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.
Showing posts with label sergio mora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sergio mora. Show all posts
13.9.08
Round by Round: Mora v. Forrest II
Tonight's first of two main events is a rematch between Sergio Mora and Vernon Forrest. As the challenger, Forrest enters first. He's 5-3 in title fights and the commentators are asking what he has left. They also comment on his age.
Mora now enters. The crowd sounds like they are leaning towards Mora.
Forrest is 40-3 and Mora is 21-0. His record shows that Mora won the first time these two fighters met.
Round 1:
Both fighters start off hesitant to throw a punch. Forrest throws first and Mora dodges and clinches. Both fighters are feeling each other out early on. Mora lands a jab to the head and a hook to the body. Forrest now lands a good left counter punch. The ref tells Mora to keep his punches up but no formal warning. Mora showing good upper body movement. Tough round to score since not much happened.
Spartan117: 10-9 Mora
Round 2:
Mora starts off the action in round 2. Forrest lands a stiff jab and knocks Mora off balance. Forrest lands a fast combination to the head. Both fighters are doing a good job getting the jab going to set up combos. The crowd starts to chant for Mora. There is a lot of clinching from both fighters but they are viciously fighting out of them.
Spartan117: 10-9 Mora
Round 3:
Mora starts off the round throwing fast combos. There's a clash of heads and Forrest backpedals holding his head, taking some punishment in the process. The ref apparently didn't see it. Forrest lands a great left hook and takes off the pressure from Mora. Forrest looks to be loading up his power right. The two slug it out at the end of the round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 4:
Some swelling is starting to form above the left eye of Mora. Mora means business in the fourth, throwing power shots upstairs but mostly to the body. The fighters are separated and told to watch their heads. Both Forrest and Mora are keeping their hands a little low and good punches are landing from both fighters. Forrest lands a great straight right and Mora drops his hands to taunt Forrest. Forest is landing more as the fight continues and is landing good counter punches.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 5:
Now the fighters' roles are slightly reversed as Forrest is more the aggressor. Forrest is the busier fighter and landing at a higher percentage. Mora is holding Forrest's arm in clinches and hitting him in the process. He should be warned but it goes unnoticed by the ref. Now Forrest gets warned for holding and hitting. Forrest comes back and lands the best punch in the fight, a huge right cross that backs off Mora. A cut forms over the left eye of Mora. Forrest lands a ridiculous combo in the last 10 seconds of the round. It looked like Mora could go down but he makes it out of the round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 6:
We are told that Mora's cut was opened by a punch and not by a headbutt. Forrest is doing a lot of damage and does have the power to knock Mora out. Mora continues to land more punches in the clinches. Forrest backs Mora against the ropes and unleashes the punches. Mora is landing good jabs but not a whole lot else. Forrest lands another serious right hand set up by a jab that bothers Mora. Forrest gets back in and lands another hard combo. Mora looks like he's in trouble. Mora clinches to hold on. Mora continues to throw but Forrest is doing a good job stopping the punches and coming back to land great combos.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 7:
Forrest's face looks like it's bruising, but he is clearly winning the rounds. Forrest isn't letting up in the seventh and comes in throwing his straight right that's set up by a jab. Mora hasn't stopping throwing either and keeps throwing his jab. Mora is breathing out of his mouth now, which can make Forrest's punches hurt even more. Forrest backs Mora against the ropes again, landing a great combo set up by the jab. Forrest lands a huge right hand right before the bell that buckles the knees of Mora and the ref calls it a knockdown. Mora says he didn't go down but it looked like he did.
Spartan117: 10-8 Forrest
Round 8:
Mora looked discouraged between rounds. Forrest smells blood at the start of the round and looks to be going for the knockout, but he's also keeping his composure and sticking to his technique. Forrest's confidence is growing. Mora gets backed into the ropes again and the trend of him taking punches while in that position continues. Mora clinches to hold on. Forrest gets more comfortable in the ring and starts bouncing on his toes towards the end of the round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 9:
Mora looks slightly energized and comes out using good movement around the ring. Not much punching action from either fighter in the first minute. Mora is landing some good jabs but not following up with anything. Mora lands a very hard right hand and backs up Forrest. It looks like the hardest shot of the fight. Forrest stays up and continues to throw power shots. Forrest lands a great uppercut and backs up Mora. Mora is now back in the same position he was before landing his power shot. Mora takes a big combo in the last ten seconds and leans on the ropes to stay on his feet.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 10:
Mora seems to have a greater sense of urgency and comes out firing early in the round. Forrest stays on his game and lands some counter punches. Despite winning the rounds and landing more punches, Forrest's defense stays together. The crowd tries to energize Mora and it looks like it momentarily works. Mora throws some shots in the clinches that look dangerously low. Mora gets backed against the ropes again and gets punched in the process.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 11:
Mora comes out and lands some big right hands. Forrest gets himself together and gets back in the action. Forrest gets Mora in the ropes again and lands another solid combo. Mora lands a great right hand to get out that backed off Forrest. Forrest is still coming forward but both fighters look a little tired in this round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 12:
In the final round Mora looks like he realizes that he's down on the points and needs to go for the knockout. He's really loading up his right hand. Both fighters are trading huge power shots at close quarters. Mora is getting sloppy and is taking more of the harder shots. Mora continues to fire back with power shots. Mora comes into a big left by Forrest. It looked like Mora was going to go down but he manages to stay up. Forrest lands another big combo that looks like a summation of the fight before the bell rings.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Spartan117 scores it 118-109 Forrest. The judges score it 118-109, 117-110 and 119-108, all for the winner... and new WBC light middleweight champion... Vernon "The Viper" Forrest.
Forrest says that anybody can have a bad night and that's what he had during his last fight. He says his jab set up everything. "It was boxing 101," Forrest said. He also adds that this fight was "the difference between a contender and a champion," jabbing Mora for coming up on the reality show "The Contender."
Mora now enters. The crowd sounds like they are leaning towards Mora.
Forrest is 40-3 and Mora is 21-0. His record shows that Mora won the first time these two fighters met.
Round 1:
Both fighters start off hesitant to throw a punch. Forrest throws first and Mora dodges and clinches. Both fighters are feeling each other out early on. Mora lands a jab to the head and a hook to the body. Forrest now lands a good left counter punch. The ref tells Mora to keep his punches up but no formal warning. Mora showing good upper body movement. Tough round to score since not much happened.
Spartan117: 10-9 Mora
Round 2:
Mora starts off the action in round 2. Forrest lands a stiff jab and knocks Mora off balance. Forrest lands a fast combination to the head. Both fighters are doing a good job getting the jab going to set up combos. The crowd starts to chant for Mora. There is a lot of clinching from both fighters but they are viciously fighting out of them.
Spartan117: 10-9 Mora
Round 3:
Mora starts off the round throwing fast combos. There's a clash of heads and Forrest backpedals holding his head, taking some punishment in the process. The ref apparently didn't see it. Forrest lands a great left hook and takes off the pressure from Mora. Forrest looks to be loading up his power right. The two slug it out at the end of the round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 4:
Some swelling is starting to form above the left eye of Mora. Mora means business in the fourth, throwing power shots upstairs but mostly to the body. The fighters are separated and told to watch their heads. Both Forrest and Mora are keeping their hands a little low and good punches are landing from both fighters. Forrest lands a great straight right and Mora drops his hands to taunt Forrest. Forest is landing more as the fight continues and is landing good counter punches.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 5:
Now the fighters' roles are slightly reversed as Forrest is more the aggressor. Forrest is the busier fighter and landing at a higher percentage. Mora is holding Forrest's arm in clinches and hitting him in the process. He should be warned but it goes unnoticed by the ref. Now Forrest gets warned for holding and hitting. Forrest comes back and lands the best punch in the fight, a huge right cross that backs off Mora. A cut forms over the left eye of Mora. Forrest lands a ridiculous combo in the last 10 seconds of the round. It looked like Mora could go down but he makes it out of the round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 6:
We are told that Mora's cut was opened by a punch and not by a headbutt. Forrest is doing a lot of damage and does have the power to knock Mora out. Mora continues to land more punches in the clinches. Forrest backs Mora against the ropes and unleashes the punches. Mora is landing good jabs but not a whole lot else. Forrest lands another serious right hand set up by a jab that bothers Mora. Forrest gets back in and lands another hard combo. Mora looks like he's in trouble. Mora clinches to hold on. Mora continues to throw but Forrest is doing a good job stopping the punches and coming back to land great combos.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 7:
Forrest's face looks like it's bruising, but he is clearly winning the rounds. Forrest isn't letting up in the seventh and comes in throwing his straight right that's set up by a jab. Mora hasn't stopping throwing either and keeps throwing his jab. Mora is breathing out of his mouth now, which can make Forrest's punches hurt even more. Forrest backs Mora against the ropes again, landing a great combo set up by the jab. Forrest lands a huge right hand right before the bell that buckles the knees of Mora and the ref calls it a knockdown. Mora says he didn't go down but it looked like he did.
Spartan117: 10-8 Forrest
Round 8:
Mora looked discouraged between rounds. Forrest smells blood at the start of the round and looks to be going for the knockout, but he's also keeping his composure and sticking to his technique. Forrest's confidence is growing. Mora gets backed into the ropes again and the trend of him taking punches while in that position continues. Mora clinches to hold on. Forrest gets more comfortable in the ring and starts bouncing on his toes towards the end of the round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 9:
Mora looks slightly energized and comes out using good movement around the ring. Not much punching action from either fighter in the first minute. Mora is landing some good jabs but not following up with anything. Mora lands a very hard right hand and backs up Forrest. It looks like the hardest shot of the fight. Forrest stays up and continues to throw power shots. Forrest lands a great uppercut and backs up Mora. Mora is now back in the same position he was before landing his power shot. Mora takes a big combo in the last ten seconds and leans on the ropes to stay on his feet.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 10:
Mora seems to have a greater sense of urgency and comes out firing early in the round. Forrest stays on his game and lands some counter punches. Despite winning the rounds and landing more punches, Forrest's defense stays together. The crowd tries to energize Mora and it looks like it momentarily works. Mora throws some shots in the clinches that look dangerously low. Mora gets backed against the ropes again and gets punched in the process.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 11:
Mora comes out and lands some big right hands. Forrest gets himself together and gets back in the action. Forrest gets Mora in the ropes again and lands another solid combo. Mora lands a great right hand to get out that backed off Forrest. Forrest is still coming forward but both fighters look a little tired in this round.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Round 12:
In the final round Mora looks like he realizes that he's down on the points and needs to go for the knockout. He's really loading up his right hand. Both fighters are trading huge power shots at close quarters. Mora is getting sloppy and is taking more of the harder shots. Mora continues to fire back with power shots. Mora comes into a big left by Forrest. It looked like Mora was going to go down but he manages to stay up. Forrest lands another big combo that looks like a summation of the fight before the bell rings.
Spartan117: 10-9 Forrest
Spartan117 scores it 118-109 Forrest. The judges score it 118-109, 117-110 and 119-108, all for the winner... and new WBC light middleweight champion... Vernon "The Viper" Forrest.
Forrest says that anybody can have a bad night and that's what he had during his last fight. He says his jab set up everything. "It was boxing 101," Forrest said. He also adds that this fight was "the difference between a contender and a champion," jabbing Mora for coming up on the reality show "The Contender."
Live Round By Round Updates Tonight: Casamayor-Marquez, Mora-Forrest and Campbell-Guzman
With plenty of boxing on the air tonight, Spartan117 and I are pulling double duty to do live round by round updates. He'll handle the pay-per-view card that no one really wants to pay for, featuring Joel Casamayor and Juan Manuel Marquez battling for The Ring lightweight championship and Sergio Mora in a rematch with Vernon Forrest.
I'll be watching Nate Campbell and Joan Guzman attempt to untangle the other big part of the lightweight picture on Showtime. As always, if you aren't able to watch the fights on TV, bookmark BoxingWatchers.com to get fast, live updates as the action goes down.
I'll be watching Nate Campbell and Joan Guzman attempt to untangle the other big part of the lightweight picture on Showtime. As always, if you aren't able to watch the fights on TV, bookmark BoxingWatchers.com to get fast, live updates as the action goes down.
12.9.08
Predictions: Campbell-Guzman, Casamayor-Marquez, Mora-Forrest
The Franchise says...
It's a little bit of everything on the boxing schedule this Saturday with a championship bout on Showtime and a pay-per-view card - at least in the sense that viewers are being paid to watch - that kind of, sort of has two championships at stake.
In Mississippi, Nate Campbell defends his three lightweight titles against undefeated Joan Guzman, who follows in the footsteps of Manny Pacquiao by making the jump from 130 to 135. Campbell shouldn't be lacking for motivation after he won his belts in impressive fashion against Juan Diaz, who was also undefeated at the time. He's also miffed about:
1) The Ring magazine choosing to recognize the Joel Casamayor-Juan Manuel Marquez winner as the lightweight champ.
2) Getting mocked by Guzman and his people for supposedly ducking him - even though Guzman had yet to fight at lightweight - and even making fun of his recent wedding photos.
Guzman has a slick arsenal on offense and defense and comes into the bout off of two easy decision wins. He's not known for his power and Campbell proved in the Diaz fight he can take shots from anyone not named Robbie Peden, but it's possible Guzman may be able to consistently beat him to the punch.
Still, Campbell also showed adaptability during his fight with Diaz, a trait sometimes lacking in even top-notch fighters. The Galaxxy Warrior was able to get the better of the Baby Bull while standing and trading in the early rounds, then box judiciously in the second half of the fight. He's got the edge in experience and should have more power when he tracks Guzman down.
It's hard to pick against a talented undefeated fighter like Guzman, but my gut tells me Campbell will find a way to win. I'm taking Campbell to retain by decision.
As for that Casamayor-Marquez fight, it's going down at almost the same time in Las Vegas. While the card isn't too bad, the most intriguing angle may be seeing how many people actually shell out money to watch it. They're championship fighters, yes, but PPV draws? I think not.
Casamayor is especially lucky to be in this position. He deserves props for coming off the canvas to knock out Aussie slugger Michael Katsidis last time out, but many observers thought he was the beneficiary of a gift decision over Jose Armando Santa Cruz the fight before that. It's hard to count the veteran lefty out against anyone, but his record against top flight competition over the last five years or so is only about .500.
A frustrated Marquez makes his move to lightweight after his March loss to Pacquiao made him winless in two fights against Pacman, both of which were so close that he could legitimately feel he won them. He's got the edge in pure skill, so his biggest problems will be if the step up to 135 robs him of his pop or if those grueling rounds with Manny exacted a toll. Despite being Casamayor's junior by two years, he actually has a lot more miles on the odometer.
I'm not sure how many people will be watching, but this one could be interesting. The feeling here is that while you aren't exactly sure what you're going to get from Casamayor, you know JMM is going to be sharp. Joel will hang tough, but I like Marquez by late-round KO.
The co-feature in Vegas is a rematch between Sergio Mora and Vernon Forrest of a June fight that ended in a semi-surprising victory for the Latin Snake. Forrest had a hard time cornering the younger, quicker Mora for one of his trademark right hands that night, finally running into someone whose style was even trickier than his own.
Will The Viper have enough left in the tank to chase Mora around this time? He says yes, of course, but I'm not as confident. In the second battle of the snakes, I'm picking Mora to win on the scorecards again, possibly by a more comfortable margin.
Uatu says...
According to fightnews Guzman came in overweight. Much has been made of him blowing up in-between fights. He also has not fought since last November. He will not be able to knock Nate Campbell out, he will not be able to knock him down and he will not be able to hurt him. Chances are he will fight like Floyd Mayweather did in his second fight against Jose Luis Castillo. But his conditioning isn't on the same level as Floyd's, and he is not as talented as Floyd. Campbell presses the action effectively to win by decision.
Perhaps JMM has bitten off more than he can chew. Casamayor has fought much much larger opposition physically speaking. Casamayor by decision.
In a rematch of a close decision between a younger and older fighter, the move is to go with the younger guy, as he will win even more decisively. Mora by decision.
It's a little bit of everything on the boxing schedule this Saturday with a championship bout on Showtime and a pay-per-view card - at least in the sense that viewers are being paid to watch - that kind of, sort of has two championships at stake.
In Mississippi, Nate Campbell defends his three lightweight titles against undefeated Joan Guzman, who follows in the footsteps of Manny Pacquiao by making the jump from 130 to 135. Campbell shouldn't be lacking for motivation after he won his belts in impressive fashion against Juan Diaz, who was also undefeated at the time. He's also miffed about:
1) The Ring magazine choosing to recognize the Joel Casamayor-Juan Manuel Marquez winner as the lightweight champ.
2) Getting mocked by Guzman and his people for supposedly ducking him - even though Guzman had yet to fight at lightweight - and even making fun of his recent wedding photos.
Guzman has a slick arsenal on offense and defense and comes into the bout off of two easy decision wins. He's not known for his power and Campbell proved in the Diaz fight he can take shots from anyone not named Robbie Peden, but it's possible Guzman may be able to consistently beat him to the punch.
Still, Campbell also showed adaptability during his fight with Diaz, a trait sometimes lacking in even top-notch fighters. The Galaxxy Warrior was able to get the better of the Baby Bull while standing and trading in the early rounds, then box judiciously in the second half of the fight. He's got the edge in experience and should have more power when he tracks Guzman down.
It's hard to pick against a talented undefeated fighter like Guzman, but my gut tells me Campbell will find a way to win. I'm taking Campbell to retain by decision.
As for that Casamayor-Marquez fight, it's going down at almost the same time in Las Vegas. While the card isn't too bad, the most intriguing angle may be seeing how many people actually shell out money to watch it. They're championship fighters, yes, but PPV draws? I think not.
Casamayor is especially lucky to be in this position. He deserves props for coming off the canvas to knock out Aussie slugger Michael Katsidis last time out, but many observers thought he was the beneficiary of a gift decision over Jose Armando Santa Cruz the fight before that. It's hard to count the veteran lefty out against anyone, but his record against top flight competition over the last five years or so is only about .500.
A frustrated Marquez makes his move to lightweight after his March loss to Pacquiao made him winless in two fights against Pacman, both of which were so close that he could legitimately feel he won them. He's got the edge in pure skill, so his biggest problems will be if the step up to 135 robs him of his pop or if those grueling rounds with Manny exacted a toll. Despite being Casamayor's junior by two years, he actually has a lot more miles on the odometer.
I'm not sure how many people will be watching, but this one could be interesting. The feeling here is that while you aren't exactly sure what you're going to get from Casamayor, you know JMM is going to be sharp. Joel will hang tough, but I like Marquez by late-round KO.
The co-feature in Vegas is a rematch between Sergio Mora and Vernon Forrest of a June fight that ended in a semi-surprising victory for the Latin Snake. Forrest had a hard time cornering the younger, quicker Mora for one of his trademark right hands that night, finally running into someone whose style was even trickier than his own.
Will The Viper have enough left in the tank to chase Mora around this time? He says yes, of course, but I'm not as confident. In the second battle of the snakes, I'm picking Mora to win on the scorecards again, possibly by a more comfortable margin.
Uatu says...
According to fightnews Guzman came in overweight. Much has been made of him blowing up in-between fights. He also has not fought since last November. He will not be able to knock Nate Campbell out, he will not be able to knock him down and he will not be able to hurt him. Chances are he will fight like Floyd Mayweather did in his second fight against Jose Luis Castillo. But his conditioning isn't on the same level as Floyd's, and he is not as talented as Floyd. Campbell presses the action effectively to win by decision.
Perhaps JMM has bitten off more than he can chew. Casamayor has fought much much larger opposition physically speaking. Casamayor by decision.
In a rematch of a close decision between a younger and older fighter, the move is to go with the younger guy, as he will win even more decisively. Mora by decision.
9.6.08
20-20 Hindsight: Williams, Mora Impress, Who's Next for Pavlik, De La Hoya?
I like to think I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. And boy, was I wrong about the fights this weekend - with the exception of Kelly Pavlik knocking out Gary Lockett, but I doubt even Lockett himself was surprised by that outcome.
Let's start with Paul Williams' emphatic avenging of his defeat at the hands of Carlos Quintana. I really did think Williams was the better fighter overall, but my lousy luck with picking losing fighters to win in rematches plus my belief that The Punisher couldn't hurt Quintana made me pick against him.
That turned out to be wrong in a big way. Williams hurt Quintana the first time he got inside, then knocked him silly with a left hand. The champ made it to his feet but never looked like he regained his senses, and Williams made sure he never made it out of the first round.
The Punisher's eye-opening display made it easy to believe him in the post-fight interview when he said Quintana simply caught him on a bad night the first time around. You'd like to think he's back on track for big things at 147, like facing the winner of July's meeting between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito (who Williams has already beaten).
In his own way, Sergio Mora was equally impressive. He doesn't have a very fan-friendly style, but he's slippery enough to befuddle a veteran like Vernon Forrest and he showed some pop (if not KO power) to both the head and the body.
Mora also answered any questions about his ability to go 12 rounds by taking over the late rounds against Forrest. The fight was close enough that I thought he may get tripped up by the judges, but they turned in fairly sensible scorecards that may have provided Mora with a ticket to a big payday.
That's because experts like Dougie Fischer of MaxBoxing.com are already speculating that Mora may end up fighting Oscar De La Hoya later this year. The Golden Boy is, of course, lacking an opponent for the fall now that Floyd Mayweather is at least temporarily retired, and the Latin Snake seems like a guy who would fit the desired risk-reward ratio perfectly.
Like Williams, Mora also made me look bad by picking against him. I was fortunate not to make an official pick for Daniel Ponce De Leon's fight or I would have been 0-for-3 in non-Pavlik fights on Saturday. That's manning up. My hat's off to my brother Uatu, though, as he once again showed his stuff by getting all of his predictions correct. Kudos.
Speaking of Pavlik, all of the speculation after his easy dismissal of Lockett seemed to focus on a possible fight with Joe Calzaghe. Assuming he wasn't affected by stepping up in weight, he's plenty good enough to take that fight next. But I want to side with those who think he should take care of all the legitimate challengers at his current weight first. That could mean Arthur Abraham (assuming he gets past Edison Miranda again in a few weeks) or Winky Wright in a match-up of contrasting styles that could be interesting.
Let's start with Paul Williams' emphatic avenging of his defeat at the hands of Carlos Quintana. I really did think Williams was the better fighter overall, but my lousy luck with picking losing fighters to win in rematches plus my belief that The Punisher couldn't hurt Quintana made me pick against him.
That turned out to be wrong in a big way. Williams hurt Quintana the first time he got inside, then knocked him silly with a left hand. The champ made it to his feet but never looked like he regained his senses, and Williams made sure he never made it out of the first round.
The Punisher's eye-opening display made it easy to believe him in the post-fight interview when he said Quintana simply caught him on a bad night the first time around. You'd like to think he's back on track for big things at 147, like facing the winner of July's meeting between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito (who Williams has already beaten).
In his own way, Sergio Mora was equally impressive. He doesn't have a very fan-friendly style, but he's slippery enough to befuddle a veteran like Vernon Forrest and he showed some pop (if not KO power) to both the head and the body.
Mora also answered any questions about his ability to go 12 rounds by taking over the late rounds against Forrest. The fight was close enough that I thought he may get tripped up by the judges, but they turned in fairly sensible scorecards that may have provided Mora with a ticket to a big payday.
That's because experts like Dougie Fischer of MaxBoxing.com are already speculating that Mora may end up fighting Oscar De La Hoya later this year. The Golden Boy is, of course, lacking an opponent for the fall now that Floyd Mayweather is at least temporarily retired, and the Latin Snake seems like a guy who would fit the desired risk-reward ratio perfectly.
Like Williams, Mora also made me look bad by picking against him. I was fortunate not to make an official pick for Daniel Ponce De Leon's fight or I would have been 0-for-3 in non-Pavlik fights on Saturday. That's manning up. My hat's off to my brother Uatu, though, as he once again showed his stuff by getting all of his predictions correct. Kudos.
Speaking of Pavlik, all of the speculation after his easy dismissal of Lockett seemed to focus on a possible fight with Joe Calzaghe. Assuming he wasn't affected by stepping up in weight, he's plenty good enough to take that fight next. But I want to side with those who think he should take care of all the legitimate challengers at his current weight first. That could mean Arthur Abraham (assuming he gets past Edison Miranda again in a few weeks) or Winky Wright in a match-up of contrasting styles that could be interesting.
7.6.08
Round By Round: Vernon Forrest vs. Sergio Mora
This one's starting a bit earlier than expected thanks to Paul Williams' quick KO win in the previous fight. The announcers mention that Vernon Forrest is giving away nine years in age but feel his two-year layoff a few years back due to injury have helped keep him in good shape.
It's a battle of serpents from the Mohegan Sun as The Viper and the Latin Snake are ready to go for the WBC super welterweight championship.
Round 1
Both men reaching with the jab in the early going. Mora digs with a right to the body. More jabs both ways. Vernon loads up a big right but misses. Now some grappling after Forrest misses coming in. No one throwing right now as they size each other up. The crowd is displeased. Good shots by Forrest coming out of the clinch. Thumping right down low by Forrest and another follows. Cautious first round and the two men exchange pleasantries going back to their corners.
Franchise: 10-9 Forrest
Round 2
Mora having trouble following with anything after the jab. Good feints by Forrest. Mora finally gets inside but can't land too much. Forrest tries to measure Mora for a right but it's mostly evaded. They tie up and Mora tries to throw body shots. Left hook by Mora. Quick shots countered by Forrest's right hands. Mora looks slippery but he hasn't found an effective offense yet.
Franchise: 10-9 Forrest
Round 3
Forrest trying his best to land big rights; Mora has so far been able to duck away. The Latin Snake bounces around, unable to engage. Short shots by Mora and they tie up. Nice left hook by Forrest in close. The announcers discuss how strange it was to hear Forrest trash talk before the fight. Good body work by Forrest along the ropes. Both men warned for holding and hitting, and a second warning to Mora for hitting behind the head.
Franchise: 10-9 Forrest
Round 4
Buddy McGirt told Forrest between rounds not to look for the home run shot. Mora jabbing to start this round. They trade inside and Mora gets the best of it. Two rights by Forrest and a left hook in response from Sergio. Another left hook and Sergio's found something that works. Forrest looking a little more cautious and not coming forward. They try to trade again in close as the round ends.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 5
Forrest using hooks and uppercuts to score inside. He's warned for roughhousing. Mora scores with a straight right. Mora taunts Forrest as The Viper lands some big shots along the ropes. Short lefts inside by Mora. Jabs landing both ways. One-two just misses for Forrest and Mora charges forward with left hooks. The crowd boos as the last 20 seconds wind down with no real punches thrown.
Franchise: 10-9 Forrest
Round 6
The announcers want more jabs from Forrest. Nice right hand upstairs by Mora. He backs up Forrest with another right but Forrest survives and ties him up. The ref warns both men for low shots. Good left by Forrest as they trade. Mora's left eye looking rough but nothing too bad yet. Forrest holding on as the announcers wonder if he's tiring. Both men land in close as they wrestle to the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 7
McGirt told Forrest he's eating too many right hands. Jabs from Mora; Forrest responds in kind. Mora hooks his way inside with the left. He triples the jab and lands a right to the body. Mora warned one more time for hitting behind the head. Mora shakes off a right hand and they tie up. Peppering lefts from the Latin Snake. Mora switches southpaw but only for a second. Another nice round for the challenger.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 8
Forrest catches Mora with a jab and a big straight right. He looks for more but Mora is light on his feet. Nice left coming in by Mora. Forrest warned again for low shots. They try to fight their way out of the clinch but the ref has to step in. Mora landing more jabs in the final seconds but probably not enough to take this round.
Franchise: 10-9 Forrest
Round 9
Vernon looks like he has a little more spark now. Neither man can get the advantage in close. Mora has never been 12 rounds, so that may be a factor, though he's throwing and landing more shots right now. Sharp left upstairs for Mora. Forrest lands out of the break and that looked questionable. Stinging shots along the ropes by Mora and Forrest digs down to try to fight back. Best sequence of the fight with both men swinging away but Mora showed something there.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 10
Forrest looked gassed between rounds, but can Mora take advantage? Forrest trying to stalk without success. He looks frustrated as Mora lands multiple jabs and lefts. Right-left combo by Mora and one shot back by Forrest. Thumping left by Forrest and both guys land. Another flurry by Mora inside and all Forrest can do is swing wildly in response. Nice 1-2 combo at the bell punctuates a good round for the Latin Snake.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 11
Let's see if Mora can finish an impressive second half of the fight. The crowd is behind him. He's zipping jabs and trying to work the body inside. Forrest swinging and missing again. Now he lands a hook as Mora comes in. Good action with body shots flowing by both men. Big right upstairs by Mora. A second right crashes in but Forrest stands his ground. They wrestle to the ropes and Mora looks pretty pleased.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 12
This fight could very well be up for grabs. Mora dodges a big right. The fans spur him on as he scores to the body. Left to the Forrest's head and the ref has to break them up again. Mora landing lefts to the head and rights to the body. Both guys score as they battle along the ropes. Forrest trying to score as Mora dances around. Very close misses as Mora stays bus. The fight ends with nice action along the ropes and Mora's looking excited as the final bell rings.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Franchise scores it 115-113 for Mora. The judges score it 114-114, and 115-113 and 116-112 for Mora. The winner by majority decision, and new WBC super welterweight champion, Sergio Mora.
Mora said he worked hard for this moment, but that he had no set game plan coming into the fight. He's shown a big right hand from the sixth round but he says Forrest took it well. Mora says they treated this fight like a once in a lifetime opportunity and it paid off.
Forrest is asked about being winded, and he's gracious in defeat. He says Mora's style was tricky and that the Latin Snake was the better man tonight. Forrest won't make any excuses and also says he definitely wants to continue fighting.
The two men share a respectful handshake. Mora claims he has more to show and that this was just the tip of the iceberg. He gives a shout out to Oscar De La Hoya and says if he wants to do something in September or December, he's willing.
It's a battle of serpents from the Mohegan Sun as The Viper and the Latin Snake are ready to go for the WBC super welterweight championship.
Round 1
Both men reaching with the jab in the early going. Mora digs with a right to the body. More jabs both ways. Vernon loads up a big right but misses. Now some grappling after Forrest misses coming in. No one throwing right now as they size each other up. The crowd is displeased. Good shots by Forrest coming out of the clinch. Thumping right down low by Forrest and another follows. Cautious first round and the two men exchange pleasantries going back to their corners.
Franchise: 10-9 Forrest
Round 2
Mora having trouble following with anything after the jab. Good feints by Forrest. Mora finally gets inside but can't land too much. Forrest tries to measure Mora for a right but it's mostly evaded. They tie up and Mora tries to throw body shots. Left hook by Mora. Quick shots countered by Forrest's right hands. Mora looks slippery but he hasn't found an effective offense yet.
Franchise: 10-9 Forrest
Round 3
Forrest trying his best to land big rights; Mora has so far been able to duck away. The Latin Snake bounces around, unable to engage. Short shots by Mora and they tie up. Nice left hook by Forrest in close. The announcers discuss how strange it was to hear Forrest trash talk before the fight. Good body work by Forrest along the ropes. Both men warned for holding and hitting, and a second warning to Mora for hitting behind the head.
Franchise: 10-9 Forrest
Round 4
Buddy McGirt told Forrest between rounds not to look for the home run shot. Mora jabbing to start this round. They trade inside and Mora gets the best of it. Two rights by Forrest and a left hook in response from Sergio. Another left hook and Sergio's found something that works. Forrest looking a little more cautious and not coming forward. They try to trade again in close as the round ends.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 5
Forrest using hooks and uppercuts to score inside. He's warned for roughhousing. Mora scores with a straight right. Mora taunts Forrest as The Viper lands some big shots along the ropes. Short lefts inside by Mora. Jabs landing both ways. One-two just misses for Forrest and Mora charges forward with left hooks. The crowd boos as the last 20 seconds wind down with no real punches thrown.
Franchise: 10-9 Forrest
Round 6
The announcers want more jabs from Forrest. Nice right hand upstairs by Mora. He backs up Forrest with another right but Forrest survives and ties him up. The ref warns both men for low shots. Good left by Forrest as they trade. Mora's left eye looking rough but nothing too bad yet. Forrest holding on as the announcers wonder if he's tiring. Both men land in close as they wrestle to the bell.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 7
McGirt told Forrest he's eating too many right hands. Jabs from Mora; Forrest responds in kind. Mora hooks his way inside with the left. He triples the jab and lands a right to the body. Mora warned one more time for hitting behind the head. Mora shakes off a right hand and they tie up. Peppering lefts from the Latin Snake. Mora switches southpaw but only for a second. Another nice round for the challenger.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 8
Forrest catches Mora with a jab and a big straight right. He looks for more but Mora is light on his feet. Nice left coming in by Mora. Forrest warned again for low shots. They try to fight their way out of the clinch but the ref has to step in. Mora landing more jabs in the final seconds but probably not enough to take this round.
Franchise: 10-9 Forrest
Round 9
Vernon looks like he has a little more spark now. Neither man can get the advantage in close. Mora has never been 12 rounds, so that may be a factor, though he's throwing and landing more shots right now. Sharp left upstairs for Mora. Forrest lands out of the break and that looked questionable. Stinging shots along the ropes by Mora and Forrest digs down to try to fight back. Best sequence of the fight with both men swinging away but Mora showed something there.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 10
Forrest looked gassed between rounds, but can Mora take advantage? Forrest trying to stalk without success. He looks frustrated as Mora lands multiple jabs and lefts. Right-left combo by Mora and one shot back by Forrest. Thumping left by Forrest and both guys land. Another flurry by Mora inside and all Forrest can do is swing wildly in response. Nice 1-2 combo at the bell punctuates a good round for the Latin Snake.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 11
Let's see if Mora can finish an impressive second half of the fight. The crowd is behind him. He's zipping jabs and trying to work the body inside. Forrest swinging and missing again. Now he lands a hook as Mora comes in. Good action with body shots flowing by both men. Big right upstairs by Mora. A second right crashes in but Forrest stands his ground. They wrestle to the ropes and Mora looks pretty pleased.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Round 12
This fight could very well be up for grabs. Mora dodges a big right. The fans spur him on as he scores to the body. Left to the Forrest's head and the ref has to break them up again. Mora landing lefts to the head and rights to the body. Both guys score as they battle along the ropes. Forrest trying to score as Mora dances around. Very close misses as Mora stays bus. The fight ends with nice action along the ropes and Mora's looking excited as the final bell rings.
Franchise: 10-9 Mora
Franchise scores it 115-113 for Mora. The judges score it 114-114, and 115-113 and 116-112 for Mora. The winner by majority decision, and new WBC super welterweight champion, Sergio Mora.
Mora said he worked hard for this moment, but that he had no set game plan coming into the fight. He's shown a big right hand from the sixth round but he says Forrest took it well. Mora says they treated this fight like a once in a lifetime opportunity and it paid off.
Forrest is asked about being winded, and he's gracious in defeat. He says Mora's style was tricky and that the Latin Snake was the better man tonight. Forrest won't make any excuses and also says he definitely wants to continue fighting.
The two men share a respectful handshake. Mora claims he has more to show and that this was just the tip of the iceberg. He gives a shout out to Oscar De La Hoya and says if he wants to do something in September or December, he's willing.
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