Forrest to fight Mayorga in welterweight unification bout

Wednesday December 18, 2002

By JOHN NADEL
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) Vernon Forrest, named fighter of the year by several publications including Ring Magazine for beating Shane Mosley twice, will face Nicaragua's Ricardo Mayorga in a 12-round welterweight unification title bout Jan. 25.

Forrest, 35-0 with 26 knockouts, and Mayorga, 24-3-1 with 22 knockouts, will be matched for the 147-pound crown at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif. 85 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 47 miles north of San Diego.

The Super Bowl will be played in San Diego the following day.

``My goal was to unify from the start,'' Forrest said Wednesday on a conference call officially announcing the bout. ``Mosley was considered the best welterweight and I destroyed him. I want to finish what I started, and that is to clean out my division.

``I'm fighting the best fighters in my division. Everyone can't make that claim.''

Mosley had a 38-0 record before being outpointed by the 6-foot-1 Forrest last February, and Forrest repeated the feat six months later.

``To be the man, you have to beat the man,'' Forrest said. ``I've beaten the man twice. I beat the guy who everybody considered to be pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world.''

Forrest, the WBC welterweight champion, said he considered Roy Jones Jr. the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, with Bernard Hopkins second, Ricardo Lopez third and himself fourth.

``That's being a boxing fan and knowing boxing,'' Forrest said. ``At the same time, the pound-for-pound thing is only opinion anyway. I strive to move ahead of those guys some day.''

The bout against the 29-year-old Mayorga, the WBA welterweight titleholder, will be the first for Forrest since he signed a six-fight contract with HBO.

``This is the first fight of our deal, then we're going to go from there,'' he said. ``I have a timetable I'm still on that timetable. After those six fights, I'll have to sit down with my people.''

Regarding his newfound notoriety, Forrest said: ``It's a blessing to be considered as the No. 1 fighter in boxing. That's what the fighter of the year represents. I am blessed and I am privileged and I am so thrilled to be named fighter of the year.''

Regarding Mayorga, Forrest said: ``The only thing I know is he's a tough tough customer, he comes to fight. I'm going to beat him like he stole something.''

Asked about his strategy, Forrest replied: ``I plan on winning it's top-secret now. I'm looking for a great fight. I'm looking to adding the WBA belt to my collection this is the only belt I don't have in my collection. I already have a place in my trophy cabinet for it.''

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)