Boxing: Miguel Cotto Vs. Yuri Foreman -- June 5, 2010

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There are two significant reasons why Top Rank's Bob Arum will be in New York next week. One will be to oversee a press conference on Wednesday to promote the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey welterweight title fight, which will take place on March 13 at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The other is for the final promotional push for next Saturday's outstanding HBO "Boxing After Dark" card at the Madison Square Garden Theater.

That card, which I can't wait for, features a pair of featherweight title bouts as Steven Luevano defends against junior featherweight titlist Juan Manuel Lopez and the electrifying Yuriorkis Gamboa defends his sliver of the title against rugged Rogers Mtagwa.

That's a lot of business for one week, but apparently not enough for Arum.

He will also start the unofficial media blitz for another fight he intends to make for June. That fight would see newly crowned junior middleweight titleholder Yuri Foreman, the New York-based, Belarus native who is studying to become a rabbi, defending against former welterweight beltholder Miguel Cotto, who lost his title via 12th-round knockout to Pacquiao in November on the same card on which Foreman beat Daniel Santos to win his title.

"You will see Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 23," Arum told me the other day. "The reason they will both be there is to start the promotion for their fight in June. Miguel wants to fight Foreman. Yuri wants a big fight. Yuri will have the Jewish fans behind him. And we already know what a big attraction Miguel is in New York and how much the Puerto Rican fans support him."

The bout would take place at the Garden on June 5, the eve of the annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York. Top Rank has made that weekend a regular fight date for Cotto for the past few years.

Arum said Cotto, who is still mourning the recent death of his father, asked to come to the Jan. 23 show and is interested in moving up in weight to challenge Foreman.

Foreman, too, is interested in the fight. He had been in the running to land the March fight with Pacquiao after the fight with Floyd Mayweather (I'm still not over that) fell apart. But Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, put the kibosh on the match over concern about Pacquiao again moving up in weight and facing the much taller Foreman.

So if Foreman couldn't get Pacquiao, he'll certainly take Cotto, according to manager Murray "Shpipples" Wilson.

Arum admits he hasn't yet talked to either camp about money, but he plans to next week in New York.

Arum also said he is unsure if he would present the fight on pay-per-view or try to make a deal with HBO. But either way, he intends to make the fight.

"That's why I am going to show them together in New York, to get this thing rolling," Arum said. "They both want the fight. It would be so big in New York."

If Lopez beats Luevano, Arum said he'd like to put him on the June 5 undercard. Arum's plan has been to eventually match Lopez and Gamboa, if they are both victorious, but not right away.

"We're saving that for later in the year if they both win," Arum said.

Another good fight coming up.