Vernon Forrest is Starting Over.

The wind of boxing is so powerful and foregoing that we can easily allow the breeze to push memories of former fighters out of our mind. Vernon Forrest is the boxer who showed the blueprint on defeating Shane Mosley; again, I must mention the wind of boxing, how strong it can be. This same wind pushed a slugger in every sense of the word into our eyesight, a man with no boxing jab but the heart of a lion. Ricardo Mayorga shared with us a way to defeat Vernon Forrest. Just when Forrest was on the verge of hitting the mountaintop of boxing, he came crashing right back down to the bottom. From injuries to rethinking his whole thrust on his own self-confidence, Forrest is entering his July 16 fight with Sergio Rios from the first grade in the school of boxing. Rios is 6-1, with four knockouts and this match-up is not one to gather a laugh while reading this, but to inspire you to comprehend the steps needed in order to rebuild a boxer’s career.

Forrest could have easily challenged numerous medium level opposition, but he went against trying to prove the public interest and decided to focus on self-interest. It is a lengthy list of boxers who suffered back-to-back losses to a certain fighter, in Forrest’s case, a slugger, who can find it close to impossible to recapture their winning ways. That is a mental fight that you cannot see on television.

On paper, the traditionalist trained Forrest looked as if he would have washed Mayorga up and left Mayorga in the gym doubting his style. The lesson Felix “Tito” Trinidad unselfishly handed to Mayorga, and the by the book approach Cory Spinks showed Mayorga as well, had to have Forrest in the gym wondering what and where did he go wrong. Forrest could have stuck to the jab, used his footwork and stayed away from the bomb thrower, Mayorga but Forrest allowed that inner spiriting of wanting to battle come out. In a sense, it was a good sign for Forrest, because we know now that he has the courage to let the gloves flow.

In the first fight, Mayorga landed the power punches and it shocked the boxing world that Forrest ended up on the mat with no sense of where he was. In the rematch with Mayorga, a bold and caring Forrest entered the ring with a knack of respecting and cooperated with Mayorga’s power. You could see Forrest being timid and soft on his approach towards Mayorga. That was in 2003 and with time to rest and think, will Forrest chop down the criticism and show us why he has what it takes to be a top talent in the welterweight division?

At 5-feet-eleven-to-six-feet, Forrest’s height is a kind and useful advantage in which his skills can combine and he can earn another title shot. The journey of earning another title shot is going to be painstakingly tough. Forrest has to rebuild his whole agenda on why he deserves to be a champion.

Fellow weight class member Zab Judah is an ideal example of starting from scratch, and look at Zab taking a low payday and fighting a fight in at the time of the fight, the champion Spinks’ hometown. Judah has transformed into his former self, combining determination, loving and openly asking for fights with whomever. The current undisputed belt-holder Judah is even linking back to his past, by allowing Pernell Whitaker to help with his training.

This whole process of Forrest starting from the bottom is mandatory and with everlasting intentions, he is inspecting his self worth to a sport he loves so much. I remember when Forrest was distant and he had no hope of ever earning a title shot. Mosley once stated that he would give Forrest a shot at the WBC title and in time, Mosley was a man of his word and granted Forrest a chance. Now, it is time for Forrest to be a man to himself, and understand that he has been in this situation before, starting at the bottom, battling through the middle and landing on top.

This is nothing new to Forrest, except for the fact that Forrest will truly appreciate his progression forward towards champion status. I have a feeling that he will not take anything for granted. We have a new welterweight candidate with championship intentions and a new definition on wanting his spotlight. Let’s see if this boxer steps out of the forest and makes a defining statement in the sport of boxing.

Shaun Rico LaWhorn can be reached at filmmaking_mentality@msn.com