On September 27, Steve Forbes is fighting Andre Berto for the WBC welterweight championship at the Home Depot Center, Carson, California.
Andre Berto making his first defense of his WBC Welterweight title against Steve Forbes. Forbes was last seen in May fighting Oscar De La Hoya. Although Forbes lost by UD, he busted De La Hoya a lot more than most expected. Berto tends to beat his opponents down, but not so sure he can do that against Forbes. Berto is only 5'8 1/2 which is better for Forbes who stands 5'7 1/2 but has fought a lot recently with taller guys.
"Steve Forbes is a former world champion, a real sharp kid. He just got off of a really good fight with Oscar De La Hoya, so it's going to be a real good test for me. I'm really going to have something to prove. He's never been knocked out, he's never been stopped. My last few guys, that I've been in with, I've been putting them away pretty early so it's going to be some good work for me.", Berto Said.
Forbes is a nice step-up opponent. He's a tough veteran that has never been on the mat, has never lost by KO or TKO, and has really good boxing skills and ring smarts. He'll give Berto a far stiffer challenge than the last two cans that Andre has wasted.
02/29/08
Steve Forbes to fight Oscar De La Hoya May 3rd at The Home Depot Center!!
To my fans:
This is a fight between two masters of the fistic arts. One who happens to be the face of this art, and the other who has never had the opportunity to prove he belongs until now. I will be ready. I will come to win.
02/27/08
Forbes De La Hoya press conference at The Home Depot Center Feb 26th, 2008
In two months the eyes of the entire sports world will focus on the 27,000-seat soccer stadium on the Carson, California-based complex and training facility where Oscar De La Hoya will fight Steve Forbes in what will be the state’s biggest boxing event in at least two decades.
The 12-round welterweight bout, viewed by most boxing observers as a “tune-up” fight to prepare De La Hoya for his high-profile rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September, will take place on May 3rd and will be televised live on HBO (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT). The Forbes fight, dubbed “Homecoming” by De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, will be the East L.A. native’s first bout in Southern California since the Staples Center hosted his first fight with Shane Mosley in 2000; it will be De La Hoya’s first bout on HBO’s World Championship Boxing since he fought Arturo Gatti in ’01.
On Tuesday, De La Hoya, 38-5 (30), and Forbes, 33-5 (9), met the media at the Home Depot Center in the kick-off press conference announcing the fight and related events that will build up the first boxing match to take place in a Southern California stadium since Dodger Stadium and the defunct Wrigley Field hosted all-time greats like Sugar Ray Robinson, Carmen Basilio and Emile Griffith in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, which is promoting De La Hoya-Forbes (along with a dozen major sponsors), announced that the Boxing Writers Association of America will hold its annual diner and awards ceremony, an event that’s open to the public, in the L.A. area for the first time in its 82-year history on Thursday of the week of the fight. Schaefer added that a Telefutura “Solo Boxeo” card and a Latin music concert will be held at the Home Depot Center’s outdoor tennis arena the day before De La Hoya-Forbes.
Schaefer told the press that the Home Depot Center’s stadium, which hosts the L.A. Galaxy and Chivas USA soccer teams, generally attracts 21,000 to its home games, but De La Hoya-Forbes will utilize the soccer field space enabling the May 3rd fight to host even more fans.
“We will add 10,000 seats plus VIP field boxes with the floor configuration, so the stadium will be able to hold more than 31,000 fans,” he said. “Tickets will start at $25 and we will have live music in-between the undercard bouts to create a grand, festive atmosphere for all the fans that will turn out for this event.”
However, despite all the build-up and media attention that will be focused on the May 3rd event, De La Hoya promised the press that he wasn’t looking at the bout with Forbes as a big party or an “event” but rather a fight and not a tune-up fight either.
“I’m not going to fall into the trap of seeing this as a tune-up fight,” said De La Hoya, who under-trained for unheralded Felix Sturm in a bout that was supposed to build-up his 2004 showdown with Bernard Hopkins and was lucky to escape with a close decision. “I’ve been down that road before with other so-called tune-up fights. I’ve fallen into that trap before.
“This fight is serious to me; it may be the most important fight of my career. That’s why I’ve been training for the last two months, that’s why Floyd [Mayweather] Sr. is back with me, that’s why I’m going back to Big Bear [for training camp] with a full team. I’m going back to where it all began to make sure that I’m in tip top shape.”
De La Hoya had better be well prepared for Forbes, a former IBF 130-pound title holder known to casual fans because of his participation in the second season of the unscripted boxing series The Contender, is a crafty and busy veteran who can out-box or out-hustle fighters that are naturally bigger, younger or more talented than he is.
The paunchy, sluggish version of De La Hoya that showed up for Sturm could get embarrassed by Forbes, a classy boxer and classier person who was gracious for the opportunity to fight boxing’s biggest star.
“Today’s my birthday and what a birthday present,” said Forbes, who turned 31 on Tuesday. “When I first heard that I was being considered I thought it was a bad joke. Jeff Wald [of The Contender] had to put me on the phone with Golden Boy Promotions to prove it.”
To most observers, Forbes is the perfect opponent for De La Hoya as a precursor for Mayweather Sr. The Portland native, who began his pro career in Las Vegas where he was taught by Mayweather Sr., employs many of the same defensive and counter-punching techniques that Mayweather Jr. exhibits in the ring; but Forbes, who has only registered nine KOs in his 38 pro fights, is not an offensive threat to De La Hoya, who turned 35 earlier this month.
However, despite his lack of punching power, it would be inaccurate to write Forbes off as a blown-up junior lightweight. A close look at his record reveals that he weighed over 135 pounds for 20 of his 38 bouts. He fought 14 of those 20 bouts between 140 and 149 pounds.
Forbes weighed 149 pounds for all four of his ESPN-televised bouts that were part of season two of The Contender. Forbes beat three naturally bigger opponents en route to The Contender Finale where he dropped a 10-round split decision to Grady Brewer, a career journeyman but one who made his living in the junior middleweight and middleweight divisions, the two weight classes De La Hoya has campaigned in since his ’01 fight with Gatti.
De La Hoya has lost three times since his blowout of Gatti, but only to the hall-of-fame-bound Mosley, Mayweather Jr. and Bernard Hopkins. Forbes, on the other hand, has losses to a former featherweight champ (Alejandro Gonzalez), two 130-pound titlists (Carlos Hernandez and Yodsanan Sor Nontachai), Brewer and most recently to Bernard’s nephew Demetrius Hopkins.
To be fair Forbes, the loss to Hopkins was one of the worst decisions of last year. Most of the ringside press had Forbes winning eight to nine of the 12 rounds against the young undefeated 140-pound contender. Forbes followed up the Hopkins loss with a split-decision win over Francisco Bojado last October.
“Steve Forbes is a real fighter,” said De La Hoya. “He has earned this opportunity; he’s proved himself.”
On May 3rd, De La Hoya – the last American fighter to headline a successful stadium fight (10 years ago when he stopped Patrick Charpentier in front of 51,000 screaming fans in the Sun Bowl in El Paso) – will prove once again that he is the biggest attraction in boxing.
“This is something special,” he said. “I’m coming back to where it all started, to the place that made me what I am.
“The fans deserve it and the sport deserves it.”
TICKETS
Tickets for De La Hoya-Forbes start at $25 (and include $50 and $75 prices) and go on sale Tuesday, March 4th at 10 a.m. Individual tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 213-480-3232 or by visiting ticketmaster.com. Group tickets and VIP packages are available by calling 1-877-AEG-TICKETS or by visiting www.aegtickets.com.
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10/16/07
ANOTHER SPLIT DECISION - BUT THIS TIME IT'S FOR STEVE
Coming into the October 6 fight, both fighters had something to prove, at least to some observers. Steve Forbes had just come off a controversial loss to Hopkins, and Francisco “Panchito” Bojado was returning from a two-year layoff. Even though Francisco came to the weigh-in three pounds over the limit, the fight went ahead as scheduled. Why not? Steve had already faced the likes of Cornelius Bundrage and Grady Brewer, who were a few classes heavier.
During the fight, Steve noticed that Francisco (18-3) was unable to press for long periods of time, fighting in spurts every other round and conserving his energy as much as he could in the others. Although Francisco still showed the power-punching ability that made him a 2000 Olympian for Mexico, Steve stayed busier throughout. The result was a victory for Steve, bringing his record to 33-5.
09/21/2007
CONTENDER STAR STEVE FORBES FIGHT RESCHEDULED UNDER PACQUIAO vs BARRERA OCTOBER 6
Former junior lightweight titlist Steve Forbes, the runner-up on the second season of "The Contender" reality series, and one-time top prospect Francisco "Panchito" Bojado won't see the work they've done in their training camps go to waste after all.The junior welterweights had been scheduled to fight Saturday night on the HBO PPV "Fireworks" card headlined by junior lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez's first defense against Rocky Juarez at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. However, the card was canceled last Friday night because a cut on Marquez's knuckle became infected and led to severe swelling, leaving him unable to fight.
On Monday night, Forbes (32-5, 9 KOs) and Bojado (18-2, 12 KOs) had their bout rescheduled.
The fight will be added to the Oct. 6 HBO PPV card headlined by the rematch between junior lightweight stars Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera, which will take place down the Las Vegas strip at Mandalay Bay, the MGM's sister resort.
Golden Boy Promotions, the firm headed by Oscar De La Hoya, was the lead promoter for the canceled card and is the co-promoter for the Oct. 6 card. It is putting Forbes-Bojado into one of its slots on the four-fight pay-per-view broadcast and removing junior lightweight prospect and 2004 Olympian Vicente Escobedo, who did not yet have an opponent.
"All of the people at Golden Boy acted like total gentlemen. They worked hard to find a spot for the fight," promoter Jeff Wald of "The Contender" told ESPN.com. "I give a lot of credit to them. Golden Boy has worked hard since the show was canceled and we're very grateful to them for finding a spot for the fight so quickly."
"That fight was the easy one to find a spot for," Golden Boy chief operating office Dave Itskowitch told ESPN.com. "There is still work to do. We're still looking for spots for the other fights."
A middleweight bout between first-season "Contender" winner Sergio Mora (19-0, 4 KOs) and former junior middleweight titlist Kassim Ouma (25-3-1, 15 KOs), which was supposed to be the co-feature on Saturday night, could also soon find a home.
Wald said he is talking to ESPN executives, who have a vested interest in "The Contender" franchise, about buying the fight for the Oct. 16 card at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
That show will serve as episode seven of this season of "The Contender" and feature a live fight between season one fan favorite Alfonso Gomez and Ben Tackie. If a deal is worked out, Mora-Ouma would air live on ESPN Classic just before the live fight on ESPN.
The other two canceled bouts -- Marquez-Juarez and a featherweight title bout between beltholder Robert Guerrero and Martin Honorio -- remain up in the air.
Forbes, Bojado, Mora, Ouma and De La Hoya all will appear on Tuesday's episode of "The Contender" (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET) along with "Contender" promoter and front man Sugar Ray Leonard in pre-taped scenes which were designed to help promote Saturday's canceled card as well as to give them a chance to interact with the new crop of fighters on the third season of the series.
03/18/2007
Steve "2 Pounds" Forbes Takes Robbery Outcome with a Smile and Class. However, The Boxing Bookie Pulls No Punches!
Watching the Steve Forbes-Demetrius Hopkins bout was a clear case of professionalism, experience, and pure hunger. Both men fought their hearts out and showcased the best of what they had in their respective arsenals. To 99 percent of those in attendance the outcome of the fight was definitively clear. Forbes had apparently used his slick moves, superior accuracy, and determination to win an action-packed fight with the young prospect in Hopkins.
Throughout the bout I turned to my colleague Ricardo Lois and stated, “This guy is definitely the closest thing Floyd Mayweather Jr. in terms of style and craft. Nobody pulls off the shoulder roll and counter in addition to his left hook to the body like he does.” Ric nodded and said begrudingly, “Yeah man, you were definitely right this time.”
When the scorecards were announced, I felt that the judges were on point being that while Demetrius stayed busy throughout the bout, Steve had consistently landed the cleaner, more effective punches virtually every round. The art of subtle slipping, rolling, and countering were in full effect throughout the bout as “2 Pounds” show-cased his adopted style from trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr.
I think all those in attendance better check their mouths for any infections because after Hopkins was announced as the winner, everybody… I mean EVERYBODY’S jaw dropped to the floor. Right next to the Nike sneakers and polished dress shoes was the bottom jaw of every writer, spectator and fan in attendance. The crowd which had been relatively subdued throughout the fight broke out in a loud chant of, “Bullshit, Bullshit, Bullshit!” It honestly incenses me just thinking about this very moment.
I could swear even those at press row were involved in the chant. The anger and disgust in everyone’s eyes was so apparent it could have burned a whole in the “judges” craniums. As the fuming press paced back and forth between press row and media center I walked by Maxboxing’s Doug Fischer. He had a look of pure disbelief and stated, “You my friend cover a very odd sport.” I chuckled and nodded.
With all the antagonists of open scoring in recent weeks, this is a classic example of a time were it might have helped. Not because of the fact that it would have forced Forbes to fight harder and apply more pressure. He fought a relatively perfect fight in most people’s eyes, but rather because it would have showcased the complete ineptness of the “judges” abilities. Would it have changed anything? Probably not but it might have gotten a beer or two thrown the judges way. Call me unprofessional but I wouldn’t have minded one bit.
At the post-fight press conference I was able to catch-up with true victor of the bout in “2 Pounds” and he was seemingly in good spirits. He was obviously a bit disappointed in the ridiculous outcome and scoring but he flashed his patented smile and took it all in stride.
Forbes stated (chuckling), “You were right man, what you said about not getting a fair shake. Ah what can you do? At least it was on TV and people were able to see how the fight really went down.”
I have to say that for some reason I expected Steve to react this way. He’s not the kind of guy to come off as a class act and then show his true colors when things don’t go his way (hint, hint). I then stated, “Don’t ever have a rematch with Demetrius, first of all, there’s no need because you clearly won the fight, and secondly it’s time to move on to bigger and better things.”
Forbes manager, Mike Levy stated, “I agree completely. We won the fight and now we’re not even going to acknowledge the judges scorecards. The fans know what they saw and they really support my guy throughout everything. We actually spoke to Ricky Hatton last night about a potential fight against him should he beat Castillo in June. He seems very interested and we’re going to try and make that fight happen.”
Let me tell you something fight fans, a fight with Steve Forbes against the winner of Ricky Hatton-Jose Luis Castillo would be an automatic candidate for Fight of the Year. It’s pretty much guaranteed fireworks and would really send the right message to boxing fans. Even if you get reamed by the judges, the fans are the ones who ultimately make the fights happen.
I remember when Philadelphia fighter, Charles Brewer, lost his barn-burner fight with Antwun Echols were he had brutally knocked down Echols three times only to lose the fight via quick stoppage the next round. While “The Hatchet” was obviously disappointed at the outcome of the battle, what happened next is what made it all ok in the end. He got a shot at the kingpin of the division in Joe Calzaghe. These are the types of situations that make boxing interesting and yet disturbing at the same time. Sometimes the loser of a fight unjustly gets his shot at the title while the winner must sit-back and pick his teeth. Sometimes it’s the other way around. In any case, whatever took place for Brewer to get his shot at Calzaghe is what needs to happen in regards to this situation with Steve Forbes. Boxing can undo all of its wrongs with a right.
So as I continued to chat with “2 Pounds” I asked, “So what’s next? I know we talked about you potentially helping out Oscar in his fight with Floyd Jr. I spoke with Freddie Roach a couple weeks back and he said you’d be a great addition to the camp. Are you still interested in helping out Oscar?”
Forbes said, “Oh yeah, definitely man. I’m just gonna take a couple weeks off and I’ll be ready to go to Puerto Rico April 1st.”
It was just admirable how a fighter could suffer such an unjust consequence and still be willing to help an organization who many feel caused this decision. There was absolutely no bad-mouthing of Demetrius or Golden Boy promotions by Forbes or his manager. They are a true class act and know that this sport has its faults.
I joked with Forbes stating, “I think it’s time for a rib-eye steak man but come April 1st let’s make this thing happen.”
Forbes chuckled, “Yeah, maybe even two. I’m gonna enjoy the couple weeks off and back to business I go.”
So maybe all is not too bad in the Forbes camp. He might just be the top sparring partner for one of the biggest fights of recent times and maybe, just maybe we’ll see him in a fall showdown with the winner of Ricky Hatton-Jose Luis Castillo. For one of boxing’s true good guys and class acts, I don’t see a better way for the rest of the year to play out.
PS. Although illegal and being a violation of copyright laws, I will speak with owner Mike Marley of posting a round or two of the robbery here at Boxingconfidential. What I plan to do is do a complete break-down of the round minute by minute. Rather than just state the ineptness of the judges, I think it’s time to show it as well. Maybe the fans just don’t know what they’re looking at. Maybe all the veterans at press row don’t know either. Maybe the judges are just so good at what they do, we must re-watch everything in complete detail and focus to really understand what they saw. I highly doubt it.
PPS. The Boxing Bookie segment is not over. If Forbes can handle his loss with such class and dignity, it inspires me to man up and hit Mr. ATM for a one thousand dollar reload. I will be back with a vengeance my friends!
by: John Chavez Click Here for original article
10/06/2006 The video of the final fight from "The Contender 2" has now been posted in the Video section of the site.
09/29/2006
Steve and Grady Brewer (21-11) met for the right to be crowned the champion of "The Contender." Steve started out aggressively, landing several shots. However, he was unable to take control of the fight as the bigger and stronger Grady dictated the pace. Grady made good use of his punches in the early rounds and outworked Steve on the inside and outside. Both fought well, but enough judges thought Grady was better to give him the win by split decision.
Brewer wins a close one when it counts. Read ESPN article in our Links section.
09/20/2006
Week 10 of "The Contender 2" saw Steve matched up against the bigger and stronger Cornelius "K9" Bundrage (23-1). Cornelius came inside to keep Steve close, holding and hitting him in an attempt to keep him off his game. "K9" utilized this tactic effectively in previous bouts, but this time Steve used it to his advantage. "2 Pound" unleashed several effective combinations and kept his opponent on his toes. Steve won by unanimous decision and faces Grady Brewer (21-11) next for the right to be the champion of "The Contender"!
09/15/2006
All of the fans can now interact in the Stevie Forbes forums. Proceed to register for the fan club, or log in to the forums directly if you have already registered in the past.
09/08/2006
To my fans and supporters,
I want to thank all of you out there for your support. Its great to know that I have boxing fans who are behind me 100%.
My life has been an interesting one. At birth I weighed only two pounds and had to struggle to live. I was always very small growing up and was often overlooked for athletic teams. I always had to prove to people that I had what it took to survive and prosper. My story is simply one of perseverance and drive and determination. I never let people or events get me down. I have one life to live and I will make the best of it. If you overlook me, you will pay the price. Mine is a story that all people should relate to and find motivation from. If I can make it from a premature two pound baby, so can you.
Early on, boxing gave me an outlet to show the world that you do not need privilege or height or weight to succeed. You need passion and determination. I have always had that desire to succeed in all facets of my life and my boxing career is no different. My career has admittedly been an interesting one. I have struggled at times to find the right people to represent me and have had problems with making the 130 pound weight my handlers thought I should fight at. With all the ups and downs, however, I still managed to become a world champion before the age of 25.
The opportunity to fight on The Contender is a great one and I have taken full advantage of it. As a former world champion, I had been in some huge fights in front of thousands of people, but I have never gained the worldwide exposure like I have experienced on The Contender. I have received emails from all over the globe wishing me well and congratulating me on great fights. For this, I am quite fortunate indeed.
As I enter my semi-final bout, I am more driven than ever. I want this Contender title and then the world championship belt after that. With the support of my fans, this will become a reality.
Sincerely,
Steve "Two-Pound" Forbes
09/06/2006
We have updated the biography / stats and links sections of our site.
09/01/2006
See Steve talk about his nickname and the start of his boxing career in the cool stuff section of the site. See the recent video section for a couple of new clips from Steve's fights in 2003/2004.
