By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com
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'E:60': Yuri Foreman

E:60 explores Yuri Foreman's journey between two worlds. Tags: E:60, Yuri Foreman, Boxing

'E:60': Yuri Foreman

NEW YORK -- Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has been touting Miguel Cotto, the former welterweight and junior welterweight titlist, as New York's No. 1 boxing attraction.

After all, the pride of Puerto Rico has sold approximately 93,000 tickets for his six headline fights at Madison Square Garden, mostly on the eve of the annual National Puerto Rican Day Parade, which easily makes him New York's most popular fighter over the past decade or so.

The parade isn't until next week, but Cotto can still sell tickets, which is why Arum expects a crowd that could approach 30,000 when he goes for a title in a third weight division against junior middleweight titlist Yuri Foreman on Saturday night (HBO, 10:15 ET) at Yankee Stadium on a card dubbed "Stadium Slugfest" -- the first there since Muhammad Ali defeated Ken Norton in the old stadium across the street in September 1976, a fight Arum also promoted.

But if Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) wants to keep his title as the Big Apple's most bankable star, he probably needs a victory against Foreman (28-0, 8 KOs), a skilled technician and future rabbi counting on the city's large Jewish population to support him.

The question is what will Cotto have left when he enters the ring, especially after so much upheaval, including the arrival of Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward to head his corner. It's been a particularly difficult period for Cotto.

In November, Manny Pacquiao battered him en route to a 12th-round knockout to take his welterweight belt, which was followed by whispers of a possible Cotto retirement.

The harsh loss to Pacquiao was just the latest in a series of extremely difficult and physical fights for the 29-year-old. Remember, Cotto also had a grueling fight in 2008 with Antonio Margarito, who stopped him in the 11th round, not to mention hard wins against Joshua Clottey, Shane Mosley and Zab Judah -- all since 2007.

Cotto has declined to discuss the perception of many that he is no longer the fighter he once was. When asked about it, his answer avoided the topic.

"We trained pretty good for this fight," he said. "We came in with no mind except for this fight and to come in against Yuri and I am more than 100 percent sure we are going to be the new WBA champion this time."

Arum was more straightforward.

"I don't know what to expect, but I think having Manny can only help," Arum said. "Manny is a great motivator and a great teacher, and I would expect an improved Cotto. Whether, in fact, that will be demonstrated on Saturday, I have the same reservations a lot of people have. I saw the Pacquiao fight. I saw the Margarito fight. I saw the Clottey fight. These were brutal fights."

But then, Arum added, "But if you asked me in court of law, 'Have you seen any change in Miguel,' the answer is, no, not as far as his attitude and demeanor."

The difficult recent fights are what took place inside the ring. Outside of the ring, Cotto also suffered tough times. He lost his father, Miguel Cotto Sr., in January when he died after suffering a heart attack believed to have happened during an asthma attack. The elder Cotto, who was only 57, had been his son's quiet rock throughout his career.

Cotto said, of course, he will be thinking of his father at fight time.

"He is with me," Cotto said. "He is not here physically. He is still by my side and he is going to be with me the night of the fight."

The other major change to Cotto's camp was the arrival of Steward, who will be Cotto's third head trainer in four fights.

His uncle, Evangelista Cotto, had trained Miguel throughout his career until their volatile relationship blew up and Miguel fired him after a physical confrontation before training camp began for the fight with Clottey last summer. Cotto replaced him with longtime assistant Joe Santiago, who helped get him through the Clottey fight, but was in over his head against Pacquiao and his trainer, Freddie Roach. Now with Steward in charge, Santiago is back in his role as assistant.

Steward knows very well just how many tough fights Cotto has engaged. He called many of them as an HBO analyst. It's something Steward said he thought about before accepting the job. But he said he was pleasantly surprised by what he saw from Cotto during their training camp in Tampa, Fla.

"Any time you are coming in with a fighter that has some very rough fights, you are concerned with the physical damage as well as mental damage," Steward said. "Some guys, their coordination and reflexes are totally shot from the combination of the tough fights and emotions. But I did not see that from Miguel."

Steward said the main thing they worked on was Cotto's balance.

"I was very surprised in the first two days because his balance was so bad and his feet were spread so far apart and his head was down and he wasn't throwing combinations, just one punch at a time," Steward said. "I made him just drop his hands and dance back and forth with his weight evenly balanced and he caught on to it and from that point on he went to a whole other level.

"His boxing has been superb and all of us have been very impressed. I didn't make any major changes, just subtle changes. He had to be doing something right to be where he is so I didn't try to make him be a whole new fighter. Just improve on a few areas, mainly the balance and the speed and maintain balance while he is punching in combinations."

Cotto said he was a willing student and is pleased with the results he's seen from Steward's tweaks.

"My balance was awful before this camp and now it's much better than we expected," he said. "We have trained very hard with the balance and now we can throw punches and maintain the balance."

Opening HBO's broadcast will be a junior middleweight fight between rising contenders Vanes Martirosyan (27-0, 17 KOs), a 2004 U.S. Olympian, and New Yorker Joe Greene (22-0, 14 KOs).

Cotto could have remained in the 147-pound welterweight division, but moved up to 154 pounds for this title opportunity, although he said he won't necessarily stay in the division.

"Boxing is business and it made business sense to go up to 154 pounds to fight Foreman," Cotto said. "If the opportunity of a great fight comes at 147 and it makes business sense we will go back, but for now it's about winning a world title at 154 pounds and see what next after that."

It's also about seeing what Cotto has left.

"We are waiting for the night of the fight to show and prove to everybody what we have done in the gym," Cotto said, again sidestepping the issue. "And the fans are going to love it."

John Gichigi/Bongarts/Getty ImagesTake it from Paulie Malignaggi: Amir Khan will be a tough day at the office for any opponent.

Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer is headed for England next week and one of the central items on his agenda is trying to finalize the next fight for junior welterweight titlist Amir Khan.

The plan is to have Khan fight in England on July 31 with the bout being televised in the United States as part of the HBO PPV card headlined by the lightweight championship rematch between Juan Manuel Marquez and Juan Diaz in Las Vegas on the same day.

"Khan opponents which are being discussed are [Michael] Katsidis and [Joel] Casamayor," Schaefer told ESPN.com.

Schaefer added that British promoter Mick Hennessy called him to see if there was interest in Khan facing countryman John Murray (29-0, 17 KOs), the European lightweight champion from Manchester.

"Mick thinks it would sell out the [20,000-seat] MEN Arena in Manchester," Schaefer said. "I have to discuss with the Khans [to see] if this is another option."

Schaefer said Casamayor facing Robert Guerrero in a catchweight fight between 135 and 140 pounds is still being discussed for the card, although it seems unlikely as the Casamayor side is unhappy with the money.

Another bout Golden Boy has made an offer for to be on the card is former junior lightweight and featherweight titlist Jorge Linares against Rocky Juarez. Shelly Finkel, Juarez's manager, said their side is interested.

"Let's see if it happens," Schaefer said. "I think it would be a great fight."

Middleweight Daniel Jacobs, the 2009 ESPN.com prospect of the year, also remains a candidate for the pay-per-view, Schaefer said.

"I am convinced when everything is said and done it will be a fight 'freak card,'" he said.

Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com.