Oscar De La Hoya wants us to believe he can beat Floyd Mayweather in a rematch. To accentuate this point the golden promoter is taking on Steve Forbes, of former contender fame and a guy whose style closely resembles that of money Mayweather. Forbes has been trained in the Mayweather shoulder roll style by Roger Mayweather, and is now trained by Jeff Mayweather.
In a recent interview, De La Hoya says he wants to "work on some things" in this fight with Forbes in preparation for a fall showdown with Floyd. One of these "things" is relaxing in the ring, as De La Hoya appeared to be noticeably nervous and tight during the early rounds in the first fight with Floyd. This may have led to his jab totally disappearing in the second half of the fight, as he slowed down considerably.
Also he plans to throw more jabs. He claims he will "pump his jab 50-60 times a round" against Forbes, which is much easier said than done. Forbes is a very good boxer, and should be able to neutralize the golden boy's jab enough to stop him from throwing it at this clip.
So what should De La Hoya do in this fight?
I've got something for him to work on. How about the ko. How about jabbing his way in, walking the smaller man down, and landing that beautiful left hook he made famous early on in his career? I simply don't find winning a decision against a guy at 150lbs who has fought most of his career at 135lbs to be an indicator that he will beat Mayweather. Steve Forbes has never been known as a power puncher, although he has never been knocked down in his pro career so he does possess a good chin.
Being that Oscar's a promoter nowadays more if not just as much as a fighter, one would think he would realize that the best way to drum up excitement for a rematch with Mayweather is to knock Forbes out for the first time in his career. One of the biggest problems I had with De La Hoya's performance against Mayweather besides his jab being nonexist late in the fight was the fact he seemed unwilling to walk through Mayweather's punches to land his own. He refused to go for the knockout when it appeared that he needed one.
Oscar, do us all a favor, and change your mindset for this fight with Forbes. Don't go in with the mindset of working on your jab and relaxing in the ring. Talk to your pal and fellow promoter at golden boy Bernard Hopkins, and use some one of his fight plans. Come May 3, control the distance, force the smaller man to go backwards, land to the body, and keep throwing left hooks until you plant Forbes into the front row of the audience. Even if you don't land the ko punch, you will send a message to Mayweather that this time you won't hold back.
Do this on May 3, and maybe, just maybe, I won't save my $50 in November.
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