Wikipedia

Vernon Forrest vs. Shane Mosley II

Vernon Forrest vs. Shane Mosley II, billed as The Rematch of the Century, was a professional boxing match contested on July 20, 2002, for the WBC and The Ring welterweight championship.[1]

The Rematch of the Century
DateJuly 20, 2002
VenueConseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
Title(s) on the lineWBC and The Ring welterweight titles
Tale of the tape
Boxer Vernon Forrest Shane Mosley
Nickname The Viper Sugar
Hometown Augusta, Georgia, U.S. Pomona, California, U.S.
Purse $3,420,000 $2,800,000
Pre-fight record 35–0 (1) (26 KO) 38–1 (35 KO)
Age 31 years, 5 months 30 years, 10 months
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 147 lb (67 kg) 147 lb (67 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBC and The Ring
Welterweight champion		 WBC
No. 1 Ranked Welterweight
The Ring No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter
2-division world champion
Result
Forrest defeats Mosley via unanimous decision

Background

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During their first fight in January 2002, Shane Mosley, who was ranked as the pound for pound best fighter in the world, was dropped twice en route to a shock unanimous decision loss to Vernon Forrest. In May Forrest and Mosley agreed to terms for a rematch for July 20 in Indianapolis, Indiana.[2]

This time Forrest entered the bout as the slight favourite to win. Speaking before the bout he said "I'm taking the same mentality as I had last time, that it's do or die. To defeat him again would solidify what I did the first time." He also admitted that he needed to improve on his previous performance in order to repeat it, saying "I have to add to what I did last time, If I fight the same, I don't think that will be enough to win."[3][4]

15,775 people attended the fight making it the largest boxing crowd ever in Indiana.

The fight

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Forrest kept on the outside using his height and reach as an advantage, as well as using his jab more effectively. His effective counter-punching was able to prevent Mosley from landing his powerful left hook.

The fight went the full 12 round distance. The scorecards were closer than the first fight, however still had Forrest as the winner with Gary Merritt scoring it 117–111, Tony Castellano 116-112 and Jerry Roth 115–113.[5][6]

HBO's unofficial scorer Harold Lederman scored the bout 116–112 for Forrest while USA Today scored it 115–113 in favour of Forrest.[7]

Aftermath

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Speaking after the bout Forrest said "He came out very, very aggressive the first couple of rounds, I knew it would be hard for him to maintain that pace for 12 rounds." Mosley meanwhile explained his strategy saying "My plan was to move in and catch him with a hard shot. I didn't get a chance to get that shot. It was a lot of clinch, move, clinch move."[8][9]

Undercard

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Confirmed bouts:[10][11]

Winner Loser Weight division/title belt(s) disputed Result
  Antonio Tarver   Eric Harding Light heavyweight (10 rounds) 5th-round TKO
Non-TV bouts
  José Celaya   Hector Quiroz NABO Welterweight title Unanimous technical decision
  Nick Cook   George Blades Indiana State Light heavyweight title Unanimous decision
  Clarence Vinson   Juan Jose Beltran Super bantamweight (8 rounds) Unanimous decision
  Duncan Dokiwari   Tim Knight Heavyweight (6 rounds) 5th-round KO
  Sherwin Davis   Michael Soberanis Light middleweight (6 rounds) 3rd-round TKO
  Enrique Ruiz   Nick Flores Heavyweight (4 rounds) 2nd-round TKO
  Dimitrique Edwards   Patrick Lewis Cruiserweight (4 rounds) Unanimous decision
  Xavier Toliver   Mark Scott Light middleweight (4 rounds) 1st-round TKO

Broadcasting

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Country Broadcaster
  United States HBO

References

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  1. ^ "Vernon Forrest vs. Shane Mosley (2nd meeting)". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Forrest-Mosley rematch set". New York. United Press International. 9 May 2002. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  3. ^ Dean Juipe (3 July 2002). "Roles are reversed for Forrest-Mosley rematch". lasvegassun.com. Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  4. ^ "No love lost in rematch". Chicago Tribune. 21 July 2002. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Forrest ends Mosley challenge". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 21 July 2002. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  6. ^ Chris Bushnell (26 January 2002). "Mosley Can't Wrestle Title From Forrest". boxingchronicle.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2002. Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  7. ^ "USATODAY.com – Forrest pounds out decision over Mosley". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
  8. ^ Associated Press (20 July 2002). "Forrest sends Mosley to second defeat this year". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  9. ^ L. Jon Wertheim (29 July 2002). "A Different Kind of Champion By beating Shane Mosley to defend his welterweight title, Vernon Forrest joined boxing's elite". si.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
  10. ^ "BoxRec - event".
  11. ^ Associated Press (20 July 2002). "Tarver KOs Harding to avenge his only loss". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
Preceded by Shane Mosley's bouts
20 July 2002 		Succeeded by
Vernon Forrest's bouts
20 July 2002 		Succeeded by
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