Foreman-Wolak Preview

Both Yuri Foreman and Pawel Wolak are 28-1. Both trained in Gleason's Gym. Both began their lives in Eastern Europe before eventually immigrating to the Tri-State area. The two men are friends. Now, they're scheduled to meet in the ring on March 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Foreman, the man with eight knockouts, is coming off his first career loss last June against Miguel Cotto. In that fight, part of the first event in the new Yankee Stadium, Foreman lost his WBA junior middleweight title and severely injured his right knee. Since that night, he has welcomed to the world his first son and mourned the loss of his manager. For this fight, Foreman will also welcome a new trainer, the octogenarian, Al Certo.

Wolak, the man with eighteen knockouts, has won seven contests in a row. Wolak is a pressure fighter, who thrives on the inside and can be counted on to deliver a high volume of punches. The Raging Bull, as the Polish native is known, always comes forward and has superb stamina. He has a good chin, but his defense is suspect and he has a propensity to cut easily. Wolak will be trained by Tommy Brooks.

Foreman relies on movement and will look to take advantage of his three-inch height and four-inch reach advantages. In the face of Wolak's relentless pressure, Foreman will have to utilize constant movement, sure to test his surgically repaired right knee. But Wolak's only loss, a ten-round unanimous decision to Ishe Smith in 2008, should be instructive to the aspiring rabbi.

In that bout, Smith used movement and combinations to confuse Wolak. Smith showed excellent defense and was able to smother Wolak's punches on the inside. He also held a lot. Foreman is athletic and skilled and one can envision a scenario where Wolak is constantly chasing, receiving potshots for his trouble. The counterview would be that Wolak's pressure wears Foreman down, especially if Yuri is tentative because of his knee.

While Wolak's one loss was to a capable fighter with the perfect style to beat him, Foreman's was to a superstar in Cotto. Cotto looked crisp last June in the Bronx and exhibited impressive footwork, a surprise to many observers. He won’t have to worry about being out-boxed against Wolak.

The common opponent for Foreman and Wolak comes in the person of James Moore, an Irish immigrant who resides in New York. Both men imposed their styles on Moore to earn a unanimous ten round victory. Foreman stuck and moved back in 2008, while Wolak wouldn't let Moore breathe last June in Yankee Stadium. Foreman won by wider scores.

As for this upcoming fight, it's unlikely either will score a KO. Foreman only has eight in 30 fights (one NC). Wolak doesn't have one-punch power, instead sapping his opponent's will with his determined attack. Foreman showed in his last fight that he is a strong-willed man. One possibility, guaranteed to disappoint, is a clash of heads causing a fight-stopping cut. Wolak always comes forward and Foreman tends to dart in and out. Let's hope that's not the case.

This match is schedule for ten rounds and is for the NABF light middleweight title. It will be on the televised portion of Showtime's Cotto-Mayorga pay-per-view event.