Vernon Forrest killed during apparent robbery

foutch550 · 07-26-2009, 11:20 AM

ATLANTA (AP)—Vernon Forrest, a former three-time champion who gained stardom when he became the first boxer to defeat “Sugar” Shane Mosley, was shot and killed during an apparent robbery in Atlanta, police said Sunday.

Atlanta Police Sgt. Lisa Keyes said in an e-mail Sunday that Forrest, 38, was shot “multiple times in the back” Saturday night. Keyes said there are no suspects.

“Vernon was one of the few decent people in boxing,” promoter Gary Shaw said Sunday.

“I mean really decent. He cared about mentally challenged adults. He cared about kids. I just can’t believe it.”

Mark Guilbeau, an investigator with the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office, said an autopsy is planned for Sunday.

Forrest, a native of Augusta, Ga., who lived in Atlanta, was a member of the 1992 Olympic team. He also was a former IBF welterweight and two-time WBC junior middleweight champion.

“He was one of the most gracious and charitable fighters in boxing and he will be missed by the entire boxing community and all of his friends at HBO,” HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg told The Associated Press.

Greenburg helped put on eight of Forrest’s fights.

“Maybe Vernon’s lasting legacy will be for Americans everywhere to rise up and end this kind of senseless violence,” Greenburg said.

Those who knew the fighter praised his role in launching the Destiny’s Child group homes in Atlanta, which work to provide homes for the mentally disabled.

“It was truly his calling,” Forrest’s publicist, Kelly Swanson, said of his work with children. “When he wasn’t boxing, this was his full-time job.

“When they would see him, they would just light up, and some of them couldn’t even talk. Vernon was very much involved. He’d have some of the kids over to his house on Sundays. They were part of his family.”

Swanson said Forrest was not married and has one son, Vernon Jr.

Inside the ring, Forrest was known for taking two wins over Mosley in 2002. On Sept. 13, 2008, Forrest reclaimed his WBC 154-pound title by beating Sergio Mora in a rematch of a fight won by Mora.

The win over Mora was Forrest’s last fight. He suffered a rib injury while training for an April fight against Jason LeHoullier. That fight was canceled, and Forrest had to vacate his title.

Ken Hershman, vice president in charge of boxing at Showtime, which aired Forrest’s first fight with Mora, said Forrest was a popular fighter who was dedicated to his charity work.

“He wasn’t looking for anything, he just did it because it was the right thing to do,” Hershman said.

“Vernon was a young, vibrant guy coming to the end of his career. He still had a lot of life ahead of him.”

There were tentative plans for a title fight against Sergio Martinez, perhaps in October, Shaw said. Plans for an August fight against Martinez were pushed back by Forrest’s rib injury.

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2008 …

AP - Jul 26, 10:20 am EDT
“Instead of being an Olympian, a two-time world champion, a guy who beat Shane Mosley twice, the guy who did some good for boxing—maybe his legacy will be for something else,” Shaw said. “Maybe boxing will finally get around the violence outside of the ring. Maybe Vernon’s name and legacy will be for that.”

Forrest, who had a 41-3 career record with 29 knockouts, is the third prominent boxer to die this month.

Former two-time champion Arturo Gatti, who retired in 2007, was found dead July 11 at a Brazilian resort. Gatti’s wife, Amanda Rodrigues, is being held as the prime suspect.

Another former champion, Alexis Arguello, was found dead on July 1 at his home in Managua, Nicaragua. He was elected mayor of Nicaragua’s capital last year.

“If the saying is bad things come in threes, hopefully we’re done with that for a long time to come,” Hershman said. “I hope that’s the case. I mean, ironically three great people, three great human beings too. Not a good few months.”

Forrest’s trainer, Buddy McGirt, also worked with Gatti. McGirt said Forrest planned to start training Aug. 1 for his next fight.

“I just feel so bad, he has a son you know,” McGirt said. “Someone is going to be raised without a father because somebody wanted to rob someone.”

--Credit: YahooSports

SimpleJack · 07-26-2009, 11:43 AM

What a freaking shame......RIP Vernon.

I hated it when you beat Shane, but you were a class act.

Transworld · 07-26-2009, 12:42 PM

This guy gave so much back to the community. He did so much volunteer work; what a shame.
I hope these two guys who did this are brought to justice and put away for life.

pantomime horse · 07-26-2009, 04:51 PM

It was apparent early on that he was one of the good guys. I remember the clips detailing his life before boxing events he headlined. It's too bad that this is how things ended up for him.

R.I.P.

ColdMolasses · 07-27-2009, 04:36 AM

Source: Vernon Forrest 1971-2009 | Fightnews - Boxing News Updated 24/7

Quote:

We are sad to report that former world champion Vernon Forrest was tragically and senselessly murdered at about 11PM on Saturday night in Atlanta during an attempted robbery at a gas station. Reportedly Forrest had stopped to put air in the tire of his late model Jaguar when he was robbed at gunpoint. Forrest, 38, was also armed and pursued but another assailant was hiding and ambushed the champion. According to Atlanta police, Forrest was shot multiple times with a semi-automatic weapon.

Source 2: The Associated Press: Ex-boxing champ Forrest's charity work remembered

Quote:

Ex-boxing champ Forrest's charity work remembered
By CHARLES ODUM (AP) – 4 hours ago

ATLANTA — Vernon Forrest made his living with his fists, but his true calling, friends say, was helping children and others with disabilities, treating them like members of his family.

The 38-year-old former two-division champion, who gained stardom when he became the first boxer to defeat Shane Mosley, was shot to death Saturday night in what police are calling an attempted robbery in Atlanta. Police Sgt. Lisa Keyes said in an e-mail Sunday that Forrest was shot several times in the back on a street just southwest of downtown and that there were no suspects.

Longtime publicist Kelly Swanson called Forrest "a caring humanitarian who always stood up for what he believed to be the fairness of life."

"It was truly his calling," Swanson said of his work with children. "When he wasn't boxing, this was his full-time job. ... When they would see him, they would just light up, and some of them couldn't even talk. Vernon was very much involved. He'd have some of the kids over to his house on Sundays. They were part of his family."

Forrest's manager, Charles Watson, said the 1992 Olympian stopped at a gas station to put air in his car tires when a man asked for money. When he pulled his wallet out, the man snatched it and started running, and Forrest took off after him, Watson said.

"The guy turned the corner and Vernon didn't see him. He turned around to go back to the car. That's when he started firing," Watson said.

"Maybe Vernon's lasting legacy will be for Americans everywhere to rise up and end this kind of senseless violence," said HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, who helped put on eight of Forrest's fights.

Fulton County medical examiner Michele Stauffenberg confirmed the case was a homicide and that the autopsy showed Forrest died from "multiple gunshot wounds involving the torso and thigh."

The death quickly sent a ripple through the close-knit boxing world, which recently lost two other champions to violence.

"Vernon was one of the few decent people in boxing," his promoter Gary Shaw told The Associated Press. "I don't know what to say. I'm still in disbelief, I'm still in shock."

Forrest, a native of Augusta, Ga., who lived in Atlanta, was a member of the Olympic team along with Oscar De La Hoya. The popular fighter later won welterweight and junior middleweight titles and compiled a professional record of 41-3 with 29 knockouts.

Those who knew Forrest praised his role in launching the Destiny's Child group homes in Atlanta, which work to provide homes for the mentally disabled. Swanson said Forrest was not married and had one son, Vernon Jr.

Forrest turned pro not long after the Barcelona Olympics, when he was stricken by food poisoning and lost in the opening round. He won his first world title by defeating Raul Frank at Madison Square Garden for the vacant IBF welterweight belt in May 2001, and less than a year later handed Mosley his first career loss to capture the WBC title.

The smooth-punching Forrest defended the belt against Mosley, winning by unanimous decision six months later, before losing to Ricardo Mayora in January 2003. It was Forrest's first loss, and he'd lose again to Mayorga in a close bout many believe he won.

After taking two years off because of injuries, Forrest embarked on an impressive comeback that included a win over Ike Quartey and a victory over Carlos Baldomir for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title. Forrest defended it once, before losing it in a stunning upset to Sergio Mora in June 2008.

Like a true champion, the soft-spoken yet hard-punching Forrest reclaimed it when he won a lopsided decision last September in what turned out to be his final fight.

"He was a great fighter, a great champion," said Ken Hershman, vice president in charge of boxing at Showtime. "He was coming to the end of his career, but wasn't ready to hang 'em up. He still had a lot of life ahead of him."

There were tentative plans for a title fight against Sergio Martinez, perhaps in October, Shaw said. Plans for an August fight against Martinez were pushed back because of a rib injury, and the delay led the WBC to strip Forrest of his title.

This is the third high-profile death of a boxing champion in recent weeks.

Hall of Famer Alexis Arguello, the mayor of Managua, Nicaragua, was found dead at his home on July 1 in an apparent suicide. Two weeks ago, popular brawler Arturo Gatti was found dead in a condominium in Brazil. Gatti's wife remains the prime suspect in that case.

AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed to this report.

JimmyMoore · 07-27-2009, 09:08 AM

Goddamn its been a rough couple of months for the good guys in boxing. First Gatti and now Forrest. Both of these guys were absolutely golden, but especially Forrest. He also holds a special place in my heart because Forrest v. Mosely was the first boxing match I watched all the way though. That fight is largely responsible for getting me into boxing. I was mesmerized watching Forrest effectively use the jab to completely negate Mosley's blinding speed. Both of those guys were class acts before during and after the fight. Absolutely senseless that shit like this happens.

Why doesnt anyone try to rob Money Mayweather?!