By Rick Reeno
Sources have told BoxingScene.com that calls were made to the proper representatives of Contender star Steve Forbes and IBF junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi, inquiring whether or not the fighters were interested in facing Oscar De La Hoya on May 3. Unbeaten junior welterweight Dmitriy Salita is said to be a distant third option with the least likely chance of landing the fight (out of three) due to name value and the level of opposition on his resume. At the present, there has been no confirmation if De La Hoya's people reached out to Salita.
The opponents are being selected for their physical abilities as De La Hoya will use the fight as a tune-up for his September rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr. As reported yesterday, Forbes was immediately named as a solid favorite to get the fight because of for his quick reflexes and his name recognition from the Contender series. Malignaggi's name has now come to light and he too, based on his quick reflexes and name value, appears to be solid favorite for De La Hoya.
The selection of De La Hoya's opponent will come down to money. Because the fight will be televised on regular HBO, and not pay-per-view, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, has already made it clear that none of the proposed names should expect to receive the kind of money that is usually given to De La Hoya's pay-per-view opponents. The fighter willing to accept the least amount of money, will probably end up with the fight.