Columnist Dean Juipe: Forbes now in fast lane to the top

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000 | 9:36 a.m.

Dean Juipe's boxing notebook appears Thursday. His sports column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

It was an eye-opening performance, one that requires viewing Steve Forbes in an improved light.

The congenial Las Vegan, still only 23 but once perceived as strapped to a treadmill, is now one step away from a world-title fight, the result of a stunningly effective win over fellow contender Daniel Santos last Sunday in Detroit.

Looking quick and extremely fast, Forbes dominated a bout that on paper could have gone either way and is now in line to face John Brown for the vacant International Boxing Federation junior lightweight title sometime in the next few months.

That IBF title will come vacant very soon when Diego Corrales formally abandons the division so that he can fight at a more comfortable 135 pounds.

Those who have known Forbes and are familiar with his struggles are getting a kick out of his conversion from afterthought to potential world champion.

So is he.

"All of a sudden, everything is happening very fast," Forbes said this week at the Top Rank Gym, his just-won United States Boxing Association championship belt in tow. "For so long, I didn't have anything going for me. There was a time when I thought I was one of those guys who stays at one level and his confidence doesn't rise.

"Now everything has changed."

The latest catalyst was his nationally televised win over Santos, a decision that went Forbes' way by 12, 8 and 6 points on the judges' cards. The victory upped Forbes' record to 18-1 and, in accordance with the IBF's advance billing that the Forbes-Santos winner would face Brown for the organization's 130-pound championship, elevated his stature tenfold.

But the real catalyst, beyond Forbes' own improvement and the guidance he has received from trainer Miguel Diaz, appears to be his agent, Cameron Duncan.

"Out of desperation I walked into Cameron's office one day last November, just to see if he could do anything for me," Forbes said. "I was frustrated and I was thinking of quitting, even though I was 12-0.

"I didn't really think he would be interested and I didn't even know if he knew me, but I wanted something to happen."

It did when Duncan had a reciprocal interest in the fighter.

"He was the one kid laying around Las Vegas that I really liked," Duncan said. "He didn't have much going for him but I knew he had potential."

Forbes came out of that initial meeting rejuvenated.

"I'd seen what Cameron had done for some other guys and I wondered if there was anything he could do for me," he said. "I can't say I expected anything, so I was surprised when he agreed to get involved in my career."

Fighting more frequently and entering the IBF rankings in spite of a tough loss to Alejandro Gonzalez, Forbes has developed into an accomplished technician with a little more bang on his punch than his four knockouts would indicate.

He also improved his diet and made a commitment to the junior lightweight division after fighting at as much as 138 pounds.

"I don't want to convert him into a puncher," Diaz said. "But if we can improve his power 20 percent, he's going to be a helluva fighter."

Diaz is working with Forbes on his stance, bringing his feet closer together for better leverage on his punches. The improvement was obvious as Forbes dominated Santos, who came into their fight 37-4 and expecting to win the showdown bout.

"I realized when I got to Detroit that I was the underdog," Forbes said. "There was a level of hype I wasn't expecting and Santos was talking about being mad because I was ranked higher. But I was mad at him for pulling out of a fight (in August) we were supposed to have, so we had a little something extra going on between us."

Prodded by his corner, Santos finished the fight at Cobo Arena in spite of appearing badly wounded and visually restricted. Forbes, conversely, came out unmarked.

"He's putting it all together," Diaz said. "He's a very smart kid who lives a clean life. I'm happy for him because not too long ago he was at the stage where he could continue to be a club fighter for years to come, or he could step up to the big-bucks level.

"Now he's a future world champion."

When the fight with Brown materializes, Forbes anticipates a rough night.

"He's a tough guy who's physical, so he'll use his head to hit you and he'll shove you or push you," he said. "I see him getting frustrated and doing some dirty things.

"Maybe I'll work with some wrestlers, just to get ready for him."

The thought prompts Forbes to laugh, and it's the refreshing laugh of a contented man who is enjoying the upward turn his life has taken.

"He was just kidding, he doesn't know anything about real estate," Diaz said of Johnston, who regularly trains in Las Vegas. "But I did recommend he take six months off and clear his head."

The draw, combined with the loss to Castillo in Johnston's previous fight, have his people concerned, however.

"Stevie is so gutsy and such a warrior that you have to wonder if maybe these fights have taken something out of him," Diaz said. "I mean, it could be he's sliding downward.

"But I expect him to be back even though he took the draw very hard and was very depressed. I just wish he would follow our game plan for the entire fight; when he does, he's winning, but when he doesn't, it's 50-50."