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De la Hoya and Forbes: exciting night in prospect

Oscar is the epitome of professionalism, but ego and pride play a part for any fighter and he will know how close he came to wrecking Floyd Mayweather's unbeaten record.

Glenn McCrory
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DE LA HOYA v FORBES
2am, Sunday, Sky Sports 1
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It was a rare weekend without boxing for me, and to be honest I probably needed the time to recover after Calzaghe and Vegas.

But we're right back into it this weekend, and what a fight to return with - Oscar de la Hoya against Stevie Forbes.

I'll be in the studio for this one, and it's always an exciting prospect watching one of Oscar's fights - he truly is one of the big names in boxing.

In the run-up to any Oscar fight, the same questions come up - what has he got left? how long can he keep going? - and nobody has had a career quite like his.

He doesn't fight very often these days. Like all great athletes he knows his limitations; he's aware that he can't put himself through a training regime five or six times a year.

Fighter

But when he does fight he always puts in a performance and is a lesson to any other boxer out there. De la Hoya has other interests, as we know, but when it's time to go to work he takes himself out of that whole world and becomes a fighter again. What you see on Saturday will be 'Oscar the fighter', not 'Oscar the businessman'.

There's so much on the line for him when he gets in the ring - he's protecting a legacy which will put him in the same context as modern greats like Hagler, Leonard, Hearns and - going further back - Sugar Ray Robinson.

He's very thoughtful - he considers what is at stake and goes at it with pinpoint precision. And after Forbes, if all goes well, there is talk of Floyd Mayweather.

Ego

What a way to finish a remarkable career - to be the first man to beat the Pretty Boy. Oscar is the epitome of professionalism, but ego and pride play a part for any fighter and he will know how close he came to wrecking Floyd's unbeaten record the first time they fought.

If it wasn't for De la Hoya that day there would have been no fight, and I thought he might have nicked a decision. It wasn't the first time I thought him a little hard done to by the Vegas judges.

Perhaps he has borne the brunt of a little jealousy - he is the biggest thing in boxing, really, not just a boxer but a promoter and the face of the sport for some years.

Saturday is all about De la Hoya, but let's not forget Stevie Forbes. It's a great position for a fighter to be in - to know that little is expected but there are riches coming your way. He has nothing to lose, and I expect him to put up a better showing than others to have come out of the Contender series recently - Gomez, Manfredo, etc.

Forbes is a former world champion, so he has already proved he is more than just a contender. I'm anticipating an exciting fight, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Oscar show a bit more aggression than usual.

Challenging

Victory for Forbes would see him explode back out of the shadows in a way that - albeit on a smaller scale - Rendall Munroe did recently.

Munroe defends his European super-bantamweight title on Friday Fight Night, while Ian Napa is also in action, and these are two guys with a great story.

Munroe is a flashy, busy fighter who has looked good in the past, but how many people seriously thought he would raise his game enough to beat Kiko Martinez, who has such an impressive KO record.

It's good to see him back in the ring quickly, keeping himself busy, getting the paydays and making the most of his title - and the question he should ask himself now is: how far can I go?

That fight has thrust him into boxing's top line - he's rated in the top 10 of a division featuring the likes of Daniel Ponce de Leon and Steve Molitor and he really should be thinking about challenging for a world title.

Ian Napa fights on the same bill and is another who is just starting to be talked about after coming through a difficult time. It just goes to show that patience is important in boxing - even if you don't have an instant impact, keep plugging away.

All change

Amir Khan has had no problem making an impact, and there's been talk this week he might be about to trade in trainer Oliver Harrison for a name - the likes of Buddy McGirt have been mentioned.

If he feels he is no longer learning or if there is a personality clash there, then I'd back a change. But if it's a decision coming from outside, then he should beware.

Remember when Naseem Hamed split with Brendan Ingle and went with a world-renowned trainer in Manny Steward? He was never quite the same. Sure, Naz made mistakes, but he and Brendan had formulated a winning style.

Heart

Just a final word about David Haye, who's kept himself in the headlines this week by calling out Wladimir Klitschko. I like what David's doing - he knows there are big fights out there and he's going after them.

Klitschko is so safety first he could beat himself, and I'm not sure he has the heart of a fighter which David certainly has. He could be wobbling all over the place and his instinct would be to fight on. He could be the future of the heavyweight division.