De La Hoya Dominates Forbes, Wins Unanimous Decision By Doug Fischer (May 4, 2008) Photo © German Villasenor Send this page to friend Give us your feedback Boxing as sharp and effectively as he has since his rematch with Shane Mosley five years ago, Oscar De La Hoya out-jabbed, out-punched, out-worked and out-classed the very game but undersized and under-powered Steve Forbes over 12 brisk and busy rounds in front of more than 25,000 fans at the Home Depot Center Soccer Stadium in Carson, California Saturday night. The unanimous decision – which De La Hoya won by lop-sided scores of 120-108 and 119-109 (twice) – sets up a proposed rematch between the 35-year-old Golden Boy and Floyd Mayweather Jr. this September. De La Hoya, now 39-5 (30), said the Mayweather rematch has not been finalized, but he believes the lucrative return match will happen and he also feels that the 12 quality rounds he put in with Forbes will help him win the fight. “Now I feel sharp after 12 hard rounds,” said De La Hoya who may have won easily on points but did have a walk in the park with Forbes, who remained game throughout the bout, despite taking a beating down the stretch, and was able to redden the face of the sport’s biggest star. “Now I feel ready to fight after taking one year off.” Versus Mayweather last May, De La Hoya started fast but visibly faded over the second half of the fight, which was a record-breaking pay-per-view event. De La Hoya’s jab worked well for six rounds against Mayweather but the boxing icon inexplicably abandoned his left stick over the second half of the fight. Versus Forbes, De La Hoya’s jab was working all night, and the crisp straight left set up constant three- and four-punch combinations that jarred and knocked the naturally smaller boxer off balance, but never off his feet. “I was hoping I would stop him,” De La Hoya said afterward, “but I knew he’d be a tough customer. That’s the way he fights, that’s who he is.” Forbes, whose record fell to 33-6 (9), is a well-schooled boxer with fast hands and a lot of courage. He’s got skills but he’s a fighter at heart. What Forbes isn’t, however, is a puncher. As hard as he tried, the Portland native simply could not hurt De La Hoya, who was able to match the former 130-pound titlist’s hand speed, surpass his activity and do so with considerable more power. No matter how game Forbes was he could not beat the East L.A. native in any of their many exchanges because of De La Hoya’s edge in power. In other words, the Forbes could do Saturday night was be competitive. At the end of the night, going the distance was a moral victory for Forbes who bravely took on a De La Hoya that resembled the spry legged stick-and-move boxer-puncher from the early part of this decade. De La Hoya, who threw 810 total punches (half of which were jabs), was fast, focused, and fluid all night vs. Forbes. If he built up any rust over the past 12 months, he probably got rid of most of it Saturday night. He also appeared to gain a degree of confidence going into what might be another record-breaking event against the recognized best boxer, pound for pound, in the sport. But while De La Hoya is obviously still good enough to dominate a good fighter, his recent record suggests that he doesn’t have what it takes to get the job done against the elite boxers of this era. But don’t tell him that. “I’ve always prided myself on fighting the best,” he said. “I’m going to go after [Mayweather] because I know I can beat him.” Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums For Questions or Comments E-Mail Doug Fischer at dougie@maxboxing.com