Pechanga Tribal Nation

Championship boxing comes to Temecula

Forrest vs. Mayorga a marquee attraction for Pechanga

January 24, 2003
ED WEHDE - Staff Writer - NCTimes.com

TEMECULA ---- Ricardo Mayorga stood next to the podium at Pechanga Resort and Casino on Friday as his head trainer translated his words.

Clad in a gray sweatshirt and a blue and white do-rag, the Nicaraguan pugilist stared at Vernon Forrest though dark, mirrored sunglasses. Forrest ignored the daggers cast by Mayorga and looked straight ahead with a serious expression.

The two fighters will battle tonight to unify welterweight titles in one of the more celebrated matches to land at the casino. A crowd of about 3,000 is expected in Pechanga's Grand Ballroom, and HBO will televise one undercard bout and this main event beginning at 7 p.m.

Forrest (35-0, 26 KOs) and Mayorga (24-3-1, 22 KOs), both of whom have been praised for going after each another and not relying on an easy payday against a lesser opponent, demonstrated at Friday's weigh-in and news conference that they're not planning to share a cab to the airport Sunday morning.

"Take a lot of pictures with the camera," Mayorga, through his trainer Hector Perez, said at the press conference as Forrest sat 5 feet away, "because that's going to be the last of him."

Forrest responded when he took the podium.

"I think he's a great salesman," Forrest said. "He's giving (the media) great quotes. We're partners in this, so it's good he's running his mouth. But I'm going to close it (tonight)."

So it went as the two fighters each prepared for one of the biggest fights of his career. Both are coming off the winning end of title bouts and hoping to add another belt.

"If he didn't have a belt, I wouldn't fight him," Forrest said. "He has something I want ---- the WBA belt."

Mayorga confidently said: "When I win all the titles in the welterweight division, I'm going to put the belts on, get all the girls and take pictures with all the belts so they can see the true champion."

Forrest, an Atlanta resident, fought successfully, but with little attention until last year. The 31-year-old handed the highly-regarded Shane Mosley his first two professional defeats in 2002. He also beat him as an amateur in the 1992 Olympic trials.

Last January, Forrest captured Mosley's WBC welterweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden. Then in July, he defended that title in a rematch with Mosley. Forrest again beat the former champ in a 12-round unanimous decision in Indianapolis.

Mayorga first fought for Andrew Lewis' WBA title in Los Angeles in July 2001. That bout ended in no contest after Lewis suffered a cut on his left eyelid, the result of an accidental head clash.

Mayorga and Lewis fought again last March in Reading, Pa., with the 29-year-old Nicaraguan capturing the WBA belt and a dominant fifth-round TKO.

Tonight's bout will feature fighters with differing styles. Mayorga is known as a wild, hard puncher. Forrest is more of a tactician.

"I don't know much about him," Mayorga said. "I just want to get him in the ring. I don't know what Forrest is going to do. I know I'm going to fight. If he wants to fight, I'll fight. If he's going to run, I'll run after him."

Forrest wouldn't divulge his strategy.

"I have a plan, but I can't tell you," Forrest said. "In terms of physical training and mental training, I prepared for anything. Any possible scenario this guy might try to do, I prepared for."

On the televised undercard, former super featherweight world champion Joel Casamayor (28-1, 18 KOs) of Miami will fight NABF super featherweight champion Nate Campbell (23-0, 21 KOs) of Jacksonville, Fla. in a 10-round junior lightweight fight;.

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