On May 5th, the eyes of the boxing world will settle on Las Vegas as Floyd Mayweather Jr. squares off against Miguel Cotto. The undercard of that fight promises to give great exposure to all four fighters involved. One of of those fights was supposed to have undefeated Jessie Vargas square off against veteran fighter and former “Contender” star Alfonso Gomez. However, a back injury last week forced Gomez to withdraw and promoters scrambling to find a last minute replacement.
Luckily, Steve Forbes was eager to take the challenge. Forbes was actually in attendance for media day at the Mayweather Boxing Club as the news was circulating the gym. Vargas was going through his workout and doing numerous interviews on the subject throughout the day. Forbes himself did several interviews, but went relatively unnoticed as nobody was aware that in just a few hours he would be the one tabbed to square off against Vargas.
Gomez bowing out is a great gift for Forbes, a fighter who has been largely under the radar since losing to Oscar De La Hoya four years ago. Following that defeat, the former two time world title holder has gone just 2-3, leading many to think his time near the top is finished. A victory over Vargas would allow Forbes to state just the opposite. Jessie is an undefeated up and coming fighter who is getting a lot of notice as a possible future title holder. A victory over him would give Forbes a chance to open a new chapter to his career and perhaps make one more run at the top.
In a gift he might not have otherwise received, this is a chance for Forbes to overcome the odds once again. It’s well known that he got his nickname “2 Pounds” from his weight at birth. Overcoming that and becoming a world champion just goes to show the heart that beats inside the chest of Forbes. So it isn’t wise to count out Forbes this time when the odds seem stacked against him once again. He might be coming in on short notice against a young, undefeated fighter, but if anyone can rise to the challenge, Forbes can.
