TalkingBoxing Interviews
Talking Boxing with Vernon Forrest
WED June 4, JAMES STILLERMAN - WBC and current top rated Ring Magazine light middleweight champ Vernon “The Viper” Forrest, 40-2, is less than a week away from a showdown with former 'Contender' star Sergio Mora. Forrest, who was the 2002 fighter of the year when he beat 'Sugar' Shane Mosley twice to win the world welterweight title, is coming back from elbow surgery, which kept him out of the sport for nearly two years. Since returning, Forrest is 5-0 and along the way has beaten top fighters Ike Quartey and Carlos Baldomir. This Saturday on Showtime Championship Boxing, June 7th at 9pm/EST, Forrest looks to beat another great fighter in WBC #8 ranked middleweight Mora as the two boxers collide in Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Vernon Forrest was gracious enough to take time out of his busy training camp to answer some pressing questions about his upcoming fight with Sergio Mora and here is what he had to say.
James Stillerman, TalkingBoxing: How is training going for the fight against Sergio Mora on June 7th at Mohegan Sun?
Vernon Forrest: We had a great training camp and now we are just putting the final touches on our camp and fine tuning some of my boxing techniques. I`m fully prepared for this fight.
James Stillerman, TalkingBoxing: How big of a fight is this when compared to your other fights in your career?
Vernon Forrest: All of my fights are big and they all are equal in importance. This fight is just as important as were my other 42 fights.
James Stillerman, TalkingBoxing: Have you seen any tape of Sergio Mora and if so have you seen any weakness you can exploit?
Vernon Forrest: We’ve seen a lot of tapes of Sergio Mora and he has a great deal of flaws that we’ll exploit. Obviously I can’t tell you what we have discovered about Mora from watching film because he could use it to his advantage. All fighters are looking for that little edge over their opponents and watching tapes of them can help you do that.
James Stillerman, TalkingBoxing: Does Mora posses any strengthens that could pose a problem for you?
Vernon Forrest: One thing Mora does well is that he throws punches and then darts out of the way, making it hard to hit him. But, this creates a really boring fight so whether or not this fight is good or not depends on whether Mora is willing to engage with me and not run around the ring. If he engages me then it will be a good fight otherwise it will be a boring fight.
James Stillerman, TalkingBoxing: What made you want to fight Mora?
Vernon Forrest: Mora has a huge fan base from the Contender series, he’s a big name fighter, and is a large draw at the box office. Also our fight is going up against HBO`s Kelly Palvik and we needed a good opponent to get better ratings than them, so we choose Mora.
James Stillerman, TalkingBoxing: Do you think your boxing experience will give you a decisive edge in this fight?
Vernon Forrest: Yes, my boxing experience will help. I`ve boxed for 28 years and 16 years have been as a professional. I`ve also fought in numerous world title fights something Mora has never done. So my boxing knowledge it will give me a decisive edge going into this fight.
James Stillerman, TalkingBoxing: If you win who do you want to fight next?
Vernon Forrest: First I got to win this upcoming fight before I talk about future opponents. Right now, I`m focused on Sergio Mora and no one else.
James Stillerman, TalkingBoxing: What are your goals for the future?
Vernon Forrest: I want to be able to compete at the highest level for as long as I want to box.
James Stillerman, TalkingBoxing: Any closing thoughts?
Vernon Forrest: Next Saturday is going to be a great and exciting fight against Sergio Mora and I hope everyone comes out and watches this fight, they’ll not be disappointed.
Much appreciation to trainer Charles Watson for granting the interview and to Vernon Forrest for speaking with TalkingBoxing.
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