Foreman, Yuri

A 24-year-old junior middleweight from Israel, Foreman was born in Belarus and became fascinated by the sport when he saw Mike Tyson fighting Razor Ruddock on television. Foreman's family moved to Israel, but Yuri now fights out of the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn and trains in Gleason's Gym. Foreman is quickly making a name for himself as an impressive boxer and a potential champion. He has a professional record of 22-0 (eight KO's) as of December 2, 2006, when he soundly whipped Donnie McCrary. Yuri's superior talent, ring craft and speed so dominated the bout that he was awarded almost every one of the 10 rounds by the judges.

Foreman, who began his pro career in January 2002, proudly displays his Judaism with a Star of David on his trunks and on his robe.Yuri remarked, "I'm proud to be a Jew. We've been through a lot...throughout time. There is a lot of anti-Semitism in the world and if people see me maybe they will see that I can fight and they may see that Jews aren't bad people..."

Yuri married Leyla Foreman, a model turned boxer. One of their shared ambitions is to fight on the same card.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. August 5, 1980

Career Highlights:
Born in Belarus, Foreman and his family emigrated to Israel in 1991 and settled in Haifa. While there, Yuri began his boxing career and competed in the European Championships, the under-19 world championships and the amateur world championships. Foreman said of boxing in Israel, "There were no gyms in Israel, but I met Michael Kozlovski, and he taught me the game. It was difficult because soccer and basketball are the top sports in Israel, boxing is not popular...I'm Jewish, and only the Arabs were boxing, so I trained with them. They respected me once I showed them I could beat them. I came to the United States because I did everything I could possibly do in Israel."

In May 1999, Foreman left Israel and moved to the United States. Yuri settled in Brooklyn, and continued fighting as an amateur. Finishing his amateur career with a record of 75-5, Foreman also placed third in the Golden Gloves as a welterweight. He won his first pro fight, against Israel Felix, when he knocked out Felix in the first round with a thunderous left hand. "My punching power and conditioning are my best assets," observed Yuri. His victory over Felix impressed promoter Lou DiBella, who serves as a matchmaker and advisor to the young Jewish fighter. DiBella compares Foreman to Kostya Tszya, the world light-welterweight champion, and hopes to quickly build Forman's record with local fights in the New York area.

Trilingual (Russian, Hebrew, and English), Yuri is proud of being Jewish and wears a Star of David on his trunks, but has refused to accept a nickname, although he calls himself a "lion-hearted Jew." At 24 years old, Foreman is still young in the boxing game and great things are expected of him in the future.

Origin:
Gornel, Belarus

Physical description:
5'11"

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