Quote:Forrest hands Mosley his first loss, takes WBC belt

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Associated Press


NEW YORK -- Vernon Forrest's second victory over Shane Mosley will be the one that boxing fans remember.


Vernon Forrest took command of the fight with two knockdowns in the second round.

As a matter of fact, few people even know that Forrest outpointed Mosley in a three-round bout at the Olympic trials in 1992.

"It's very ironic that this is the guy who beat me last time," Mosley said. "I want a rematch."

Forrest did more than beat Mosley, considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. He knocked him down twice in battering his way to a one-sided 12-round decision that made him the WBC welterweight champion Saturday night.

"Shane Mosley is supposed to be the best boxer in boxing," Forrest, a 7-1 underdog, said after his huge victory at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. "They call him the Michael Jordan of boxing, and I beat him. Am I going to be Michael Jordan?"

Forrest, who is unbeaten, certainly will no longer be overshadowed.

It was a dominant performance for Forrest, at least for two rounds. The second and 10th rounds were enough to make him the champion.

"I had a dream last night that I won the fight," Forrest said.

Once the bell rang, Forrest became a nightmare for Mosley.

Forrest's right-hand punching power proved to be the difference. It caused two knockdowns in the second round and had Mosley in deep trouble in the 10th.

"I have a radar on my right hand," Forrest said. "It was a heat-seeking missile, and I was on target with it all night."

Mosley made no excuses, saying he should have boxed more rather than punch with Forrest. But the six-foot Forrest's height and style seem to puzzle the 5-9 Mosley.

Forrest said before the fight that the result would be the same as it was 10 years ago. Not too many people believed him.

Afterward, Forrest said he would be happy to give Mosley a rematch.

Early in the second round, the fighters clashed heads and both staggered backward as referee Steve Smoger called time. Mosley sustained a cut on the hairline.

When action resumed, Forrest brought a roar from the sellout crowd of 5,323 fans when he landed a tremendous right that sent Mosley backward. Forrest followed up with two more rights, and Mosley went down.

Mosley got up at four and tried desperately to stay out of further trouble as Forrest pursued him around the ring. About 10 seconds before the bell, he landed a right hand. As Mosley tried to grab him, Mosley fell and it was ruled a knockdown. This time, he got up as the bell rang.

Forrest said the collision of heads did not bother him, but it did get to Mosley.

"The head butt affected me," Mosley said. "I was bad, but not so bad I couldn't see or anything."

In the 10th round, Forrest -- who also went into the fight unbeaten -- landed a hard right and followed with a hook, a right uppercut and another right that hurt Mosley. But Mosley was able to last out the round.

After the second round, Mosley got through the third and then fought gamely, holding his own until he ran into trouble again in the 10th.

Tom Kaczmarek scored the fight 115-100, Melvina Lathan saw it 117-108, and Julie Lederman had it as 118-108 for Forrest.

The defeat capped a rough four-month run in New York for fighters considered the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. On Sept. 29, Felix Trinidad Jr., who laid claim to that honor, was knocked out by Bernard Hopkins in the 12th round for the undisputed middleweight championship in the main Garden arena.

Forrest certainly boosted his stock with the upset that made his record 34-0 with 27 knockouts. He's also been in one no contest.

Sean Cold Wrote:"He who always fights good fighters is bound to lose."