by James Slater: It seems Vernon “The Viper” Forrest is going to get the immediate rematch he wanted with Sergio Mora – who upset him via a shock points verdict this past June. Scheduled to face the Contender star/legitimate world champion for a second time on the Joel Casamayor-Juan Manuel Marquez fight in Las Vegas on September 13th, the 37-year-old will be going all out for revenge in an attempt to regain his WBC light-middleweight belt..
Going into fight one with the unbeaten Mora, Forrest was no way near close to his usual easygoing self. Telling anyone who would listen he was going to see to it that Mora left the ring a KO loser, “The Viper” was mad as hell. Unfortunately, despite being correct when saying he was the proven force at world level, Forrest’s performance did not match his pre-fight promise. Winning the early rounds with his superior boxing and better technique, the veteran who had looked as though he’d rediscovered his best form with wins over Carlos Baldomir and then Michele Piccirillo, began to fade. Perhaps due to his age, perhaps not, Forrest let the gutsy Mora take over the fight and win a close majority verdict. Will the same thing happen in September?
Ten years the younger man at 27, “The Latin Snake” will certainly feel this will be the case. His thinking will likely be along the lines of how can Forrest possibly be any better the second time around? Only having grown older, the former two-weight champ will try his best, but Father time will be in the ring against him along with Mora. Feeling confident knowing this, the former Contender winner not alter tactics – opting instead to simply attempt to repeat what he did on June 7th. But there is, it must be said, the possibility that Mora’s win was something of a one off.
Did Forrest go into fight one suffering from overconfidence? After all, Vernon saw no real threat from the former reality T.V star from L.A – as he made clear going in. After having been given a big shock, perhaps Forrest will train harder and refrain from running out of gas in the later rounds this time. A very proud fighter, Forrest has wanted this rematch ever since the score cards were read a couple of months ago. Mora, for his part, would have preferred a fight with someone else – either Shane Mosley or Oscar De La Hoya to be precise. Is there, then, a chance Mora will not be as up for a return with Forrest as he was going into his initial challenge?
Make no mistake, Forrest, even at his current age, will be fully motivated in September. Stung after having lost to a fighter he knows should not have beaten him, “The Viper” is also aware his career at top level will be over should he lose to Mora for a second time.
A KO either way would be a big surprise, but I do see a good fight. With everything to fight for, Forrest will let it all hang out in an attempt to restore his pride. I take the man from Atlanta to get his belt back with the unanimous decision he should’ve boxed his way to in June.