[Previous entry: "Ken Shamrock takes on Bobby Lashley in heavyweight showdown"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Weights from Plymouth (MA)"]
03/05/2009 Archived Entry: " Roy Jones Jr. and Spirit Mountain Casino Team up for a Boxing Series"
Roy Jones Jr. and Spirit Mountain Casino Team up for a Boxing Series
Steve Forbes vs Jason Davis Kicks it Off, Friday, March 6.
By Katherine Dunn
With the TV news cameras rolling, Roy Jones Jr stepped up to the microphone as the friendly master of ceremonies. First he announced the agreement between his Square Ring Promotions and the Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, Oregon. The successful tribal gaming resort -- the hottest visitor destination in the state—has signed on for a series of professional boxing events starting with four shows in 2009. This Friday night’s debut event will offer seven bouts featuring Oregon boxers in bouts against fighters from Washington state. Roy Jones, the canny promoter, got through this business announcement quickly and then turned the microphone over to the main event fighters.
The Pacific Northwest has been slathered for a month with print ads, billboards and TV commercials touting the March 6 “Border War” and its welterweight ten rounder between former world super featherweight champ Steve Forbes (33-7, 9 KOs), and young Jason Davis (11-2-1, 3 KOs).
At the press conference on Wednesday, Jason Davis, 26, smiled at the notion of a “Border War.” True, Davis lives and works as a concrete finisher in Vancouver, Washington. And Steve Forbes, 32, was born and raised across the Columbia River in Portland, Oregon. But these opponents have some things in common. Both pride themselves on smart boxing rather than banging. Both fighters started as amateurs with coach John Peters and his colleagues at Portland’s Knott Street Boxing Club. Davis was still an amateur back in 2002, when Forbes was training at the Knott St gym for a title defense, and the two sparred frequently.
Davis says it’s a different experience for him, having sparred with Forbes in the past, and being able to study tapes of his fights. “Usually I don’t know anything about my opponent. I’m preparing for him to come at me. I’m pretty sure he’s going to come at me and be aggressive in the first few rounds and I think he’ll taper off towards the later rounds. If I can stay outside and box, I have a chance. I can’t let him inside. I’m a technical boxer, I’ve got a long reach and I’m quite a bit taller than Steve. So I’ve got to use what I have to my advantage.”
Forbes doesn’t think much of Davis’ theory about the fight.“ I don’t know how much of an advantage being in 13 professional fights is when I’ve been in eight world championship fights with legitimate fighters who can destroy at any moment, and 90 percent of the time I’ve beat those guys. So if he thinks later in the fight is going to be better for him then he’s going to be really mistaken. Later in the fight is when a champion does the most damage. That’s inexperience talking, but it’s good, because it gets his blood boiling. I’m a 12-round championship fighter; he’s never fought 12 rounds. I’ve fought 12 rounds seven times; so it’s a big difference and you’ll see that come Friday. “
Steve Forbes moved to Las Vegas to launch his pro career. He took the IBF 130 lb title but lost it on the scale when he couldn’t make weight for his third title defense. Still, he won that fight against David Santos and looked good doing it. Forbes was the popular finalist in the TV reality series, The Contender, where he fought against Jr. Middleweights, and in 2008 went ten hard rounds with Oscar De La Hoya, losing a decision.
Forbes is living in Michigan now, where his wife Valerie is attending law school. He trains at the Motown Boxing Gym in Detroit, and his trainer is Billy Hearns, the brother of Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns. He says he’s grateful for a chance to come back and fight in his home state. He’s still under contract to The Contender, but he says, “They allow me to take up other opportunities,” such as this bout for Square Ring and Spirit Mountain.
Valerie Forbes is here, too, with their toddler son, Kayden. Forbes’ wife says watching her husband fight is hard, but it’s far better to be there seeing it than to be waiting at home for a phone call. “I tried that once,” she says,”and it was awful.” Steve and Valerie Forbes are expecting their second child in a couple of months. That’s another thing Forbes and Davis have in common. Jason Davis and his fiancé are expecting their first child in a couple of months. Valerie says she’d love to compare notes with Davis’ lady.
Forbes vs Davis promises to be a busy, technical match, but theree’s no denying that Forbes has a serious edge in experience and probably in skill. Davis knows it. He says, “No matter what, this fight will boost my career. Steve’s got a big name. He’s fought De La Hoya; he’s fought a lot of good guys. So, I can make a statement fighting Steve.”
