Forrest-Mosley II

By Mike Samuels

05.07 - America's independence will have been celebrated some three weeks ago, but the boxing fans around the world - especially in the state of Indiana - will still be anxious and filled with paranoia until the bell rings and Shane Mosley steps back into the ring for the most anticipated rematch of the summer with "The Viper" Vernon Forrest.

It was just six months ago the Sugar man entered the ring atop boxing's pound-for-pound list. Shane Mosley was considered the best boxer in the world by ever boxing website, boxing publicist, and damn near every fan around the world. And why shouldn't he have been? Mosley has the charm, looks, attitude, and mind set that boxing has been looking for. Guys like Shane Mosley help put an everlasting shine on the sport that has been so brutally bruised by the likes of James Butler and Mike Tyson.

But nothing lasts forever, right?

Just ask Vernon Forrest, who single-handedly destroyed Mosley with one solid right cross followed by a blitz of thunderous uppercuts in the second round of their fight back in January.

"When I beat Shane Mosley I will show everyone that it wasn't a fluke the first time," said Forrest months before their first showdown.

Vernon Forrest told the boxing world that what you see is what you get with him. Now the Olympic Games are totally different from the professional game, but that doesn't give anyone the right to discredit what happens in the past between fighters. Henry Tillman beat Mike Tyson twice as an amateur but was starched by an out-of-prime Tyson in one round later on in his professional career. And more times than none, the pro level changes outcomes of the past. But perhaps that isn't the case with Forrest and Mosley.

Maybe Forrest, who has always been looked at in the shadows of De la Hoya and Mosley, is just the better fighter. Many die hard Sugar-maniacs will never admit it, nor will they give Forrest his props for taking the sweetness out of the Sugar man the first time. But that's just something you have to expect because of the lines of passions that waiver in-between the house that is known as boxing.

Of course, no upset can be looked at purely. Anytime a boxer who is supposed to win doesn't, controversy rises from the darkest steps of the basement and things begin to fly.

Twelve years ago, in Tokyo, Mike Tyson was demolished by an unheard of fighter named James "Buster Douglas." Douglas clearly dominated Mike every single second of every round except for a brief eight seconds in the eighth round when he was on the canvas. Die hard Tyson fans and even Don King screamed conspiracy because of a "tainted" count by the referee when Douglas was knocked down by a lucky uppercut in the eighth round. And even before that the anti-Douglas supporters had compiled a long list of excuses as to why their boy lost. Some said that Tyson let the pressure get to him. Others said that Tyson arrived late in Tokyo, wasn't prepared with proper materials in his corner, or even fighting with the trainer, Kevin Rooney, that made him what he was at that time. If that wasn't enough, some weighed in on the fact that Tyson was still recovering from a lost child and a flattened marriage to Robin Givens earlier in the year.

Blah, blah, blah.

By the end of the week that's all that was heard by a boxing fan with any smarts.

The Douglas/Tyson fiasco is just one of the GADZILLION reasons why a fighter loses a fight when he is picked by everyone to win in championship fashion. Knowing this basic rule of boxing, one couldn't be surprised (The Sugar-maniacs were probably jumping for joy!) when Forrest and Mosley clashed heads in the second round, minutes before "The Viper" would dismantle Sugar Shane.

Now, sure, the head butt had an affect on Mosley. It was the first time he was dazed, cut and confused in his professional career. But it's a part of the game. Sometimes fighters have to take the bad with the good. In a sense Mosley did just that. Like a true scholar of the sport, he acknowledged that the head butt caused problems for him, but he gave a lot of credit to Forrest for being the victor and the better man that night.

Since their first bout both men have taken separate paths. Forrest has become an over night sensation in the eyes of those who have never seen him perform before his fight with Mosley. He has been on every television station in America, on every billboard across the globe, and at every major event in the world sports since becoming the undisputed champion at 147lbs. The vocal side of the Viper has never been more apparent until he shocked the world last winter.

Forrest is even more confident going into the rematch.

"This time I will knock him out," explained Forrest to the media several weeks ago. Forrest has let everyone know that he played with Mosley when he could have finished him in the second round of their first battle. But, he explained, that he knew the heat that would be drawn from the accidental head butt would come back and be used against him. So instead of "taking the easy way out" in most people's eyes, he punished Mosley for another ten rounds before winning a unanimous decision and capturing the glory he has dreamed of since beating Mosley ten years ago in the Olympics.

Mosley, on the other hand, has stayed far away from the spotlight since eating the sharp and hard leather of Forrest five months ago. He has denied many interviews and instead, has stayed up in Big Bear where he is currently training to regain his title and status as the world's pound-for-pound boxer.

"The great ones always come back," said Mosley.

And coming back is just what the Sugar man must do if he wants to help cement his legacy as a great warrior, and not just some average Joe whose only highly credible win came against Oscar De la Hoya, in a fight that was dominated by either fighter.

"I refuse to believe that he can beat me again," explained Mosley.

Deep down Mosley must believe that the head butt was the main reason that he crumbled at the hands of the Viper. He could have taken a tune-up fight, or gone in a totally "Viper less" direction after being humiliated by Forrest, but he has too much pride to let one loss get the best of him. What he risks on July 20th is more than another loss. He risks his career and status as a great fighter. Ali was able to come back and prove his greatness by beating Frazier twice, just as many other great fighters have come back from adversity. So in a sense, Oscar De la Hoya brought attention to Shane Mosley and this fight will make or break all that has been gained since.

A win for Forrest will leave him on top of his division and set up possible big pay days with Vargas or De la Hoya. He will have nothing more to prove to Shane Mosley or his followers. But a defeat could set up yet another showdown, ala Ali/Frazier III and Bowe/Holyfield III.

It all depends on how the outcome of the fight happens. If Mosley starches Forrest inside five rounds, then don't expect to see a third fight. However, if Mosley squeaks by the hair on his chin, if a source of controversy comes up yet again, then you can bet your bottom dollar that another fight will be worked out.

And although the winner is not certain, one thing is: Indianapolis, Indiana is going to be shown some true fireworks, the kind that can only be brought to you through the sport of boxing.