At Yankee Stadium, Boxing Beats Bar Mitzvah

Boxing will make a triumphant return to Yankee Stadium, with a junior middleweight title fight pitting Yuri Foreman against Miguel Cotto. But it'll come at the expense of young Scott Ballan, who may never become a man.

Bob Arum really, really had his heart set on June 5 for the Foreman/Cotto bout. But unfortunately, someone else got there first. Jon Ballan, a lawyer in charge of financing the new stadium, had picked the date for his son's Bar Mitzvah. So! Jewish fighter vs. Jewish 13-year-old. Who wins?

Well, the cash cow, of course. The Yankees stand to make a ton of money from hosting the fight, whereas with little Scott's Bar Mitzvah, it would actually cost them an envelope full of cash. Sorry, Scott. You'll have to find someone else to help fill a minyan.

We want to thank Jon Ballan and his family for their graciousness, understanding and good will in helping to accommodate the Yankees," the team said in a statement to The Associated Press. "We will now meet with Bob Arum and his organization to continue discussions to bring this fight to Yankee Stadium."

Foreman is in training to become a rabbi, so depending on the progress of his studies, perhaps he could lead the ceremony?

Yanks clear up issue standing in way of June fight [AP]