OSCAR WIN A SPARKLER - BUT BUYER BEWARE... by George Elsasser

Was more a De La Hoya showcase to bigger things, the last noche HBO Hoya-Forbes mismatch - and all went as hoped for by those that call the shots. 
They spiked it with a Golden Boy demand that it be scheduled for twelve rounds ala title distance - for affect, to help build on a likely September rematch with “Pretty boy” Floyd. 
The Forbes selection fit into the game plan perfectly - smaller and short on punching power, especially at welter, junior middleweight range of 150 pounds - still, until it neared the midway point of stanza six, those that needed for Oscar to sparkle like fine  wine could begin to relax. 

FLOYD MAYWEATHER SR. AND JEFF MAYWEATHER DISCUSS DE LA HOYA vs FORBES ON INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL
Jeff Mayweather:    "Yes, I have a good relationship with both of my brothers, but my nephew – It's one of those situations where at some point in time either him or myself,  will have to make a decision on being the bigger person and squashing all that happened in the past and just let it be and let it go. But actually, I have no problem with him either. And it's just a situation that happened a long time ago when there was the rivalry with James Prince at that point in time."

OSCAR VERSUS THE PURE BOXER... by Lisa Craddock
Oscar is a talented boxer. He is undefeated in my book when faced with one dimensional opponents who came to knock Oscar out. Against Felix Trinidad Oscar showed brilliance and poise right up to the moment when he too got robbed by the judges. Ricardo Mayorga appeared amateurish next to Oscar’s skill and Campas never stood a chance.
It’s his opponent selection that has caused his record to suffer. Oscar appears to be chasing this dream to decisively beat a pure boxer.  Floyd Mayweather, Sr. was hired to fix this problem. Mayweather taught Oscar every trick in the book of pugilism to no avail.  The pure boxer victory has eluded Oscar regardless of how hard he works, or who he hires to help him learn because in actuality Oscar is a Banger. His closest advisers would do well to pull him aside and say, “Oscar, you’re a Mexican, quit trying to dance and beat this guy up, Mexican style!”

A LOOK AT DE LA HOYA VERSUS FORBES... by Richard Diaz
It’s a farewell tour that’s reminiscent of Roger Clemens a few years back. Beginning May 3rd and ending somewhere near the back end of 2008, De La Hoya is insisting that there’ll be three fights during that period of time and he will be  done. Standing ovations will be a given as he journeys toward so-called retirement; but what are the odds of this really being it? 
Think about it. Clemens received an extended standing ovation during his supposed finale. This took place during a World Series game against the Florida Marlins, in Miami nonetheless. Yet as we all know, there’s been plenty of Rocket action since that time. So rather than focusing on the extensive coverage of this swan song, how about we take a look at the upcoming fight and go from there. 

HBO MAY 3- FORBES vs HOYA: MORE CURIOSITY THAN MASTERPIECE... by George Elsasser

The intangibles lean heavily toward Oscar - and other than the B-Hop knockout loss, it looks like Forbes, with a mere nine by KO in 38 outings, has little chance to upset the apple cart - toss in natural size factor and we see another Hoya advantage. 
But this is boxing - and I just may have the answer to a monumental upset - but it would take a whole different kind of guts.

JEFF MAYWEATHER READY TO SHINE MAY 3 ON HBO: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW... by Rizwaan Zahid
BRC:  This will be your second time on HBO this year. Are you happy to be a part of some more public fights after always being known as the “other” Mayweather?
MAYWEATHER: I’m happy of course, for the opportunity to be seen on HBO and being able to showcase my skills as a trainer. It's unfortunate that I have been in the underdog role on both occasions but if you can make it on HBO you must be doing something right.

FORBES SWITCHES TRAINERS...
Former world champion Steve 'Two Pound' Forbes has replaced Roger Mayweather with Roger's younger brother, Jeff Mayweather, as his trainer for the big May 3 HBO fight against Oscar de la Hoya. The change came about following Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s comments to reporters that he would fire Roger if he tried to help Forbes beat De la Hoya, which would torpedo Floyd's big money rematch against the Golden Boy in September.

THE MAYWEATHER FAMILY: "WE'RE NOT SO DYSFUNCTIONAL AFTER ALL..." by Jeff Mayweather
I have been writing about the division among the Mayweathers and the things that have happened within my family that have made us a target for most boxing writers. We have been made to look like there is no such thing as peace and harmony and unity in our family. Well, on June 10th, the much awaited reunion became a reality.

5-3-2008