Roles are reversed for Forrest-Mosley rematch

Dean Juipe

Wednesday, July 3, 2002 | 9:18 a.m.

He did it once when no one was looking and a second time when everyone was, but now Vernon Forrest is being asked to beat Shane Mosley again.

The difference this time is that should Forrest win, it won't be an upset.

The betting favorite in Las Vegas for their July 20 fight at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Forrest is the World Boxing Council welterweight champion who is 34-0 with 26 knockouts.

Mosley, displaced in the mythical pound-for-pound ratings when Forrest defeated him by decision last January in New York, is 38-1 with 35 KOs.

During a conference call Tuesday, Forrest said the only thing he can improve on from his previous fights with Mosley "would be to knock him out."

Forrest decisioned Mosley at the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials and was dominant during their fight in New York, winning by 10, 9 and 5 points on the judges' cards.

Betting lines for their professional rematch vary only slightly in Las Vegas, with Forrest, for instance, a minus 120 at Caesars Palace and a minus 140 at the Lady Luck. Bettors can have Mosley at a minus 110 at Caesars or get him for even money at the Lady Luck.

"I'm taking the same mentality as I had last time, that it's do or die," Forrest said. "To defeat him again would solidify what I did the first time."

Using his jab to offset Mosley's speed and repeatedly tagging him with right hands, Forrest surprised observers with the ease of his win. While Mosley later argued that a second-round head butt negatively impacted him, he was also down twice in that round and was unable to mount an offensive as the fight wore on.

"Everybody has excuses why they lost," Forrest said of Mosley's complaint. "A lot of times when a guy is beaten or dominated he doesn't want to believe it happened.

"He was gracious on television after the fight, but as soon as the cameras were off he was making excuses. I heard a lot of them."

The 6-foot Forrest capitalized not only on his underappreciated physical abilities but on a three-inch height advantage that kept Mosley at bay. But Forrest admits he'll have to sprinkle his arsenal with a different look if he's to complete a hat trick against his resilient rival.

"I have to add to what I did last time," he said. "If I fight the same, I don't think that will be enough to win."

He would not elaborate on those particulars, however, nor would he tip his hand on who he would like to fight in the event he defeats Mosley yet again. At 147 pounds his options are limited to lesser known champions and contenders, while a move to 154 could prove financially beneficial if he could get a fight with the winner of September's Oscar De La Hoya vs. Fernando Vargas showdown in Las Vegas.

Forrest, 31, is training in Denver although he trained for the previous fight in Big Bear, Calif. "I can't stand Big Bear," he says now, perhaps because Mosley has been known to work out there.

Mosley, 30, was thought to be among boxing's elite performers -- if not marginally invincible -- before he decided to make amends for his Olympic Trials loss and try Forrest again. Despite that second loss, neither Mosley nor Forrest has taken an interim fight as each remains focused on the other.

"This fight will be as exciting as the first fight," Forrest said. "It's two guys with big egos going at it.

"The boxing media didn't think I could beat Mosley and they won't believe it until I do it again."