Winky Wright vs Vernon Forrest at 154lbs: Who would have won?

wright4646433By John Kelvin: Vernon Forrest and Winky Wright were two of the best boxers of the last 10 years. Winky was a southpaw who had an excellent right jab which he used to control his opponents as well as turtle like defense which few opponents were able to penetrate. Vernon Forrest was a member of the 1992 US Olympic team and had a great set of boxing skills.

Forrest also had a strong jab and an excellent right cross which was capable of sending most opponents to the canvas.  Both men had to wait a long time before being recognized and accepted as top fighters. Winky had to find fights in Europe before finally fighting for the title in France against Julio Cesar Vasquez where he lost a wide decision after rising from the canvas four times.

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Vernon Forrest Shot Dead During Attempted Car Jack – News

forres64334By Jason Kim: With sadness, Boxingnews24 has learned that former welterweight and light middleweight champion Vernon Forrest (41-3, 29 KO’s) was shot and killed on Saturday night during an attempted car jack in Atlanta, Georgia. Forrest, 38, was reportedly putting air into one of his tires of his Jaguar automobile at a service station when he was approached by two individuals who at gun point car jacked him, trying to take Forrest’s car.

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Forrest Decisions Mora, Recaptures WBC Light Middleweight Title

forrest45434.jpgBy Scott Gilfoid: Three months after losing his World Boxing Council light middleweight crown to Sergio Mora (21-1-1, 5 KOs), a former star from The Contender reality television series, Forrest recaptured it on Saturday night with a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The final judges’ scores were 117-110, 119-108 and 118-109. Using power shots and a high work rate, the 37 year-old Forrest dominated Mora, cutting him and swelling up his face with heavy shots. Mora, who looked and fought with a lot of confidence in the first fight in June, looked flustered, seemingly not knowing what to do to stay competitive with Forrest, and looking badly tired by the 4th round.

It’s not clear what changed from the last fight with Mora, other than perhaps Forrest being in better shape, fighting more relaxed and throwing and landing many more power shots than he did in the first fight. The power shots clearly bothered Mora, who worked hard, moving a lot of the time, to try and prevent being hit as much as possible.

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Forrest-Mora – Almost Zero Fan Interest In This Fight

forrest334651.jpgBy David Lar: With only one day to go before the big WBC light middleweight rematch between champion Sergio Mora (21-01, 5 KOs) and Vernon Forrest (40-3, 29 KOs) the fan interest just isn’t there for this fight for some reason. Perhaps it’s due to the dull first fight between the two of them three months ago in June, a fight filled with running, clinching and lack of action which resulted in a 12-round majority decision win for Mora. Then again, it could be Mora’s advanced age of 37 that could be a problem because it’s hard to get excited about a fighter so far up there in age like he is.

However, Mora, only 27, is even less appealing to watch fight if you ask me. He moves constantly, uses a lot of fakes, and punches with little power even when loading up on his shots. It hasn’t helped the fight that there’s been little in the way of press statements for either fighter. You aren’t likely to hear much about either fighter no matter what internet boxing forum you might peruse, unless it’s something short, like, “how come there’s no interest in Mora-Forrest.” The answer, at least to me, seems pretty clear. Neither of these fighters fought exceptionally well last time out, and the fans, having long memories, don’t look forward to seeing them possibly make a repeat performance of the first fight.

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Forrest vs. Mora: Has Vernon Gotten Too Old For Boxing?

forrest446646.jpgBy Scott Gilfoid: Sometimes a fighter just get old overnight and loses it. That seems to be the case for Vernon Forrest (40-3, 29 KOs) who challenges World Boxing Council light middleweight champion Sergio Mora (21-01, 5 KOs) on Saturday night at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Forrest, 37 and quickly approaching 38, has steadfastly made excuses for his past defeat to Mora three months ago, a 12-round majority decision loss, saying that he was bored and hadn’t trained properly for the fight, explaining why he had lacked energy all fight long and run out of gas by the third round.

However, it looked as if Mora, 27, had a lot to do with Forrest running out of energy so quickly. Mora fought an outstanding fight, jabbing often, moving constantly, faking Forrest out of position, and hitting him to the body and head with strong left hooks.

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Forrest vs. Mora: Why Vernon Will Lose

forres64333.jpgBy Jim Dower: Having seen the first between these two fighters, I can’t go along with the logic that former World Boxing Council light middleweight champion Vernon Forrest )40-3, 29 KOs) was just having an off night when he lost a 12-round majority decision to then challenger undefeated Sergio Mora (21-0-1, 5 KOs) in June. It appeared to me that the 37 year-old Forrest just got old overnight and met up with someone with a crafty style, better work rate and the ability to move around the ring to force Forrest to use his old legs.

I’ve heard numerous excuses as to why Forrest lost the fight, from he was over-trained to he was under-trained for the bout. However, I can’t see how the outcome will be any different no matter how hard Forrest trains for the fight. Mora is simply too fast, too active and is an excellent inside fighter, which is where he was able to score often against Forrest and win rounds. I frankly don’t even see this as an age issue, for I think Mora would have beaten Forrest no matter how old he was at the time. Mora’s style of fighting – constant movement, using a lot of fakes, jabbing constantly, and throwing short double and triple hooks on the inside – is a nightmarish style for Forrest, one that I don’t see him solving ever.

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Mora Upsets Forrest

forres653353.jpgBy Jim Dower: Sometimes a fighter can grow old overnight. That was never more apparent in Saturday night’s bout between WBC light middleweight champion Vernon Forrest (40-3, 29 KOs) and former star from The Contender reality television boxing show Sergio Mora (21-0-1, 5 KOs), who pulled off an amazing upset of the 37 year-old Forrest beating him by a 12-round unanimous decision at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Forrest looked every bit of his ancient 37 years, as he quickly tired out after the third round and was easily beaten by the youthful, more active Mora. The final judges’ scores were 116-112, 115-113 and 114-114. I saw the fight being closer to 116-114, if not a little more than that in Mora’s favor. Forrest looked essentially like garbage, the worst I’d seen him fight since his dual losses to Ricardo Mayorga in 2003.

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Forrest-Mora: Look For Sergio To Pull Off An Upset

forrest2232442421.jpgBy Sean McDaniel: With one day remaining until fight time, WBC light middleweight champion Vernon Forrest (40-2, 29 KOs) doesn’t appear lacking in confidence in regards to his bout with former star from The Contender Sergio Mora (20-0-1, 5 KOs), both of whom meet in a 12-round title bout at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut. 10 years in age separates the two fighters and a huge gulf in boxing experience as well. At 37, a time when most fighters are showing signs of slowing down, Forrest still appears to be at the top of his game looking and fighting years younger than his age.

For all his age, he’s been a little hard on his younger opponent, saying repeatedly in the past week that Mora has no chance at winning, that “there won’t be an upset on Saturday.” Unlike many of Forrest’s other bouts, he’s been unusually boisterous saying uncomplimentary things about the lack of power or Mora and his fighting style, which is more finesse oriented in comparison to Forrest’s. In a way, though, despite winning the war of words almost by default, Forrest has come across slightly like he’s afraid of Mora somehow.

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Forrest vs. Mora: Can Sergio Rise Above His Contender Status?

forrest33465.jpgBy Eric Thomas: A much rejuvenated WBC light middleweight champion Vernon Forrest (40-2, 29 KOs) will be defending his title against the light-hitting Sergio Mora (20-0-1, 5 KOs) on June 7th, at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Uncasville, Connecticut. Mora, 27, a former participant in the NBC boxing reality TV show called The Contender, has done little to warrant this title shot against Forrest. In fact, Mora, a middleweight, isn’t ranked in the top #15 at all in the light middleweight division, which makes him an odd choice for an opponent against Forrest, since there would seem to be many other more deserving contenders in the light middleweight division that rightfully deserve more the shot against Forrest than Mora.

However, it’s obvious that Mora is getting the shot at Forrest because of his former experience on The Contender, which he fought previously on in 2004, winning the series to become The Contender series champion with wins over Ishe Smith, Jesse Brinkly and Peter Manfredo Jr. Other than that, Mora defeated Manfredo once more in a rematch in October 2005, beating him by an 8-round split decision. As meaningless as those wins were, there were some in the boxing community that thought Mora might have the talent to one day win a title in the middleweight division. Perhaps with those thoughts in mind, Mora was offered a shot at Jermain Taylor in 2007, which he turned down for some reason.

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