I continue my list of fights I have watched on HBO over the years.
91. Vernon Forrest vs. Shane Mosley 1. January 26, 2002. I sat on my recliner on a cold night in south Jersey, glad that I was alone to tune into the fight from the Theatre at Madison Square Garden on HBO. My brother and I had become estranged after he was mean to my mother, and I simply didn’t have time for him at this point in my life. Shane Mosley was one fighter I just couldn’t stand, and when Vernon dropped him for the first time in his professional career in the second round, I was elated. Forrest put him on the canvas again before the round closed, and I was rooting hard for an early KO. Mosley stood tough, but was dominated the entire distance, and Vernon Forrest was the new WBC welterweight champ. I gained a new favorite boxer to root for that night in Vernon Forrest, which was only a good thing.
92. Roy Jones Jr. vs. Glen Kelly. February 2, 2002. Another routine defense for Roy, this time from the Pensacola Civic Center. Kelly was an Australian contender, but simply no match for Jones. In the seventh, coming off of the ropes, Jones landed an odd punch from a chicken move that hit Kelly on the side of his head. The surprising right hand was strong enough to stop Kelly, and Roy kept retained his title belts in rather easy fashion.
93. Evander Holyfield vs. Hasim Rahman. June 1, 2002. Even though I went to Atlantic City Convention Hall to watch this one in person, I watched it on HBO on the screens down there as well. They had spent $95 million to renovate Convention Hall, and it was now a much more modern and pleasant place to watch a fight. Evander was performing well, and outpunching Rahman for the first half of the bout. In the seventh, an accidental head butt caused a huge hematoma over Rahman’s left eye to form. In the eighth, the swelling caused the referee to stop the bout, and Evander was declared the winner by split technical decision.
94. Vernon Forrest vs. Shane Mosley 2. July 20, 2002. The rematch took place at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and it was much more competitive. Vernon’s reach was still a problem all night for the shorter Mosley, and he still controlled the action. Mosley stayed off the canvas, but clearly lost the bout, and Forrest won a clear unanimous decision. My hopes were for Forrest to have a long reign as welterweight champ, and move up to junior middleweight as well.
95. David Tua vs. Michael Moorer. August 17, 2002. This one from the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City turned out to be a very short night. Going in, I didn’t give Michael Moorer much of a chance against the hard punching Tua, but it was easier for David than I expected. A right hook put Moorer through the ropes not long after the opening bell rang, causing referee Rudy Battle to call a halt at 30 seconds of the first round. Although Moorer would continue to box, it would be the last major fight of his career.
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