Steve Forbes “Two Pounds” let you’re fists do the talking in the ring, never having and ill word towards no one.  Not even when Mayweather Jr. ordered for his uncle to relinquish his role in the camp in fear that the Roger Mayweather trained Forbes could upset DLH and put in jeopardy the planned DLH-Mayweather 2 rematch.
Forbes earned his unique nickname thirty-one summers ago when he was born prematurely and only weighing two pounds.  It has been a battle ever since.  Learning his trade in Portland, Forbes turned professional in 96 and shortly after moved to Las Vegas.  In late ’00, Forbes found himself across the ring from John Brown for the vacant IBF super featherweight title which he promptly won via an 8th round TKO.  Forbes defended the title one year later in rematch with Brown only to lose it the worst way imaginable, on the scales.  Even though he defeated David Santos inside the ring in ’02, he had already had relinquished his right for the title the day before when he couldn’t reach the 130lbs. limit.  Since then, Forbes has come up short in his quest to wear a championship belt again against Carlos Hernandez in ’03 and Yonsanan Sor Nanthachi in ’04, both by unanimous decision.

In ’06, Forbes fought his way to the finals of “The Contender” season 2 series only to lose to the much naturally bigger 147 pounder Grady Brewer in ten hard fought rounds.  Shortly they’re after, Steve was signed to Golden Boy Promotions and lost a controversial decision to junior welterweight prospect and Bernard Hopkins’ nephew, Demetrius Hopkins.

In his last fight, Forbes defeated Francisco “Panchito” Bojado via split decision on the undercard of Pacquiao-Barrera II.

So why would a fighter such as De La Hoya, a fighter who has defeated twelve world champions, choose Steve Forbes as his next opponent?

Because Steve Forbes is easy ?  I would guess that nobody was more surprised about facing DLH than Forbes himself but none the less welcomed it wholeheartedly since facing Oscar is the equivalent as in finding the golden ticket in a bar of chocolate.

Forbes would be traveling to the welterweight division, a weight class that he has only visited when he was part of “The Contender” series and in which the bouts were only five rounds long except for the final.  Forbes has made his living the lightweight and super lightweight divisions.  DLH has fought most of his career at 147 lbs. and has ventured as heavy as middleweight.  At five feet seven inches, Forbes would be giving up 4.5 inches in height and 5 inches in reach.  With his lack of physical attributes compared to DLH and with only 9KOs in 38 bouts, there is a little reason for the “Golden Boy” to have any respect for him inside the ring.

Since its inception, Golden Boy Promotions has touted itself as the new face of boxing, as only having the best fighters fight the best even when they belong to the same enterprise and in many cases, it rings true.  But in this bout, which is being broadcast on a non-PPV basis on HBO, it truly is not the case. 

As of this posting, Forbes is a 19-1 underdog in the U.K.

As GBP’s CEO should De La Hoya feel a twang of embarrassment in trying to pass off this event as a legitimate fight?  Or more like a glorified sparring session being broadcast worldwide and with 28,000 fans in attendance.

But if Top Rank can do it, why not DLH?

Just a mere two weeks ago after an exciting exhibition of a boxing brawl between Antonio Margarito and Kermit Cintron, HBO showcased Miguel Cotto paw around another overmatched B level fighter from “The Contender” series Alfonso Gomez over five rounds like a cat with a ball of yarn.

If anybody deserves an easy fight with a nice payday is DLH who has done so much for his sport while earning millions and becoming the wealthiest and arguably the most recognized boxer in history.  With his Olympic story, singing career, good looks, and Mexican American heritage, it will be hard to say when there will be another fighter like Oscar De La Hoya.

So no, Oscar should not feel any shame for this seemingly undemanding assignment. Any Comments?

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