The rematch was of great importance. Forrest defended both the WBC and Ring Magazine welterweight championships after taking them from Mosley in their first meeting earlier in January 2002. Many believed that Mosley would make the necessary changes and regain the titles, while Forrest had the opportunity to prove that the upset was not an overnight affair.
The event drew 15,775 fans, the largest crowd to attend a boxing card in Indiana history at the time. HBO broadcast the bout nationally, and both fighters received very high paydays. Forrest received $3.42 million, while Mosley collected $2.8 million. Veteran referee Laurence Cole officiated the 12-round title fight.
Mosley came out furious, looking to erase the disappointment of the first belt by forcing an exchange at the opening bell. Forrest refused to be admitted to the fire department. Standing three inches taller with a long reach, he braced his shoulder early, rounded well and answered Mosley’s runs with sharp counters before tying him whenever the action turned inside.
As the rounds went on, Forrest slowly took over. Forrest jabbed Mosley with a sweater repeatedly before pinning him whenever the challenger got close, forcing Mosley to make up for it over and over again. Referee Laurence Cole was forced to separate the players throughout the contest as the tactical battle became physical.
The middle rounds didn’t work, drawing boos from sections of the crowd, but Forrest remained committed to the game plan. One report even noted that the fight in the arena during the sixth round drew as much attention as what happened inside the ring.
Mosley turned up the pressure during the championship rounds, eventually producing several exchanges in the tenth. Forrest responded with a nice jab and finished strongly, landing a couple of hard right hands late in the eleventh before punching with confidence in the final round. There were no knockdowns, but Forrest always threw clean, effective punches.
CompuBox statistics showed the intellectual nature of the competition. Forrest landed 120 out of 446 punches, while Mosley connected on 114 out of 259, with Forrest’s jab, timing and ring control far exceeding Mosley’s connection percentage.
Judges Gary Merritt (117-111), Tony Castellano (116-112) and Jerry Roth (115-113) all found in Forrest’s favor. HBO’s unofficial scorer Harold Lederman and several media scorecards also scored for Forrest, confirming that his first victory was no fluke.
The rematch closed the book on one of the most important rivalries of the era. Forrest had beaten Mosley twice as a professional after beating him during the 1992 US Olympic trials, establishing a rare dominance over the greatest boxer of all time.
Mosley later captured world titles at heavyweight, while Forrest continued his run before joining the welterweight division. More than two decades later, the replay remains one of the signatures of Forrest’s Hall of Fame career, dispelling any doubt that his success against Mosley was more contrived than surprising.
