This is my last list of fights I watched on HBO over the years.
116. Oscar De La Hoya vs. Steve Forbes. May 3, 2008. Oscar was making his first appearance in the ring since his close decision loss to Floyd Mayweather the previous May. His opponent in Carson, California, was Steve Forbes, a former cast member of the tv show ‘The Contenders’. Weighing 150 lbs., De La Hoya had little trouble with Forbes, but the bout was hardly scintillating enroute to unanimous decision win for the ‘Golden Boy’. A return bout with Mayweather for September fell through, simply because the most overrated champion in history, was afraid to fight anyone who could beat him. Oscar fought Manny Pacquaio in December instead, and took a beating, forcing his retirement from the ring for good.
117. Vladimir Klitschko vs. Tony Thompson. July 12, 2008. Vladimir was dominant in this easy win over an overmatched opponent in Thompson. The bout from Germany was as one-sided as they come, with the referee finally calling an end to the whole mess in the eleventh.
118. Vitali Klitschko vs. Hasim Rahman. December 13, 2008. Another title defense in Germany, this time against former 2-time champ Hasim Rahman. Rahman was also one of my least favorite boxers, so watching Vladimir kick his ass, was quite enjoyable to me. He dropped him in the sixth, and punished him in the seventh, forcing a halt to the best beating I had seen in a long time.
119. Shane Mosley vs. Antonio Margarito. January 24, 2009. This one from the Staples Center in Los Angeles was enjoyable, too. Margarito had beaten one of my favorites Miguel Cotto the previous summer with illegal hand wraps, and I was hoping going in that Shane would exact revenge for me. Mosley was spectacular in his destruction of Margarito, knocking him down with overhand rights in the eighth, and finished him off in the ninth. It all took place before the largest crowd ever at the Staples Center, and was a great way to start off the calendar year of 2009.
120. Vitali Klitschko vs. Chris Arreola. September 26, 2009. Vitali completely dominated an overwhelmed Arreola at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, winning every round until the end came in round ten. Both of the Klitschko brothers had ruled the heavyweight division since Lennox Lewis’s retirement in early 2004, and there were no real contenders in sight.
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