Fight brings De La Hoya ‘chills’

Oscar De La Hoya had never been to the Home Depot Center in Carson before Tuesday.

As he looked over the 27,000-seat facility and listened to plans to bring in mariachi music, special food and drink stations and other entertainment for his “homecoming” Cinco de Mayo weekend fight May 3 against veteran Steve Forbes, De La Hoya said he experienced “chills.”

The 1992 Olympic boxing champion from East Los Angeles will stage his seventh Southland fight as a pro -- and first since a 2000 Staples Center loss to Shane Mosley -- by offering 20,000 of the seats for $75 or less, with the cheapest tickets available for $25.

“To see Oscar for $25 is unheard of,” said Richard Schaefer, chief executive of De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. “This is not about money. This is really a thank you.”

The fight, at 150 pounds, will be broadcast on HBO, De La Hoya’s first non-pay-per-view fight since 2002.

“This is something I’ve wanted and needed to do,” De La Hoya said. “The fans, and the sport of boxing, deserve it. Giving back is what that whole weekend will be about.”

De La Hoya (38-5, 30 knockouts) is obviously at a far different place in his career than when he made his pro debut in November 1992 less than 12 miles from Home Depot at the Forum in Inglewood. He knocked out Lamar Williams in the first round.

He’s now between dates with unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr., the world welterweight champion who defeated De La Hoya by split decision last May in the most lucrative boxing event in history. Their rematch is scheduled for Sept. 20 in Las Vegas, but De La Hoya says he’s refusing to call the bout with Forbes (33-5, nine KOs) a “tuneup” fight.

“This fight is serious to me,” said De La Hoya, who added he plans to fight three times this year and then retire.

To prove he’s serious, he said, he has re-hired Mayweather’s father, Floyd Sr., as his trainer, and will return to training in Big Bear, where he prepared for the majority of his fights, including his first title shot. He briefly parted with Mayweather Sr. in training for his son.

“I want to beat the best,” De La Hoya said. “After a few incidents, [Floyd Sr.] convinced me he will be 100% in my corner. He’s told me, ‘Even though he’s my kid, he deserves a whupping.’ ”

Forbes, a former super-featherweight world champion and runner-up on the 2006 reality television series, “The Contender,” presents De La Hoya the chance to fight someone who, like Mayweather Jr., is trained in Las Vegas by Roger Mayweather, Floyd Jr.’s uncle. Forbes has never been knocked down, and has a defensive shoulder roll and fighting style similar to the one Mayweather Jr. has perfected.

“I know the crowd will be 99 to 1 against me, with the one percent being my wife and kid and promoter, but I thrive on that,” Forbes said. “It’s like a ‘Rocky’ story. He’s giving a guy a shot. . . . I’m hard to hit, I’m supremely relaxed, I know how to maneuver. I’m fearless.”

Schaefer said he had finalized plans for Mosley to fight Zab Judah in a non-title welterweight bout May 31 in Las Vegas.

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lance.pugmire@latimes.com