Marc Brodsky
Foreman gains respect even in losing title
NEW YORK – Yuri Foreman may have lost his first title defense, but the Orthodox Jewish boxer apparently gained plenty of respect on a balmy evening in Yankee Stadium.
Foreman continued to fight through what he called “sharp pain” in his knee in the last three rounds of his World Boxing Association super-welterweight championship bout against three-time champion Miguel Cotto late Saturday night in the Bronx.
The 29-year-old rabbinical student, now living in Brooklyn via Haifa, Israel, and his native Belarus, slipped several times during the bout, wrenching his right knee in the seventh round.
Athletes head to the Maccabiah
From Knoxville to Ramat Gan
Bruce Pearl’s coaching credentials finally caught up with his desire to lead the U.S. men’s open basketball team at the Maccabiah Games.
Four years guiding the University of Tennessee team, along with hugely successful tenures at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Division II University of Southern Indiana, put him over the top for a spot he says he’s wanted for 20 years.
“Other more accomplished coaches coached our team,” said Pearl, 49, who earned National Coach of the Year honors in 2008. “[Maccabi USA] has known for years this is something I wanted to do.”
Athletes head to the Maccabiah
Olympics hero Lezak finally opts for Maccabiah
For swimmer Jason Lezak, choosing the Maccabiah Games over the World Championships came down to more than what happens in the water.
At 33, nearing the end of a career that includes seven Olympic medals, Lezak figured this might be his last opportunity to make his Maccabiah debut.
Lezak, whose record-setting anchor in the 400-meter freestyle relay propelled the United States to gold in the 2008 Summer Olympics, acknowledged it was a tough decision.
“It came to a point where if I’m going to do it, now is the time,” he said.
