The Rabbi In The Corner

On Saturday evening in Las Vegas, as the slots get played and Havdalah ends the Sabbath, a rabbinical student, weighing in at about 154 pounds, hailing from the Belarus by way of Haifa, will get his chance at a boxing title. As a teenager, Foreman, known as the “Lion of Judah” to his current fans, won the Israeli boxing championship three times for his age and weightclasses, one of which was won just weeks after his mother had passed away. Due to the lack of a boxing gym in Haifa, he trained at one in the primarily Arab town of Kfar Yasif.

Yuri Foreman, 29, a mazel toughie, a boxer and rabbinical student in Brooklyn NY, with 27 wins and no losses will face off against three time world champion and World Boxing Association super welterweight champ, Daniel Santos, who is a southpaw with 32 mins, 3 losses and 1 tie, and an amazing 23 knockouts. Their bout is on the Pacquiao-Cotto and will be broadcast in North America from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on HBO Pay Per View at 9 PM East Coast time. Santos, 34, who hails from Puerto Rico, won the bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics. Santos is repped by Don King, the famed ex-con American boxing promoter. Foreman is repped by some Jewish businessmen: Al Cohen, Al Roth, and Murray W.

Santos defeated Akmed Kotiev for the title and defended it against former world champion Luis “Yori Boy” Campas, Antonio Margarito, and Joachim Alcine. On the other hand, Foreman’s favorite food is Russian ravioli and Gefilte Fish. So it sounds like an even match up to me.