Forrest fires boxing fans’ imaginations

By Paul Upham: If you were looking for another reason to love boxing after a hellacious week where there was plenty of negativity and overkill stemming from the Tyson-Lewis incident, Vernon Forrest again showed that, when two fighters enter a boxing ring, either man can win.

At 7/1, Forrest must surely go down in history as one of the longest betting outsiders to win a fight coming in as an undefeated world champion.

Mosley showed great heart to get back up off the canvas in the second round, particularly after the brutal uppercut that nearly saw his head roll back off his shoulders and over the ropes, but full credit to the “Viper” who confirmed he is a true world champion.

Just when you thought this was the perfect opportunity for Mosley to come back and knock Forrest out, even more surprising than Sugar Shane hitting the canvas was the fact that Forrest never did.

The only person looking more stunned than Mosley himself was his father Jack, who seemed in total shock in the corner at having to deal with his son losing the fight. There was very little direction forthcoming for Mosley Jr from his corner and he surely needed, at some stage, to be told that he needed a knockout to win the fight.

Forrest executed his gameplan to perfection. Pop Mosley with the jab every chance he got and then tie him up on the inside when he worked his way in.

You couldn’t ask for two better gentlemen in the ring after the fight, with both acknowledging the other’s performance. Mosley asked for a rematch and Forrest is more than willing to grant him one.

You can be sure that HBO is already checking its calendar for a suitable pay-per-view date for the rematch later this year, which Mosley now needs and Forrest is happy to give as he feels he has the Sugar man’s number.

The now two-time world champion won decisively and the only question mark surrounding the fight was what effect the head clash in the second round had on Mosley’s first ever trip to the canvas?

Was Mosley overlooking Forrest? Maybe. Did he spend too much time promoting this fight and himself and, in doing so, neglect his preparation? Only Shane can answer that one for sure.

With all due respect to Forrest, this was a huge upset. Mosley is in his prime, at the top of his game, and was considered one of the top two boxers on the planet. This was no washed-up fighter in his final swansong. This was a demonstration of one of the great aspects of boxing - the upset.

Kostya Tszyu and Marco Antonio Barrera are two recent examples of great fighters coming back from a devastating loss to be even better world champions. Mosley is a very good fighter; there is no doubt about that. The true measure of his greatness is how he comes back from this defeat.

Mosley’s loss again showed you can never overlook any opponent. I just hope Roy Jones Jr is fully focused, and will take long shot Glen Kelly seriously next Saturday night on HBO.

What time is the undisputed light-heavyweight champion rapping on stage at Thunderbox in South Beach, Miami, on Monday?


Paul Upham
Contributing Editor