Former world champion Vernon Forrest was shot and killed Saturday night in Atlanta, Georgia in a robbery attempt. Forrest was at a gas station when a man stole his wallet. According to witness reports, Forrest chased his assailant around a corner. When Forrest gave up and headed back to his car, he was shot multiple times in his back.
Vernon Forrest was a member of the 1992 United States Olympic team and captured world titles in both the welterweight and light middleweight divisions. He was the first man to defeat Shane Mosley and he recaptured the WBC Light Middleweight title in his last fight, a unanimous decision over Sergio Mora in September of 2008. Vernon Forrest was Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Year in 2002. He finished with a professional record of 41-3 (29 KOs).
Vernon Forrest is survived by his son, Vernon Forrest Jr.
There’s a saying that bad things happen in threes. Forrest is the third former world champion killed this month. Alexis Arguello was killed in his home of Nicaragua and Arturo Gatti was found dead two weeks ago. All of these incidents are tragedies and I look forward to the day I can post news items that don’t have anything to do with boxer deaths or updates from autopsy results.
