by Nick Mathur – Tonight, Oscar De La Hoya will battle Steve Forbes at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles, in a fight that presents a tune-up of sorts for De La Hoya before his proposed final bout takes place- a rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. It is difficult, in a way, to say that the result of the fight between De La Hoya and Forbes is not a foregone conclusion. Even the most ardent Forbes fans will likely admit that they are hoping for something completely unexpected and miraculous to take place, in order for “Two Pound” to pull off a victory in this one..
Oscar, as we all know, is one of the most powerful and influential figures in the sport because of his dual role as both a fighter and promoter. It is unlikely that the judges will facilitate a victory for Forbes if the fight is relatively close, even if he appears to have an edge in a majority of the rounds. We’ve seen time and time again that the boxing establishment will not allow the apple cart to be upset if it means that a proposed mega-event goes down the drain, along with all of the revenue which it would have generated. These things are simply not allowed to happen unless it is almost impossible to steal the victory away from the lesser-hyped fighter. Steve Forbes will be fighting an uphill battle, to say the least.
However, even under these circumstances, I believe that we’ll see a well conditioned, focused version of De La Hoya, as he gears up to possibly fight Mayweather Jr. later this year. Judging by the topics that have been discussed during press conferences and interviews, it is evident that De La Hoya has not forgotten the humbling experience of being totally out of shape and ill prepared for his bout against Felix Sturm. His performance that night is something that has ultimately hurt his legacy, even though he officially came away with a unanimous decision win.
Oscar knows that he’ll be similarly criticized for a lackluster showing against Forbes, another underdog who is nevertheless a capable and accomplished fighter, even if he ends up getting a win. Oscar is a fighter who, at this point in his career, competes solely to further cement his place in boxing history with memorable performances. He cannot afford anything other than an impressive showing tonight.
Another factor, which likely ensures that De La Hoya will prepare diligently for this fight, is the fact that it will take effort on his part to reach the contracted limit of 150 pounds. Against Sturm, he was able to make weight without properly preparing for the fight, because it took place in the middleweight division. Oscar, as we remember, carried excess fat around his midsection and looked relatively sluggish during that fight. Because he will have to work very hard out of necessity just to make weight for this matchup against Forbes, it likely gives us some assurance that he has been training hard and getting the proper nutrition.
Even after all of his accomplishments, Oscar still has the desire to put in the grueling work necessary in order to still be competitive at the highest level of the sport. I expect him, contrary to the opinions of most boxing experts, to be able to wear down the very durable Forbes as the fight progresses, and ultimately take him out. Steve is a former titlist, a skilled fighter who has dealt with bigger opponents and other forms of adversity for a majority of his career. Despite his achievements, he simply lacks the size, skills, and firepower necessary to compete with the best fighters at welterweight and junior middleweight. On Saturday, we’ll see exactly why he was chosen as De La Hoya’s opponent, and why he is ultimately incapable of giving him any real problems.
A win over Mayweather, Oscar’s eventual goal, would be remembered as his greatest victory in the ring. It would elevate his status in the all-time rankings, as well as to defy those who perceive him as a boxer who always came up short in his biggest fights. The first fight between De La Hoya and the “Pretty Boy” was a relatively competitive encounter, which saw Floyd taking control of the fight down the stretch to secure a split decision victory. Many loyal, unwavering De La Hoya fans swear that the fight will be different the second time around. With the addition of Mayweather Sr. back into the mix as Oscar’s head trainer, it is possible that there may be some merit to the theory that he is the man best equipped to dissect Floyd’s style and come up with the perfect gameplan to defeat him.
However, I believe that Mayweather Jr. will score a repeat decision victory over De La Hoya, if the rematch ends up taking place. There are more compelling matchups available for both fighters; namely, a bout between Mayweather and Miguel Cotto. It would be a shame, in my opinion, to see a repeat of De La Hoya v. Mayweather, a fight that will almost certainly have the same outcome as the original encounter. One can only hope that future marquee bouts will take place between evenly matched fighters, where the outcome is genuinely in doubt, rather than lackluster events fueled merely by the star power of the two combatants.