DANIEL SANTOS vs YURI FOREMAN

Yuri Foreman, the unbeaten Brooklyn junior middleweight, has an interesting backstory — Jewish immigrant from Belarus who boxed for Israel in the world amateur championships, had a part (as a Russian no-holds-barred fighter) in the film Fighting, studying to be a rabbi. Can he now fulfill a dream by winning a world title? We get to find out on Saturday when Foreman challenges Daniel Santos for the WBA 154-pound title on the Pacquiao-Cotto show in Las Vegas.

Santos is the favourite. The Puerto Rican southpaw is an accomplished, experienced fighter, an Olympic bronze medallist who has lost only three of 37 professional bouts. He has fought at a higher level than Foreman, and he looked powerful when capturing this title by knocking out Joachim Alcine in Montreal last year.

The big problem with Santos is his inactivity — he has boxed just four times in the past five years. A well-connected source told me that Santos looked more like a light-heavyweight than a light-middleweight when he was spotted at ringside at a show in Puerto Rico in October.

If it wasn’t for Santos’s long spells of inactivity I would make him a big favourite because he looks a stronger, better all-around fighter than Foreman, he is clearly the puncher in the fight, and he’s a southpaw. However, Santos has boxed just six rounds in the ring — the knockout win over Alcine — in two years. Foreman, for his part, hasn’t been especially active, but he has at least been boxing more often than Santos.

Foreman is quick and clever, with a swift and accurate left jab, but in days of yore he would have been described as a powder-puff puncher — his last stoppage win was almost four years ago. He might be able to move around Santos and pick up points, but the Puerto Rican fighter is likely to be doing the seriously hard punching.

Even though Santos boxed only once in 2007 and once in 2008 he looked sharp in those fights, stopping Jose Antonio Rivera and Alcine.

One would think that Santos should be able to start pressuring Foreman, and getting to him, as the bout passes the halfway stage. Logically, Santos should win. Foreman, though, has yet to lose, and he seems to be a young man with considerable belief in himself. There is always the risk that this is the fight where inactivity catches up with Santos, where his timing isn’t quite right, his movements a bit on the sluggish side.

I don’t view this fight as the bore that many believe it will be — I think it could be a fast-paced, interesting, tactical contest. I do expect Santos to win, either by decision or perhaps even on a late stoppage, but a motivated and inspired Foreman has a chance — it just depends on how much, if at all, the latest hiatus from boxing has affected the champion.