Today
was an absolutely beautiful day in Southern California,
with the warm sunshine and clear blue skies that can
come right after an overnight rain. Most would be
spending this Saturday outdoors enjoying different
activities, or if that was impossible, wishing that they
were. It was different for me.
Instead, I chose to be inside a closed gym. Why? Because
I had been waiting to speak with Steve Forbes in person
since before the holidays. I knew he was coming to train
at Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club, but his trip
to the West Coast was delayed. Now that he had made it
to Los Angeles I wanted to watch him train a bit and
then do my interview. The day Steve invited me down just
happened to be a bigger day for him than normal – Forbes
was sparring with the Pound 4 Pound King, Manny
Pacquiao, and I was allowed to be a part of the
experience.
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Steve Forbes before he
sparred with Manny Pacquiao
at Wild Card Boxing Club.
Barbara Pinnella photo |
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Every boxing fan knows that Manny
has a big fight against Joshua Clottey at Cowboy Stadium
in Texas on March 13th. But Forbes has a
fight of his own on the 6th in Uncasville,
Connecticut, facing off against Harrison Cuello.
Ironically, that fight is one year to the day since he
had his last fight. I couldn’t help but notice that and
he was aware of it as well. “Yeah, it will probably go
right down to the minute I enter the ring,” he said,
smiling.
I was
curious why it has been so long for Steve between
fights. “I just couldn’t get the fights, and I was with
The Contender promotional company, and they were
dissolving. They weren’t doing any fights, and then with
them dissolving and finally letting all the guys go, I
signed with Don King. I just had to wait for him to do
another show. Hopefully I have a heavy few months,
because I would love to fight.”
In the
last five fights his opponent Cuello has had, he has
lost four of them, with a draw in the fifth. But don’t
let that fool you completely. He has not been fighting
cupcakes the whole time. One of those loses came at the
hands of Vanes Martirosyan who, with a record of 27-0,
presently holds two titles.
“He’s
been fighting some tough guys,” Forbes told me, “but
he’s always dangerous. I think with me coming back down
to 140 pounds that he’s the perfect opponent, being that
he’s a left-hander. Most of the guys at 140 are
left-handers, Devon Alexander, Juan Urango, Joel
Casamayor now at 140 pounds. So I think it’s a good fit
for my re-introduction back to 140 pounds, fighting a
pretty tough, durable guy.”
Steve
is in a good place right now, figuratively and
literally. “I feel really good about the fight, and I’m
in the perfect place to train for a fight. I’m getting
good chemistry with Freddie Roach, and everybody here
has been great.”
Forbes
did not rush out to L.A. at first mention, however.
“Well, it’s kind of funny. My manager (Mike Levy) comes
here every day, he’s from L.A., and he’s been telling me
for years to come down here and train. When we found out
I was going to be fighting a left-hander, he told
Freddie that I wanted to come out here and train, and
asked if there were some left-handed sparring guys.
Roach told him yes, and that I could even do a few
rounds with Manny.”
Freddie had another instruction. He did not want Steve
to act like Clottey, just to be himself and to prepare
for his own fight.
I
wanted to make sure I was right, and that this was the
first time that Forbes had stepped in the ring with
Pacquiao. “No, never boxed with him before. This will be
my third time sparring, but not with Manny. I’ve got a
couple more weeks left before I leave.”
Steve
eventually sparred four strong rounds with Manny. He
later told me that the lessons he is learning from the
entire experience is invaluable, which comes as no
surprise to me at all. Forbes, as experienced as he is,
is ready and willing to take it all in. He is a class
act.
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Michael Dallas, Jr. at Wild
Card Boxing Club. Barbara
Pinnella photo |
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Another acquaintance of
mine who sparred with Pacquiao on this day was Michael
Dallas, Jr., who is fighting at Pechanga Resort and
Casino in Temecula, California on March 5th.
He went three rounds, and has matured so much as a
fighter, it was really fun to see.
The
opponent that was originally listed for him is now a
no-go, and he doesn’t know the name of the one he has
now. “I heard he’s 26 or 27 years old, and is a Mexican
style fighter. But I’m sparring with the best, so I'm
going to put on a good show.”
Unlike
Forbes, Dallas has history with Manny. “This is my
second camp back. I sparred with him before the de la
Hoya fight. I’ve been here for four weeks now. I’m
learning a lot. When I make mistakes he corrects me, so
it’s a learning experience, and I’m getting better and
better as I go.”
The
best of luck to Steve and Michael in their respective
fights, and thanks to them for taking the time to speak
with me. A little extra thank you to Steve and Mike Levy
for helping me pull this off, and of course, to Freddie!
Be
safe and God Bless,
Viva
La Raza,
Barb.
