Steve "2 Pound" Forbes looks to fight big against Oscar

By Robert Morales

There was Steve Forbes, ripping what would be body shots into the mitt-wearing hands of trainer Jeff Mayweather.

A well-known boxing writer, not this one, said that Forbes would be smart to land a lot of body shots when he takes on Oscar De La Hoya on Saturday at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

This was Tuesday. Forbes and Vicente Escobedo were playing host to a media workout at Pound 4 Pound La Brea Boxing Club in Los Angeles. Escobedo, a 2004 U.S. Olympian promoted by De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions, will take on Roberto Arrieta of Argentina on Friday at Home Depot Center.

De La Hoya is 35. He has not fought in a year. Obviously, this was the thinking of the reporter in regards to Forbes going to De La Hoya's body. It must be soft. Or at least not as hard as it used to be.

The thing is Forbes would have a difficult time hurting De La Hoya even if De La Hoya stood there and said, "Go ahead, man, take your best shot and I won't even try and block it."
Sometimes statistics don't tell the whole story about an athlete. But in the case of knockout ratio for a fighter, it usually tells a very accurate story about power. Forbes has nine knockouts in 38 fights. A good knockout ratio would be 70 percent. Very good would be 80 and great would be 90 percent. Forbes' is less than 25 percent. He is a skilled fighter, with no power.

And just because Forbes (33-5, 9 KOs) is going to fight De La Hoya at 150 pounds, 20 pounds higher than the weight at which he won his only world title in 2000, doesn't mean he is going to be a harder hitter. Quite the contary. This is someone who didn't even have power at 130. Since leaving that weight class for good in 2004, Forbes has two knockouts in 11 bouts fighting in the junior welterweight and welterweight divisions.

The guys he stopped were Alfonso Garcia, a tomato can who came in 6-8, and Julio Cesar Sanchez Leon. Terrific name, mediocre fighter who was 22-15-1 at the time.

If you listen to Forbes' passionate promoter, Jeff Wald of Tournament of Contenders, you'd think Forbes actually has a chance to upset De La Hoya and a very big apple cart; De La Hoya has his sights set on a September rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"I know from experience there's nothing on Earth more dangerous than a hungry fighter, and Steve is a hungry fighter in spite of having been a world champion, in spite on how he's done on 'The Contender,' in spite of winning his other fights," Wald said during a recent conference call. "He's a hungry fighter and he want this ..."

Wald was asked if, based on what happened to Contender alum Alfonso Gomez on April 12 in his fight with welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, Forbes had pressure on him to uphold the honor of "The Contender" as the second season runner-up on the reality series. Gomez was not surprisingly out-classed and not allowed to answer the bell for the sixth round after absorbing a sound beating by Cotto.

Wald's temperature seemed to rise.

"I think that we're the only company that gets that question because of coming off the TV show and people talk about reality," Wald said. "The one thing with Gomez is he never stopped fighting; the doctor stopped that fight. He was out-matched, no question about that in that fight. ... But I think Steve Forbes stands on his own. His record stands on its own, his accomplishments before 'The Contender' as a world champion stand on (their) own.
"The answer is yes. Would it be a thrill for us and for our brand to have him win? The answer is yes. But at the end of the day, Steve Forbes fights for Steve Forbes. He fights for (wife) Valerie Forbes, he fights for his baby. He fights for the same reason all of these kids fight; they fight for themselves and their family.

"We're pleased to have a great relationship with our fighters and it would be great for us, too. But the whole thing about us being embarrassed, we're not embarrassed or any of that. It's really in the press's head, not the public's. The public looks at each of these fights to see if they're competitive, fun to watch, entertaining, and whether they get their money's worth."
Bingo.

You know how sometimes people say too much for their own good? That's what Wald did there.

Did fans who paid their hard-earned dough to get into Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City get their money's worth to see Cotto in one of the easiest fights of his career? Don't think so. Sure, the Puerto Ricans were probably happy to a degree because their guy won. But Puerto Ricans are outstanding boxing fans and no doubt even they would have liked to have seen something resembling competitiveness.

And that was clearly absent.

The opinion here is that Forbes is a more talented fighter than Gomez. He was a world champion for a short spell, something Gomez will never be. Whereas Gomez is nothing more than a glorified club fighter, Forbes at least at one point developed into a world-class fighter.

Still, Forbes is a little dude. He is 5-foot-7 1/2, fighting well above the weight at which he was a world-class fighter. It was less than two years ago that Forbes lost to one Grady Brewer in the championship of "The Contender." Grady Brewer? Mr. 21-11 Grady Brewer at the time.

Yes, the pressure is on Forbes. Not so much to defend the fighters who were on "The Contender," but to make sure fans don't have to sit through another laugher. One like we had with Cotto and Gomez was enough for the year. Forbes last week spoke like he not only believes he can hang with De La Hoya, but win.

"I've already had this over and over in my mind and dreamed about it," Forbes said. "He's going to really try to press the issue by trying to make me believe that maybe I shouldn't be in there. It's a mental fight, and then I see me overcoming that and being smart.

"People are going to see a lot of things that they haven't seen a fighter do in a very long time and I'm very confident on that. And I just see me winning the fight. It may get a little boring at times during the fight. But I think for the most part it's going to be really, really exciting because I know Oscar wants to excite the crowd. I do, too. ... I want fans to remember me."
Forbes, 31, went on to say that he will not be intimidated by De La Hoya in any way, shape or form. Wald also pointed out that Forbes has never been knocked down.

Even De La Hoya (38-5, 30 KOs) is doing his best to sell this fight, which will be televised by HBO.

"This is going to be one heck of a fight," De La Hoya said last week. "I mean, Steve Forbes, like all my other opponents, are going to elevate themselves to another level because they know by having a good performance, by beating me, they take their careers to another stage. So, I mean, I think that's what's going to make it such a great fight is that I know Steve Forbes is coming with everything.

"Therefore I will be coming with everything. So I think people are going to really appreciate this performance from both of us."

You know the part about fighters elevating themselves to another level because they know beating De La Hoya will take their careers to another stage? Talk about deja vu. De La Hoya said almost that exact same thing in a February 1995 post-fight news conference. He had just defeated John John Molina and he was asked about future opponents. Guess his shtick hasn't changed.

It's simple: If the fans who are paying to get into Home Depot Center are doing so because they want to see De La Hoya fight one last time in Los Angeles, then they will get their money's worth. The fight will be held in the soccer stadium the L.A. Galaxy and Chivas USA call home. There could be as many as 30,000 fans, and the atmosphere will be very festive what with everything that is being planned for the card.

But for those expecting a highly competitive fight, they will likely be disappointed. Perhaps very much so. But, hey, this is boxing. Do any of us think for one second that De La Hoya is going to risk another giant payday that will come with the Mayweather rematch by fighting anyone who can beat him?

Don't think so.