Vernon Forrest vs. Shane Mosley II, billed as The Rematch of the Century, was a professional boxing match contested on July 20, 2002, for the WBC and The Ring welterweight championship.[1]
Background
During their first fight in January 2002, Shane Mosley, who was ranked as the pound for pound best fighter in the world, was dropped twice en route to a shock unanimous decision loss to Vernon Forrest. In May Forrest and Mosley agreed to terms for a rematch for July 20 in Indianapolis, Indiana.[2]
This time Forrest entered the bout as the slight favourite to win. Speaking before the bout he said "I'm taking the same mentality as I had last time, that it's do or die. To defeat him again would solidify what I did the first time." He also admitted that he needed to improve on his previous performance in order to repeat it, saying "I have to add to what I did last time, If I fight the same, I don't think that will be enough to win."[3][4]
15,775 people attended the fight making it the largest boxing crowd ever in Indiana.
The fight
Forrest kept on the outside using his height and reach as an advantage, as well as using his jab more effectively. His effective counter-punching was able to prevent Mosley from landing his powerful left hook.
The fight went the full 12 round distance. The scorecards were closer than the first fight, however still had Forrest as the winner with Gary Merritt scoring it 117–111, Tony Castellano 116-112 and Jerry Roth 115–113.[5][6]
HBO's unofficial scorer Harold Lederman scored the bout 116–112 for Forrest while USA Today scored it 115–113 in favour of Forrest.[7]
Aftermath
Speaking after the bout Forrest said "He came out very, very aggressive the first couple of rounds, I knew it would be hard for him to maintain that pace for 12 rounds." Mosley meanwhile explained his strategy saying "My plan was to move in and catch him with a hard shot. I didn't get a chance to get that shot. It was a lot of clinch, move, clinch move."[8][9]
