Hammond – NESportsTV.com is proud to present the junior welterweight fight between former world champion Steve “2 Pounds” Forbes and Mexican tough guy Roberto Valenzuela live on Friday December 17th. The fight will be available on www.NESportsTV.com online PPV exclusively worldwide for $9.99 USD. International conversion rates will apply for international customers.
This main event pits two fighters against each other who have proved their willingness to fight anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Steve Forbes won the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior lightweight title in 2000 with an 8th round TKO over John Brown. He made one successful title defense before losing his belt at the scales when he outgrew the weight division.
In 2006, Forbes participated on season 2 of The Contender tournament jumping all the way up to the junior middleweight division for the opportunity. He eventually was the tournament runner up losing a split decision to Grady Brewer in the shows championship match. Along the way, he defeated current IBF junior middleweight champion Cornelius “K9” Bundrage, Nick Acevedo and Freddy Curiel.
Since The Contender, Forbes has defeated once red hot prospect Francisco Bojado and lost an extremely controversial decision to contender Demetrius Hopkins in junior welterweight fights. He then moved up two weight divisions again to junior middleweight for a bout with Oscar De La Hoya in 2008. Despite losing a hard fought decision, Forbes was able to break bones in De La Hoya’s face setting up a blueprint for future sparring partner Manny Pacquiao to follow when facing De La Hoya later that year.
Despite the loss to De La Hoya, Forbes accepted an offer to fight welterweight titleholder Andre Berto later that year. Fighting well outside of his natural weight class, Forbes lost a competitive decision. He has since fought twice, stopping Jason Davis in his native Oregon and stunningly losing to Harrison Cuello on last March’s Devon Alexander – Juan Urango card in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Roberto Valenzuela is a professional prizefighter by trade and has already fought 11 times this year, including bouts against a former world champion in Jose Luis Castillo and three times against former world title challengers by taking on Zahir Raheem (twice) and Jose Alfredo Flores.
He’s also been in the ring with Andre Berto, Demetrius Hopkins and Ben Tackie amongst others during his nearly 19 year boxing career. He’s fought as low as the lightweight division and as high as the middleweight division while searching for the right fights.