Columnist Dean Juipe: Forrest vows to beat Mosley — as a pro

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2002 | 9:31 a.m.

Dean Juipe's boxing notebook appears Thursday. His sports column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

The last man to defeat Shane Mosley says he'll do it again when they fight Jan. 26 in New York.

While Mosley has never lost as a professional, neither has Vernon Forrest, who defeated Mosley in the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials. Now the welterweights meet again in The Theater In Madison Square Garden, with HBO televising.

Forrest, 32, is 33-0 with 26 knockouts.

Mosley, 30, is 38-0 with 34 KOs.

"I just out-boxed him and took him to school," Forrest said during a conference call, referring to his amateur win over Mosley. "It was Boxing 101."

Mosley disputes the particulars of the earlier match, yet, as Forrest said, "he also disputes that I won."

Forrest, who used that win to qualify for the Olympic team, said he continued employing Mosley as a sparring partner in preparation for the Games. The irony is that today Mosley is an acknowledged star, while Forrest can rightfully claim to be underappreciated.

That lack of appreciation extends to the International Boxing Federation, which is stripping Forrest of his championship for failing to defend against its No. 1 contender. That shortsighted decision -- given that Mosley is the World Boxing Council champion at 147 pounds and that this should be a unification title fight -- irritates Forrest.

"I'm really disappointed with the IBF," he said. "They said they were going to back me in a unification bout, but then they changed their mind."

The IBF is sanctioning a March 30 fight between Cory Spinks and Michele Piccirillo at a site yet to be determined as for its vacant welterweight title.

But by then, Forrest hopes to have traded his IBF belt for the WBC version Mosley now holds.

"This is two elite fighters who want to be considered the best," Forrest said of the upcoming bout. "Hopefully, this will settle it."

Those Las Vegas sports books that have a betting line posted on the fight feel Mosley is superior and list him as a minus 600 favorite. Forrest is a plus 400 underdog.

But history must mean something and Forrest is 1-0 vs. Mosley.

"He does a lot of the same things -- he hasn't changed," Forrest said of his rival. "He's punching a little bit better than he did before, but I'm punching harder too; it's because of maturity. His hand speed is about the same."

Adding that he has "picked up a lot of stuff" from tapes of Mosley "that I'm going to utilize in the fight," Forrest is intent on proving the public -- and a media that is infatuated with Mosley -- wrong about who is apt to win the upcoming showdown.

"I'm going to have a pot full of crow," he said, "so all you guys can eat some of it after I beat him again."

Both men are training at the Big Bear Fitness gym in Big Bear, Calif., and are trying to remain congenial and professional in those instances in which they see each other in the small community.

"We've been right across from each other a couple of times," Forrest said. "He knows I'm coming for him and I know he's coming for me. We just nod to each other -- none of that Hollywood stuff.

"But for some reason he doesn't seem to have a good rapport with the people here. I've had people say 'We don't like him and we hope you kick his butt.' "

Forrest, who is coming off a Aug. 24 TKO-4 victory over the 18-5-1 Edgar Ruiz in Newell, West Va., in which he had Ruiz down three times before the fight was stopped, takes an insightful view as to why Mosley has yet to fully capitalize on a 2000 victory over Oscar De La Hoya.

"One, he barely beat De La Hoya," Forrest said. "Two, once you're labeled 'The Man' you've got to fight like you're 'The Man' and he hasn't."

The latter was in reference to Mosley's soft 2001 schedule. But it's a new year and Mosley -- with revenge and pride as incentives -- figures to be ready for the only man out there who can boast of having conquered him.

"I'll be using 20 years of experience," Forrest said of his greatest asset. "In terms of what it takes to beat him, it's my experience."

Due to his own sinus troubles and the poor health of his father in Atlanta, promoter James Pollins has withdrawn his request for a Jan. 25 card at the Stardust. "Putting a card together takes a lot of energy and if you're not healthy, half your day is gone," Pollins said. "It's best to postpone this show now and get another date and do it right." He's looking to come back next month with local supper middleweight Willie Stewart vs. Richard Grant in the main event. Grant recently upset James Butler in New York, which prompted Butler to strike Grant with an open fist and be arrested. ... A dinner and silent auction in the name of the late Dr. Elias Ghanem and benefitting the UNLV club boxing team will be held Feb. 7 at Mandalay Bay. Further details will be forthcoming.

Emanuel Steward has been named the National Director of Coaching for USA Boxing. The Detroit resident, 57, is a former national Golden Gloves champion and has trained countless professional champions, including Lennox Lewis. ... Lewis, incidentally, is up as a minus 190 betting favorite over Mike Tyson for their April 6 fight in Las Vegas. Tyson is a plus 150 in numbers taken from the likely host site, Mandalay Bay. ... Floyd Mayweather Jr. is talking about staying at 130 pounds after swearing off the division following his most recent fight. He has also exasperated promoter Bob Arum, whose attempt to match Mayweather with WBC 135-pound champ Jose Luis Castillo was rejected by the Las Vegan. ... Oscar De La Hoya vs. Fernando Vargas tickets, priced at $100 to $1200, went on sale Wednesday at Mandalay Bay. They fight May 4.

Johnny Tapia makes yet another comeback when he fights Eduardo Alvarez in England on Saturday. "He was driving me crazy around the house," his wife, Teresa, said of the 34-year-old former champion who has been living in Las Vegas. ... Juan Manuel Marquez, 37-2, vs. Robbie Peden, 20-1, and Fernando Montiel, 23-0-1, vs. Pedro Alcazar, 24-0-1, have been added to the March 2 Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Erik Morales card at the MGM. Barrera is up as a minus 190 betting favorite, with Morales a plus 160. ... A bevy of fights has been announced in the past week, including Felix Trinidad vs. Hacine Cherifi May 11 at a site to be determined but perhaps in Trinidad's native Puerto Rico.