the way that it did. This isn’t being overconfident, but I don’t believe at this point we need Emanuel to come in and save our lives. I was little disappointed when I first heard that he was coming to help us out, to make him different, to make him better than what he is.
“I think that job has already been done with the team that we have. Everyone has worked tremendously hard to get Yuri to where he is right now. And by him winning a title, it proved that we’re on the right track.”
Foreman (28-0, eight KOs, one NC), an aspiring rabbi from New York, was a 2-1 underdog entering his fight against WBA 154-pound champion Daniel Santos on Nov. 14 in Las Vegas. But the quick, slick boxer masterfully dominated Santos, whom Foreman dropped twice en route to a unanimous decision win in their 12-round fight.
Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) endured a brutal beating against Filipino star Manny Pacquiao in the main event that night at MGM Grand. He has since decided to move up from 147 to 154 pounds, in addition to replacing trainer Joe Santia
