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Mayorga mentions he would like to fight De La Hoya next! June 28, 2003 -- The unorthodox, yet colorful Ricardo "El Matador" Mayorga retained his WBA and WBC welterweight titles when he out-dueled a tough Vernon Forrest at the New Orleans Casino in Las Vegas, Saturday night. This victory for Mayorga, 25-3-1, with 23 knockouts, wasn't as easy as the first fight when he knocked out Forrest in the third round to take his WBC title. There were no knockdowns in the rematch, but Mayorga rocked Forrest several times and was the aggressor all night. ''I proved that the first time I beat him wasn't a fluke. I proved that I could take a punch and go 12 rounds,'' the champion said. From the opening bell, Mayorga was on the attack, rushing in with wild shots trying to catch Forrest off-guard. But Forrest fought his fight carefully, boxing and jabbing every time Mayorga rushed in. Throughout the entire fight, Forrest landed his left jab, but couldn't hurt Mayorga as he came in. Mayorga wanted to turn the fight into a brawl in the opening rounds, but Forrest kept his distance, popping away with his jab. In round six, Mayorga landed a right hand which hurt Forrest, sending him back into the ropes. Mayorga attacks, but Forrest slips away, ducking away from Mayorga's bombs. Forrest continues to land the jab and making himself a hard target to hit. By the eighth round, both fighters are slowing down, throwing less punches and doing a lot more holding. Forrest left eye is swollen. In the tenth round, Forrest starts to trade more with Mayorga in the center of the ring. Mayorga catches Forrest with a looping right and Forrest throws back landing combination. This is becoming a brawl with both fighter throwing shots in the center of the ring. Mayorga attacks Forrest at the :10 second mark chasing him across the ring. In the last two rounds, Forrest continues to land the left jab, while Mayorga is coming in with right hands. Mayorga continues to chase Forrest across the ring, but can't land a clean shot. Both fighters celebrate in victory at the end of the round. A majority decision is announced when two judges favored Mayorga and the third called it a draw. Ove Oveson scored it 116-112 for Mayorga, and Larry O'Connell had Mayorga winning 115-114. Judge Jerry Roth scored it 114-114. In the post-fight interview, the colorful Mayorga, who likes his cigarettes and beer said Forrest was "able to withstand my punches better, but the guy came to run not fight." "I want to thank my boss, Don King, my family, my kids and bring on Oscar De La Hoya," said 29-year-old Mayorga.
Mayorga weighed 146 pounds, and Forrest
weighed in at the limit of 147.
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