Vernon Forrest Deserves Credit

Here are some brief words about Vernon Forrest.

When Vernon beat Shane Mosley the first time, it cemented his place among the elite in all of boxing. Forrest became a perfect 35-0, and had just beaten the 38-0 Sugar Shane, who was atop many pound for pound lists at the time.

Then he did it again. Sure he would go on to get knocked out by Mayorga in the first fight, but Uatu scored the second fight for Vernon. Going into his first fight with Mora, in Uatu's estimation, Forrest had only lost one fight - the loss to Mayorga - which in retrospect ended up looking more like a blip on Vernon's career than any kind of indictment of his ability to take a punch.

The only reason that Forrest dropped off the pound for pound lists going into the first Mora fight was injury, not by being beaten. Vernon had to work his way back into title conversation by taking fights that were lower profile when he should have gotten his chance at the top sooner.

Sergio Mora did beat Forrest "fair and square," but now it appears much more likely that Forrest was being honest when he said he lost because he had an off night, not that Mora had some superb abilities.

It should be remembered that when Vernon is at the peak of his powers, he is one of the best boxers in the world regardless of weight. His technique and ability have always been better than Mora's and just about everyone else's.

Uatu should have realized this and called for a Vernon Forrest victory. Next time, Vernon will get the credit he deserves.