The man that beat the man that beat the man!
By Blackbull
InsideBoxing Writer/Columnist
(IB-January 20, 2003) - Vernon Forrest has waited a long time for his moment of glory. It wasn’t long ago when boxing fans didn’t even know who Vernon Forrest was… and really didn’t care. That was before Shane Mosley unlocked the gate and released the Viper.
The Viper is out and intents to poison anyone who dares get into the ring against him.
“To be the best you have to beat the best” We hear this from many champions but in Forrest’s case he intents to follow through with his promise to fight the best.
This became apparent when Forrest signed a healthy contract with HBO and elected to take on WBA Welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga in his HBO debut.
After defeating “Sugar” Shane Mosley twice the media and boxing aficionados jumped on the Forrest band wagon head over heels. Awards, ceremonies, fighter of the year, you name it Forrest has become God’s gift to boxing.
Well forgive me for being a little slow to jump on the band wagon. I’ll reserve judgment after I see how Forrest performs against Mayorga. For now, I’m not convinced Forrest didn’t just have Mosley’s number. Remember Junior Jones defeated Marcos Antonio Barrera twice.
Is Forrest getting caught up in the media hype and believing he can win by merely stepping into the ring? His disrespect toward Mayorga certainly points that way. The fight poster says it all, they did not even have the courtesy to put Mayorga’s picture on it. You have to strain your eyes to even see Mayorga name on it.
Mayorga is no stranger to boxing, he is a world champion and fights like one. You need only to ask Andrew Lewis. Mayorga must have hit all of his six heads before stopping him in the fifth round and taking away his undefeated status.
Just because you beat the man that beat the man does not mean you yourself can beat the man.
You can catch the action on HBO, Saturday, January 25th.
Moncayo Blackbull can reached at blackbull@insideboxing.com
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