“I was hoping I’d stop him or knock him out,” De La Hoya said. “I’m a little disappointed.” Forbes seemed happier that he had made it through 12 rounds than De La Hoya seemed about winning the fight. “It was an excellent fight and an honor to fight Oscar,” Forbes said. “I felt strong and it was great to be in there like that and have the opportunity to get in there and not go down. I hope by fighting him I proved I am a top level fighter.”

De La Hoya had little to fear from the light-hitting Forbes, a former 130-pound champion fighting at 150 pounds, and it showed. De La Hoya attacked from the opening bell, and the fight soon settled into a predictable pattern, with De La Hoya stalking Forbes and punishing him with combinations to the body and head.

But De La Hoya was greeted by scattered boos by the crowd at the end of the fight after failing to either put Forbes down or stop him. “I’m happy I fought Forbes,” De La Hoya said. “Now I feel sharp after a year’s layoff.”

De La Hoya, who says he will retire at the end of the year after two more fights, needed an impressive performance to help set up a second fight with Mayweather. De La Hoya hand-picked Forbes, a decent fighter with little power, to be an opponent who would showcase his skills while at the same time not pose too much of a threat to his plans.

If he needs any help, former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins is more than willing to weigh in on the side of his business partner in Golden Boy Promotions.

“It’s an easy fight to promote,” Hopkins said. “You just tell the people when the fight will be and where it will be. They’ll show up. Believe me, they’ll show up.”