De La Hoya Returns to HBO
The Golden Boy vs. Two Pound Stevie Forbes
Oscar De La Hoya returns to HBO for the first time since 2001 for tune-up to possible Mayweather rematch in the fall against former champion Stevie Forbes
Saturday, March 3rd marks the return of HBO's all-time largest draw, "The Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya to the network that made him a superstar. De La Hoya is looking to cash in on a possible rematch with pound-for-pound champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. Their first meeting over two years ago was the most lucrative fight in recent boxing history. Although "The Golden Boy" hasn't beaten a top-level fighter since his 2002 destruction of rival Fernando Vargas, he has remained one of the top box-office attractions. Despite his sporatic activity due to his promoting duties, Oscar has managed to stay relevant, and once again is looking to score a huge payday in Los Angeles at The Home Depot Center.
More importantly, De La Hoya is looking to stay active, and has Mayweather Sr. back in his corner, which should make him more capable of defeating the unstoppable Mayweather. Although several boxing enthusiasts think Cotto would pose a bigger threat than De La Hoya to Mayweather's throne, that matchup is less likely due to De La Hoya's huge global fan-base. In Oscar's upcoming "tune-up", he will take on former IBF Titlelist Stevie "Two-Pound" Forbes. Forbes is an established veteran, but this will certainly be the toughest test of his career. After a runner-up finish on the reality show 'The Contender," where Forbes was battling much larger men, "Two-Pound" lost a disputed decision to Bernard Hopkins' nephew, Demetrius.
Orignally, Forbes was being trained by long-time coach Roger Mayweather, before Floyd Jr. pulled the plug, due to fear of Forbes spoiling a big-money bout with "The Golden Boy." Now Forbes is being trained by another Mayweather, Jeff Mayweather. Jeff is the more quiet and reserved Mayweather, who has dodged the celebrity his brothers and nephew have pursued. De La Hoya should be weary of Forbes, and should not look past the former champion. Although their is speculation De La Hoya is looking past Forbes, due to him setting up a follow-up fight before taking care of business, Oscar should have learned his lesson. In 2004, De La Hoya challenged Felix Sturm for the WBO Middleweight Championship to set up a mega-fight with Bernard Hopkins. De La Hoya looked chubby,unprepared, and rusty. Luckily, even though he was hurt and bloodied by Sturm, Oscar escaped with a narrow decision victory.
It would be a colossal mistake for De La Hoya to have the same preparation for this fight. Forbes is getting the opportunity of a lifetime, and Oscar better assume he will be in for a war, if he plans on getting another shot at Mayweather Jr. Oscar has stated he plans to fight three more times before retiring later this year. If De La Hoya can get past Forbes and somehow defeat the seemingly unbeatable Mayweather, he will put a stamp on his already storied career.
