Former junior middleweight boxing champion and newly ordained Orthodox rabbi Yuri Foreman is ending his two-year hiatus from the ring.
Foreman, 35, will fight Lenwood Dozier at Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York, on Saturday night.
According to ESPN, Foreman became the first Orthodox Jew to win a world title in over 70 years when he beat Daniel Santos in 2009. After losing to Miguel Cotto at Yankee Stadium in 2010 and sustaining a series of injuries, he quit the sport in 2013.
During his hiatus, Foreman was ordained as a rabbi by Dovber Pinson, a Chabad rabbi based in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, The Algemeiner reported.
“Coming back is a great feeling for me, especially to be coming back as a rabbi,” Foreman told Newsday. “For my observant friends, the fight starts early so for those who live a little distance from Barclays Centre, you should start walking early and then take a train. I will be fighting after sundown, so it will all be kosher.”
Foreman, who was born in Belarus and grew up in Israel, now lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
“Boxing is a very spiritual sport. We all have different paths. My faith keeps me centred and focused. You can be anyone. You can be a rabbi and still be fighting on the big stage at Barclays Centre,” Foreman said in a press release.
