Vernon Forrest –
February 12, 1971 - July 25, 2009

By Barbara Pinnella
Vernon at a press conference after his last fight, which he won over Sergio Mora. Linda Peterson photo..

It’s been several days now since the murder of Vernon Forrest. I don’t know why I waited so long to write something. What does one say? None of this makes any sense, not Alexis Arguello’s death, not Arturo Gatti’s, and certainly not another mindless, violent act that ended with yet another loss.

The tragic shooting of Forrest in the act of a burglary was, briefly, unbelievable. The innocent act of putting air in the tires of his car resulted in this. But it happened; this was a living nightmare. The man who had many times been a World Champion, the man who had been the WBC Peace and Concord Ambassador, the man who was concerned for and financially sponsored and supported the mentally handicapped, was gunned down in an ambush situation.

But along with those in the boxing world, his manager, trainers, promoters, other fighters, and fans, there are others who are mourning, and will for some time to come. Those are his family and his friends. None of those mentioned will really get over this; they will just learn to go on.

We won’t forget Vernon, or Alexis, or Arturo, nor should we. With the suicide of Arguello and the murders of Gatti and Forrest, it just reminds us of the violence of reality. The problem is that there is no solution on the horizon.

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in the Forrest camp, both in and out of the ring.

RIP Vernon. You will be missed.

 

Be safe and God Bless,

Viva La Raza,

Barb.