|
De La Hoya looks to rematch
04/05/2008 10:29 - (SA)
Carson - Oscar De La Hoya
confidently turned his thoughts towards his rematch with Floyd
Mayweather jnr later this year after comfortably beating fellow
American Steve Forbes in a non-title bout on Saturday.
"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 Centre.
"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."
|
Rugby
