Forrest gets ready for fight
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Posted 3:29PM on Friday 24th January 2003 ( 22 years ago )
TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA - Vernon Forrest has such fond memories of training for the Olympics that he goes back to the Olympic gym in Colorado Springs to get ready for his big fights.<br>
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His memories of the Olympics themselves aren't as good. Oscar De La Hoya won the gold medal in the 1992 Olympics, while Forrest lost his first fight in Barcelona and was done.<br>
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The difference between winning a gold medal and losing in the first round was millions of dollars.<br>
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It took Forrest nearly a decade to win his first pro title. And when he did so, it was in virtual anonymity. That changed last year when Forrest upset Shane Mosley for the WBC welterweight title, then beat him in a rematch. He not only won a title, but gained a lucrative six-fight deal with HBO that guarantees him financial security.<br>
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Saturday night, the Augusta native risks his newfound stature in the first fight of that contract, when he meets WBA 147-pound champion Ricardo Mayorga. Forrest is a 6-to-1 favorite in the Super Bowl Eve matchup just outside San Diego. The fight will be televised on HBO beginning at 10 p.m.
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