Almost one year ago to the day, Oscar De La Hoya lost a split-decision against undefeated champ and WrestleMania alumnus Floyd Mayweather. But before there would be any rematch, the Golden Boy would have to get past Steve Forbes.

Forbes, a seasoned fighter who lost the final match in season two of The Contender, had never been knocked down, and would not roll over to De La Hoya like the sellout crowd in Carson, CA had expected.

De La Hoya did manage to chase Forbes around the ring and hurt him with a new aggressive style designed specifically for Mayweather, but Oscar couldn’t put the former world champ on his back. De La Hoya did manage to pull out the unanimous decision, winning 35 of 36 rounds on the three judges’ scorecards. However, the lackluster showing have some doubting if he’ll be ready for Mayweather.

From Kevin Iole of YAHOO SPORTS:

“That was a big, significant drop,” said Hall of Famer Alexis Arguello, who watched from ringside. “Don’t misunderstand me: Oscar is a tremendous spectacle. He’s a great draw, a big attraction and everyone likes him. But he needs a little more to be able to do something like (beating Mayweather).”

De La Hoya was bigger, stronger and faster than Forbes, who fought most of his career as a super featherweight and a super lightweight…De La Hoya could stalk with impunity because he didn’t have to worry about what was coming back. Forbes came into the fight with just nine knockouts in 38 fights and didn’t have the pop to make a naturally bigger man spend too much time thinking defense.

But here’s something we can all agree on: Oscar looks great in fishnets…we agree on that, right? Right?