De la Hoya-Forbes Final PresCon -- A Class Act
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 01 May 2008
LOS ANGELES, CA -- You really have to give it to Golden Boy Promotions! The people running their show really know how to get it done!
Today at about noon, at the grounds of the LA Central Library right in the heart of downtown Los Angeles and adjacent to one of LA?s best restaurants, the Golden Boy presented the headliners of the big fight on Saturday night at the soccer grounds of the Home Depot Center in Carson California.
And, they did it with class, first class, that is!
Golden Boy promotions started the event with a very sumptuous lunch featuring garden variety salads and complemented with a main course of chicken and prime beef cooked to perfection. Needless to say, the media was impressed, let alone fully satisfied with food galore. And, the desserts? yummy is a good word to describe them. Kudos to the Caf? Pinot!
Richard Schaeffer, the Golden Boy CEO acted as the emcee. He introduced one by one, the representatives of the companies that join forces with the Golden Boy Promotions to put up the big fight.
There was Ed McKenna of Cazadores Beer who indicated that ?their company is excited to partner with GBP for Saturday?s event?.
Also there was Arturo Vargas of Tecate Beer who announced proudly that Tecate canned a commemorative 24 oz. beer can for the fight. He also indicated that anyone with an HBO program in their cable system can get two months of free HBO programming just for purchasing an 18 pack of the specially canned De la Hoya-Forces Tecate.
Dan Bekerman of AEG Entertainment Group, the operators of Staples and the Home Depot Center was present as well. Bekerman was presented a special gift by Schaefer, but that is for another story we will write later.
Kerry Davis of HBO spoke too. He said:- ? Oscar?s name is not only synonymous with great fights and boxing but with HBO as well. He also indicated that the fight will not be on PPV. It will be on free HBO!
Jeff Wald of the Contenders described Saturday?s fight as the Super Ball of boxing. One that should not be missed.
Then came Steve Forbes who immediately lambasted the media by saying ?You guys know nothing. You said I can?t and I won?t. But I tell you, I can and I will? (win the fight).
Floyd Mayweather Sr., Oscar?s trainer for this fight then came up the podium and promptly announced that ?I did not prepare a poem today because Steve Forbes was my pupil. Steve was my pupil. But Oscar is my man.?
Finally, de la Hoya got his turn to speak. Humbly he stated:- ?It?s nice to be back home? referring of course to the fact that he last fought in the LA area many years ago. He also indicated that certain people are wrong saying that the fight with Forbes is a 'tune-up'. ?Steve will raise to the occasion, that is why I trained hard for it.?
Alluding to the fact that they will fight at 147 lbs, and the weight he loss preparing for the fight, Oscar said ?if you think Steve looks hungry, I am very hungry too.?
The de la Hoya-Forbes fight dubbed as ?Homecoming? will be at the soccer stadium of the Home Depot Center. The cheapest ticket is $25.00 to give chance to many of the LA boxing fans to see the fight.
Top photo: Oscar de la Hoya (L) and Steve Forbes pose during today's presscon in downtown LA in advance to their fight Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.
Oscar de la Hoya speaks to the media during today's presscon in downtown LA. De la Hoya will fight Steve Forbes on Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.
Steve Forbes speaks to the media during today's presscon in downtown LA. Forbes will fight Steve Forbes on Saturday at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.
Photos by Dr. Ed de la Vega.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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