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De La Hoya Wins Likely Tuneup Bout

By TIM DAHLBERG,

Posted: 2008-05-04 01:07:03

Filed Under: Fighting

CARSON, Calif. (May 3) - Oscar De La Hoya showed he could still beat a contender. Next up is cashing in again like a champion.

Mark J. Terrill, AP

Oscar De La Hoya raises his fist in triumph after winning a unanimous decision against former "Contender" runner-up Steve Forbes.

In what was little more than a tuneup for a much bigger fight, De La Hoya kicked off his retirement tour Saturday night before an appreciative crowd by pitching a near shutout over a game but overmatched Steve Forbes.

De La Hoya got a chance to shake off ring rust and put on a show in front of his hometown fans, who came out in big numbers to cheer him on against a fighter whose previous biggest claim to fame was losing in the final of the "Contender" reality series. He didn't disappoint, battering the smaller Forbes around on his way to an easy 12-round decision win in his first fight in a year.

The win set up a September rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who beat De La Hoya by split decision last May in what was the richest fight ever. And, even though De La Hoya was a 17-1 favorite, his dominating performance against Forbes will likely do what De La Hoya wanted by helping sell the second fight with Mayweather.

"This is the same style I'm going to use for Mayweather," De La Hoya said. "This is the same plan for Mayweather."

De La Hoya won all 12 rounds on one judge's scorecard and 11 out of 12 on the other two. He bloodied Forbes face, but he failed to knock out an opponent who had never been stopped in 38 previous fights, like he had vowed to do before the bout.

The Associated Press had De La Hoya winning every round, and scored it 120-108.

Oscar De La Hoya

"I was hoping I'd stop him or knock him out," De La Hoya said. "I'm a little disappointed."

Forbes seemed happier that he had made it through 12 rounds than De La Hoya seemed about winning the fight.

"It was an excellent fight and an honor to fight Oscar," Forbes said. "I felt strong and it was great to be in there like that and have the opportunity to get in there and not go down. I hope by fighting him I proved I am a top level fighter."

De La Hoya had little to fear from the light-hitting Forbes, a former 130-pound champion fighting at 150 pounds, and it showed. De La Hoya attacked from the opening bell, and the fight soon settled into a predictable pattern, with De La Hoya stalking Forbes and punishing him with combinations to the body and head.

But De La Hoya was greeted by scattered boos by the crowd at the end of the fight after failing to either put Forbes down or stop him.

"I'm happy I fought Forbes," De La Hoya said. "Now I feel sharp after a year's layoff."

De La Hoya, who says he will retire at the end of the year after two more fights, needed an impressive performance to help set up a second fight with Mayweather. De La Hoya hand-picked Forbes, a decent fighter with little power, to be an opponent who would showcase his skills while at the same time not pose too much of a threat to his plans.

Forbes cooperated by doing his best, but he rarely was able to get inside De La Hoya's reach or mount any sustained attack. As he kept losing rounds, his corner became as desperate as the fighter, imploring him to land one big punch.

"Try and make him walk into something," trainer Jeff Mayweather told Forbes after the fourth round

The fight hardly seemed suited for an outdoor arena and a prime-time audience on HBO, considering one fighter had lost two of his last three fights and the other had dropped three of his last five. But De La Hoya remains a box office attraction despite a middling 7-5 record over the last eight years and, with his retirement looming, this was the only chance for many in his hometown to see him live.

An announced crowd of 27,000, lured by ticket prices as low as $25, came to the Home Depot Center to do just that, even though the two fighters could barely be seen by fans in the upper reaches of the soccer stadium. The 35-year-old De La Hoya wanted to kick off what he says will be his final year in boxing before fans from his hometown.

"It was so great to be able to fight here in Los Angeles in front of all these people, particularly my fans of East L.A.," he said. "It just felt really nice to be home."

De La Hoya promotes as well as fights, and the fight was part of a carefully laid-out plan to finish his floundering career with a flourish. He plans to fight Mayweather in September and, if he can beat him, could fight for the last time in December against perhaps Miguel Cotto.

But fighters have been known to change their retirement plans as easily as they change gloves, and the only thing for certain is that De La Hoya will add many more millions to his already fat bank accounts before he finally hangs the gloves up for good. Mayweather has yet to sign for the rematch, though De La Hoya expressed confidence that the money would be too great for him to refuse.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

2008-05-03 23:44:24

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23 comments

bgood2me2001 10:23:58 AM May 12 2008

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Antonio Margarito is gonna soften up if not beat Cotto before Mayweather can. I like Cotto but Margarito has a good chin and will pressure the pressure fighter like Mosley did when he fought Cotto but Margarito is gonna do it all night. Mayweather is way better than Forbes he's faster smarter and stronger Delahoya will lose again. If Cotto wins and Mayweather wins thats the show down I pic FLOYD out box and check Cotto's chin enough to back him off and be out boxed by Mayweather I pic a closer fight with Mayweather vs Margarito cause of his chin and size but I got Mayweather split decision

jrogers881 01:20:55 AM May 12 2008

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oscar is just to slow

Mrkruser1 02:00:56 AM May 09 2008

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MAYWEATHER AND HOLA BOY ARE DANCERS NOT FIGHTERS THATS WHY THEY WONT FIGHT SOMEONE WITH BOXING POWER LIKE COTTA. AS LONG AS MORONS WILL PAY MILLIONS TO WATCH THOSE TO HUG ALL NIGHT THERE WILL NEVER BE A REAL FIGHT. COTTA'S THE REAL DEAL IF YOU DONT BELIEVE ME ASK THE FIGHTERS WHO HAVENT FOUGHT AGAIN AFTER LOSING TO COTTA. JUST CHECK HIM OUT ON UTUBE.

gunfighter1987 07:17:24 AM May 08 2008

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Sullivan Brother's Boxing Gym in Powell, Ohio

skytrvlr5 11:57:47 AM May 07 2008

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As much as I like Oscar I think he's on the decline. If Floyed would've fought Oscar when Oscar was younger then it would be a different story. Wait didn't Oscar got cheated by Trinidad? Wait I watched that fight with a group of my Puerto Rican friends, and they too thought Trinidad lost that fight....until of course when the judges came out with the score. Only in America

richcantwell109 09:42:49 AM May 07 2008

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Oscar is THE most over-rated fighter EVER. He has lost every fight against top
competition. I doubt he could even beat Judah at this point. Why are people willing
to shell out big bucks for PPV of his fights? A washed up Mosely would still beat him. STOP THE MADNESS!!! LET PPV DIE!!!

meka151 11:09:13 AM May 06 2008

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DID ANYONE ACTUALLY SEE THE FIGHT?? DE LA HOYA IS SLOW, HE'S NOT AT HIS PRIME ANYMORE. HE STARTED OUT STRONG BUT AFTER THE 4TH ROUND HE SLOWED DOWN LIKE A ANCHOR DROPPING INTO THE SEA. FORBES WHATS HIS NAME WAS RUNNING CIRCLE AROUND HOYA THE WHOLE TIME. WHETHER THIS FIGHT WAS JUST TO GET BIG CASH IN OR NOT, I STILL THINK HOYA WILL GET CRUSHED IF HE DECIDES TO TRY MAYWEATHER ON AGAIN.

MAYWEATHER HATERS NEED TO STEP THERE SH IT TALKING GAME UP. JUST LIKE SOMEBODY ALREADY SAID, AT LEAST MAYWATHER CAN BACK HIS SIDE UP.