• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

Confident De La Hoya looks ahead to Mayweather rematch

Mark Lamport-Stokes
CARSON, California
Sun May 4, 2008 1:53am EDT

CARSON, California (Reuters) - Oscar De La Hoya confidently turned his thoughts towards his rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. later this year after comfortably beating fellow American Steve Forbes in a non-title bout on Saturday.

U.S.  |  Sports

"I can't wait for September," the 35-year-old told reporters after registering a unanimous decision victory over Forbes in front of a crowd of 27,000 at the Home Depot Center.

"It's all business now. It is personal and I am going to beat him (Mayweather). You watch. I'm going to beat him. It's all about having the perfect game plan.

"The harder you try, the better it is for Floyd junior. We will get it done. This is very personal."

"Golden Boy" De La Hoya, in the twilight of his career and arguably the biggest name in boxing, was beaten on a split decision by Mayweather in Las Vegas 12 months ago.

In the sport's highest-grossing fight, Mayweather won a tight verdict from two of the three judges and De La Hoya knows where he needs to improve in the much-anticipated rematch.

"Just more jabs, stay on my toes more and move my head more," said the Mexican-American, who has won world titles in six different weight divisions.

POPPING JABS

"We will definitely be popping more jabs. Stiff hard jabs, that's going to be the key."

Although Saturday's 12-round bout was widely regarded as a tune-up for his September showdown with Mayweather, De La Hoya said he never under-estimated Forbes, a former IBF super featherweight champion.

"I never looked past Steve Forbes," he added. "Obviously I was hoping for this outcome. I knew it was going to be a tough fight but I wanted to work on some things. I am going to fight 12 hard rounds come September."

De La Hoya, a Los Angeles native, especially relished fighting in front of his hometown fans on Saturday.

"It just felt really nice to be home, even though I was a bit distracted, in between rounds or during a few rounds," he said.

"I would see the crowd and think: 'Wow, this is something special. It's amazing. It really is. You can hold a boxing event at the Home Depot and fill it up in Los Angeles.

"That's why I feel I can still do this. My fans in LA are the best and without the fans there is no career."

(Editing by Ed Osmond)
U.S.
Sports


More from Reuters

A male polar bear cannabalizes a polar bear cub in an area about 300km (186 miles) north of the Canadian town of Churchill November 20, 2009. Credit: REUTERS/Iain D. Williams

Polar bear turns cannibal

As the world focuses on climate change in Copenhagen, the animal that has come to represent global warming is turning cannibalistic as the Arctic ice melts their hunting grounds, a U.S.-led global scientific study said.  Slideshow | Full Article 

    Climate Conference
    Emmanuel Roy, a suspect in a mortgage-fraud scheme is escorted by FBI agents after being taken into custody in New York, October 15, 2009. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

    Sowing seeds of corruption

    Corruption, whether it's crooked officials, financial fraudsters or philandering sports stars, is the country's No. 1 criminal threat, says the FBI.  Full Article 

    Corporate Crime
    Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida November 16, 2009. Atlantis lifted off its seaside launch pad on Monday, loaded with spare parts to keep the International Space Station flying after the shuttles are retired next year. REUTERS/Scott Audette

    Can Florida re-launch itself?

    The sunshine state's space program is a boon for local businesses, especially when a shuttle takes off. But what happens when the 29-year old program comes to a close next year?  Full Article 

    U.S.