The Golden Boy

Having disposed of Stevie "2 pound" Forbes, 35 year old Oscar De La Hoya finds himself two laps from the finish line, two wins from greatness. 'The Golden Boy' had hand-picked Forbes because of his similarity to Floyd Mayweather Jr, and as tune-up fights go this was an impressive display.

In front of 27,000 fans in the Home Depot Centre and millions watching on HBO, De La Hoya showed the kind of dominant jab and good footwork he will need to defeat Mayweather in their September 20th rematch. The stinging left jab of De La Hoya dominated the fight from the outset and in truth this was something of a miss-match as all three judges awarded the fight to the California native.

However Forbes, despite being schooled by memebers of the Mayweather clan, is no Floyd. When De La Hoya stepts in the ring in Las Vagas on Spetember 20th, he will need more than a sharp jab to defeat the 'Pretty Boy.' At 35, and with his best years most definately behind him, De La Hoya recognizes that he needs the performance of his life to record the most significant victory of his distinguished career.

"This is how I plan to fight Mayweather. Straight up. On the balls of my feet. Using my jab. This is the way I wanted this fight to go. This is the same style I'm going to use to beat Mayweather because I know I can. Now that I've been in there with Floyd this is personal. I'm going to beat him. You watch. It's about having the perfect game plan. Have to take your time, be on your topes, pop, pop, pop. We'll get it down. This is very personal. You watch. I'm going to beat the best.''

Despite having recorded victories against the likes of Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez, it is generally believed that the Olympic gold medalist of 1992 requires victories in his last two fights to be remembered as a genuine great. De La Hoya is easily the most marketable name in the sport but his current record of 39-5 falls fractionally short of greatness. Victory over the undeated, pound-for-pound king would unquestionably propel him back amongst the elite and cement his place in boxing history.

Mayweather justifiably remains favourite for the contest and outside of the De La Hoya camp few experts forsee anything other than another "L" being added to Oscar's record. Mayweather's hand speed, accuracy and defensive technique led him to victory in the first bout, and at just 31 it is difficult to imagine these skills have diminished any.

Following the re-match with 'money Mayweather' Oscar has stated that he will fight once more in his home state of California. Although an opponent has yet to be named, and one suspects it may depend on the outcome of the September 20th contest, there are rumours suggesting he could fight either Miguel Cotto or Felix Trinidad. Cotto is an exciting up-and-comming Champion who would pose a real threat to 'The Golden Boy,' whereas a rematch with Trinidad would be a paper per view smash.

Whatever the outcome of his final fights boxing fans should just cheerish a champion performer who has done nothing but good for the image of the sport.

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