Vernon Forrest: The Augusta Champion Who Beat Shane Mosley Twice

Vernon Forrest came out of Augusta, Georgia, beat Shane Mosley twice in 2002 when Mosley was regarded as the best fighter in the world, lost his welterweight crown to Ricardo Mayorga, rebuilt a wrecked left arm and won the WBC junior middleweight title twice. Away from the ring he poured himself into a group home for adults with disabilities. In July 2009 he was shot dead after a robbery at an Atlanta gas station. He was 38.

A Teenage Amateur From Augusta

Forrest was born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1971. Most references, including Wikipedia, give his birthday as February 12; Boxing News gives January 12. He started boxing at nine and, according to his HBO biography as cited by Wikipedia, was the first member of his family to finish high school, graduating from Marquette Senior High School in Michigan.

His amateur résumé was formidable: a reported 225 wins against 16 defeats, a silver medal at the 1991 World Championships in Sydney, where he lost the light welterweight final to Kostya Tszyu, and the 1992 US national junior welterweight title. At the Olympic trials that year he beat a young Californian named Shane Mosley. In Barcelona, however, he went out in his first bout to Britain's Peter Richardson, and Forrest blamed food poisoning for the flat performance.

The Long Road to the IBF Belt

Forrest turned professional in November 1992 with a first-round stoppage of Charles Hawkins in Nevada. Nicknamed "The Viper," he stopped most of his early opponents but spent years outside the spotlight. His first shot at a major title, against Raul Frank for the vacant IBF welterweight belt in August 2000, ended as a no contest when an accidental clash of heads opened a cut in the third round. On May 12, 2001, on a Félix Trinidad undercard at Madison Square Garden, he beat Frank clearly on all three cards to become a world champion.

January 2002: Mosley Goes Down for the First Time

On January 26, 2002, at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Forrest met Mosley again, this time for the WBC and lineal welterweight championship. Mosley was 38-0, making the fourth defence of the belt he had taken from Oscar De La Hoya, and the Associated Press reported that Forrest went off as a 7-1 underdog despite his own unbeaten record.

Early in the second a clash of heads cut Mosley at the hairline, and after the pause Forrest hurt him with combinations and dropped him with a right, the first knockdown of Mosley's professional career. Mosley rose unsteadily and was put down again near the end of the round, the bell arriving before Forrest could finish the job. From there Forrest controlled the fight with his size and jab. All three judges scored it for him by wide margins, including 117-108 from Melvina Lathan and 118-108 from Julie Lederman; sources differ on the third card. Forrest's verdict to the AP was blunt: "Shane Mosley is supposed to be the best boxer in boxing...I beat him."

Indianapolis Rematch and Fighter of the Year

The rematch came six months later, on July 20, 2002, at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Boxing News reported a record crowd of 15,775 and a purse of 3.42 million dollars for Forrest. Mosley started aggressively and made it closer, but Forrest's jab and clinching blunted him over twelve rounds. The judges scored it 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113 for Forrest. At the end of the year both The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America named Forrest Fighter of the Year.

Two Defeats to Ricardo Mayorga

Forrest's next opponent seemed a far smaller risk. On January 25, 2003, at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California, he faced Ricardo Mayorga, the wild-swinging Nicaraguan who held the WBA belt. Forrest refused to touch gloves, and Mayorga answered by charging at him. Forrest was dropped in the first round, and in the third a hard shot buckled his legs. He got up, but referee Marty Denkin stopped the fight when Forrest did not respond to his questions after the count.

An immediate rematch followed on July 12, 2003, at the Orleans in Las Vegas. Mayorga rocked Forrest in the second round and dominated the first half; Forrest came on as Mayorga tired, but the Nicaraguan finished strongly. Jerry Roth scored it 114-114, while Larry O'Connell (115-114) and Ove Oveson (116-112) favoured Mayorga, a majority decision that left Forrest without a title.

Surgery, Comeback and Junior Middleweight Gold

Forrest then spent roughly two years out of the ring. According to Wikipedia, he underwent three operations on his left arm: two on the shoulder for a torn rotator cuff and one on the elbow for torn cartilage and nerve damage. He returned in 2005, stopping Sergio Rios in two rounds and Elco Garcia in the tenth. On August 5, 2006, he won a ten-round decision over former champion Ike Quartey in New York, a result ESPN described in its headline as controversial; the cards read 95-94, 95-94 and 96-93.

On July 28, 2007, at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington, Forrest outpointed Carlos Baldomir 118-109, 116-111 and 118-109 to win the vacant WBC light middleweight title, making him a champion in a second weight class. He defended it in December 2007 with an eleventh-round stoppage of Italy's Michele Piccirillo at Foxwoods in Connecticut.

In June 2008 he lost the belt by majority decision to Sergio Mora, the winner of the television series The Contender, after having dismissed Mora before the fight as "the pretender," according to ESPN. He reversed the result on September 13, 2008, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, winning a lopsided unanimous decision to regain the title. It was his last fight. ESPN reported in July 2009 that a rib injury had forced him out of a mandatory defence against Sergio Martinez set for August 1, and that the WBC had stripped him shortly before his death. He finished with 41 wins (29 by knockout), three losses and one no contest.

Destiny's Child: The Work Outside the Ring

Forrest's charity had nothing to do with the pop group that shared its name. He helped create Destiny's Child Inc., a nonprofit in the Atlanta area that ran group residences for adults with developmental, emotional and psychological disabilities, and Wikipedia's sources describe him personally organizing activities for its residents. ESPN called him heavily involved with the home. Boxing News quoted his own explanation of why he did it: "Everybody needs help and everybody needs love."

July 25, 2009: The Shooting in Atlanta

At about 11 p.m. on July 25, 2009, Forrest stopped at a gas station in Atlanta's Mechanicsville neighbourhood to put air in a tyre. His 11-year-old godson was with him; ESPN reported that the boy was inside the convenience store and did not see what followed. A man robbed Forrest at gunpoint and ran. Forrest, who was carrying his own gun, chased him, and shots were exchanged. A second man then shot Forrest repeatedly in the back; reports put the number of wounds at seven or eight. He died at the scene. Accounts of what was taken differ: ESPN's first report mentioned his wallet, while Fox News, reporting on the later trial, said the robber took a championship ring and a Rolex watch.

Three men were eventually convicted. Demario Ware, identified as the robber, and Jquante Crews, described as the driver, received life sentences, with Boxing News reporting an additional ten years for Crews. Charmon Sinkfield, accused of being the gunman, was convicted in October 2016 and, according to Wikipedia, sentenced to life without parole. Some reports transposed the two men's first names. Promoter Gary Shaw told ESPN: "Violence belongs inside the ropes."

Forrest left a son, Vernon Jr. In the record books he remains one of the few men to beat Shane Mosley twice; in Atlanta he is also remembered for the residents of a group home he refused to forget.

Sources

• Vernon Forrest, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
• Shane Mosley vs. Vernon Forrest; Vernon Forrest vs. Shane Mosley II; Vernon Forrest vs. Ricardo Mayorga; Ricardo Mayorga vs. Vernon Forrest II, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
• Forrest hands Mosley his first loss, takes WBC belt, Associated Press via ESPN, January 26, 2002
• Former champion Forrest shot to death, ESPN, July 26, 2009
• On this day: Vernon Forrest was murdered at the age of 38, Boxing News
• Man convicted of killing ex-boxing champ Vernon Forrest, Fox News, October 2016