Stevie Forbes has probably never thought of himself as a barometer but that is what he will be next Saturday night when he climbs into the Home Depot Center ring against unbeaten Andre Berto.
At this point of his career, I doubt that the highly intelligent Forbes has any illusions about his role as a fighter. He is a useful opponent and, at the same time, just a cut below the top echelon.
Good, seasoned fighter, yes. Great, overwhelming talent, no. Forbes leans closer to the good level than to the higher status of being spectacular.
But he will be barometer as to the Dec. 6 Oscar de la Hoya-Manny Pacquiao fight while he is battling Berto.
Berto has been effective offensively but the jury is out on his defensive prowess, especially regarding his ability to absorb punishment. We?re not likely to get a referendum on Berto?s chin in this fight because Forbes hits sharply but is not any kind of a power puncher.
What could be interesting is how much Berto is able to dent Forbes.
Can Berto hurt Forbes than Oscar did when they fought at the same location? Truth of the matter is, and I was at ringside, I never saw Forbes really hurt by Oscar.
On the other hand, Oscar got tagged quite often by Forbes so much so that he came to the post fight press conference wearing some makeup to cover the bumps and bruises.
It was the most surprising element of Oscar-Forbes, how often Forbes landed solid if not pulverizing blows to Oscar?s body and head.
Half of the viewers seemed to attribute this to Forbes? quickness and slickness while the other half chalked it up to Oscar?s age and his diminished ring movement.
You know the old saying, that the legs are the first to go. In Oscar?s case, it may be the legs and the cannon-fire left jab going at the same time.
Oscar looked all of his 35 years during and after his 12 round dance with Forbes.
Oscar?s less than scintillating performance against Forbes, coupled with his dull as dIshwater effort against super talent Floyd Mayweather, leads me to wonder how any sane pundit can maintain that the smaller but speedier Megamanny won?t be able to land meaningful punches come Dec. 6.
Truly, I don?t get that. Pacquiao, like Mayweather and Oscar, is among the greats. Forbes remains among the goods, among the better than average pugilists.
Pacman hits with a sledgehammer compared to Forbes plastic ruler. If Forbes put lumps on Oscar with his slingshot, then why can?t Megamanny do more serious damage with his howitzer?
Caveat: If Forbes summons up a major upset and topples Berto, then you would have to reassess Oscar?s effort against Stevie. But I don?t foresee that.
What I do expect is for Berto to take a decision over Forbes, one in which some rounds will be arguable but the name of the overall winner will not be debated.
Berto should be able to rest comfortably as the judges scorecards are read. He should be able to make it a 7-5 or an 8-4 in rounds type verdict.
As he normally does, Forbes will give it the old college try. Nobody gets walkover against Stevie Wonder.
You can watch this one for two good reasons. One, it figures to be entertaining and competitive and it will provide a look at where HBO favorite Berto is headed.
Two, what Forbes does and does not do to Berto can be a minor barometer for what will happen when Manny and Oscar start swapping punches.
