Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Columnist Dean Juipe: Forbes has plans to steal the spotlight

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4084.

With a busy weekend of fights in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Steve Forbes' quest to regain the International Boxing Federation junior lightweight title is capable of getting lost in the shuffle.

But he says he's going to do what he can to keep it from being overlooked.

"I think my fight's going to stand out," he said of his Saturday fight with IBF champion Carlos Hernandez at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. "This is a big situation for me and I want to showcase what I've got."

Forbes vs. Hernandez is part of the Erik Morales card in LA that is running head-to-head against the Evander Holyfield vs. James Toney card at Mandalay Bay. Forbes, a Las Vegas resident, is a former IBF champion at 130 pounds who is getting another shot at the title after losing it on the scales 13 months ago.

"I've hit the mark," Forbes said of getting down to 130, which in times past has been a problem for him. "I put in 6 1/2 weeks of training and have never been as focused. This is it -- it's a big fight for me and I've got to do something to keep it from blending in with all the others this weekend."

Forbes, 26, is 23-1 with six knockouts.

Hernandez, 32, is 39-3-1 with 24 KOs.

"He's an aggressive guy and I like guys who come to fight," Forbes said of Hernandez. "He's strong and he also comes in with his head, which I've got to look out for. And he throws some looping shots.

"But I've been pinpoint accurate in camp and I'm coming to win. So many guys in my position don't get a second shot (at a world championship), so I know it's make or break for me.

"If I'm going to step up to another level, I've got to win this fight."

His promoter, Cedric Kushner, is confident he will win.

"It's an important fight for him," Kushner said. "But I think Steve will win and that will put him in position for some exciting fights with the better fighters at 130."

McCline is 29-3-3 with 17 KOs, Boswell 21-0 with 16 KOs.

McCline is a minus 250 in the sports book at Mandalay Bay, with Boswell a plus 200.

"He most certainly knows the importance of this fight," said Kushner, who promotes McCline. "He knows what he has to do -- we didn't have to tell him."

McCline is attempting to come back from a disspirited loss to Wladimir Klitschko in December at the same site.

"Mentally, that fight's gone," he said of the repercussions of the bout.

But, realistically, his future as a money-making fighter is at stake.

"It's a big fight for me, I agree," McCline said. "But every fight I have the rest of my career is going to be a big fight for me."

Kushner knows McCline cannot afford to lose.

"He had a disappointing performance against Klitschko, no doubt," he said. "But I don't think it will be held against him as long as he comes back to win this fight. With the dearth of heavyweights and the overall state of things in the division, he can get right back to square one with a win."

Boswell said beating him won't be easy.

"I want everyone to know I'm going to be here for a while," he said.

Also scheduled: Miguel Espino, 9-0-1, vs. Daniel Edouard, 13-0, 10 rounds, middleweights; Audley Harrison, 12-0, vs. Tommy Connelly, 7-1, eight rounds, heavyweights; and Jason Gavern, 37-3, vs. Larry Dawson, 1-1, four rounds, heavyweights.

The fee is $45.

"We have high expectations," he said. "We're dealing with a fighter (in Holyfield) who has been in two of the three biggest pay-per-view fights of all time and a fighter (in Toney) who was virtually a pioneer in pay-per-view fights.

"All I know is that if you give the fans what they want, they'll pay for it."

As for his card being up against another pay-per-view card in Los Angeles, Goossen was philosophical.

"In a perfect world, we wouldn't be making history with a pay-per-view doubleheader on the same night," he said.

Also scheduled: Joel Casamayor, 29-1, vs. Diego Corrales, 37-1, 12 rounds, junior lightweights; Cruz Carbajal, 23-11-1, vs. Gerardo Espinoza, 27-4, 12 rounds, bantamweights; and Keith Holmes, 37-3, vs. Jason Papillion, 36-10-1, eight rounds, junior middleweights.

Casamayor gets $170,000 and Corrales receives $150,000 according to papers filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

"Sometimes that 'mature' gene kicks in," trainer Joe Goossen said of Casamayor, a former Olympic gold medalist and world champion who is a betting underdog in his fight with Corrales. "Joel eliminated all the distractions that normally accompany a training camp.

"We did 150 rounds with Juan Lazcano and it was a real tug of war every day. It was the best camp Joel ever had and that's good, because for the loser of this fight it's the end of the line."

"Everywhere I go, I have to tell people to watch the fight again and this time do it with the volume off," Byrd said, referring to the HBO broadcasting team repeatedly saying it believed Oquendo had won. "I say, 'Put it on mute and then tell me who won.' Most people that do it come back and say, 'Oh, I see it now.'

"They just dogged me on TV but I didn't get hit and the only thing Oquendo did was hold me and bruise my back. The decision certainly wasn't the major ripoff that the commentators made it sound like."

Byrd said he remains hopeful of arranging a fight with Roy Jones Jr. for early next year or spring.

"Your apology is accepted," Mack wrote to Arum in a letter made public Wednesday. "However, please be advised that, in the future, we will not tolerate any unfounded accusations by you."

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