De La Hoya-Forbes Preview!

May 3, 2008

By Francisco Salazar

Almost eight years ago, Oscar De La Hoya stood inside the ring at
STAPLES Center in Los Angeles dejected after losing a close unanimous
decision to Shane Mosley.

Nine fights and different weight classes later, De La Hoya is back to
where he began, figuratively.

He has returned to fight in his hometown of Los Angeles tonight, only
this time he will fight on a soccer pitch down the 110 Freeway from
where he fought Mosley.

Also, De La Hoya has dropped down in weight to just above the
Welterweight limit, where he enjoyed the bulk of his success.

As he will enter the ring, there will no doubt that he will provide
enjoyment and thrills to an estimated crowd of almost 30,000 at the
Home Depot Center in suburban Carson.

Just how his opponent, former IBF Junior Lightweight champion Steve
Forbes, will go along with the script of being just an opponent
remains to be seen.

The bout will headline an eight-bout “Homecoming” card, presented by
Golden Boy Promotions. The De La Hoya-Forbes bout will be televised
live on HBO at 10PM ET/ 7PM PT.

Much has been said about De La Hoya stating that this will be his
final year as a professional prizefighter. He has won numerous world
titles, become a Grammy-nominated singer, start a promotional
company, and become an ambassador of sorts in his hometown, and
become part-owner of a professional soccer team.

De La Hoya has not mentioned anything about fighting for a world
title. He owns the right to the Ring magazine, where most boxing
insiders are accepting over the alphabet soup of governing bodies.

Before he could even think about fights numbers two and three, he has
to get by fighter number one, which is Steve Forbes. Aside from being
a world champion six years ago, most casual fans may recognize Forbes
as a finalist in the “Contender: Season Two” show.

Forbes is very familiar with Golden Boy Promotions. After the
Contender series, Forbes fought unbeaten Demetrius Hopkins in what
most reporters felt was a fight that Forbes deserved to win after a
unanimous decision. In his last fight, Forbes defeated Francisco
Bojado by a 10 round split-decision.

De La Hoya knows that Forbes does not have the hand speed he once
possessed. With only nine knockouts in his 33 victories, Forbes will
rely on heart and determination to overcome the size, reach, and
power disadvantage he will experience.

Whatever Forbes brings to the ring, De La Hoya will be the better
man. Maybe fans and boxing insiders will see if De La Hoya is a
different fighter from when he fought against Floyd Mayweather. The
better the performance, the more likely fight fans will clamor for a
rematch with Mayweather, which is tentatively scheduled for September.

At 35, De La Hoya feels that going out of the fight game at this time
is the right thing. Who can blame him? He has already fought 43 times
professionally, with the last 30 or so being scheduled 12 round
fights. He has his health and his wit with him, a beautiful wife,
children, and a fledging promotional company.

Still, De La Hoya feels compelled to go out on top. He is willing and
betting that in his next three fights, he can recapture the glory
that he had in the days of his thrilling fights over Ike Quartey,
Pernell Whitaker, and Fernando Vargas.

Starting tonight, he can walk out of the ring at the Home Depot
Center in triumph and his arms held high. After all, it is a
homecoming.

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Also on the card will be another member of the "Contender" family in
Freddy Curiel (18-6-2, 8 KO's) taking on Sven Paris (23-3, 16 KO's)
in an eight round Welterweight bout. Victor Ortiz (20-1-1, 15 KO's)
will face Dairo Esales in a ten round Junior Welterweight bout.
Lightweight Wes Ferguson (17-3-1, 5 KO's) will take on Miguel Munguia
(16-11-1, 13 KO's) in an eight round bout. Hot prospects Danny Garcia
and Daniel Jacobs will be featured in separate bouts.