By Rick Reeno

BoxingScene.com was informed that WBC junior middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, in his next fight, will honor the memory of Vernon Forrest. I'm very confident that BoxingScene was the frontrunner when it came to covering the situation with Forrest, Martinez and the WBC. I penned numerous articles and briefs on the subject matter and both fighters traded plenty of insults and harsh words during the rivalry.

For at least two years, Martinez was the mandatory challenger to Forrest's title. For a variety of reasons, their fight never took place. Earlier in the year, the two sides actually reached an agreement to fight. The fight never had the chance to take place. Forrest suffered an injury during training camp, cancelled a planned May tuneup and was later stripped of the WBC title. Martinez was elevated from interim to full champion and Forrest was the first fighter in line to get a shot. The last time I spoke to Forrest, a few weeks ago, he was hungry to return and seemed very focused to meet Martinez before the end of the year.

Martinez was hit pretty hard when he heard about Forrest's murder.

"I am depressed that so many fighters are dying outside of the ring. July was a black month for boxing. So many fighters died like Arguello, Gatti, Forrest, and Nazareth," Martinez said.

Martinez (44-1-2, 24KOs) had planned to defend his title on September 26 at La Cubierta, Leganesin in Madrid, Spain. The opponent was Pablo Navascues (23-1-1, 16KOs). That fight is off because Navascues suffered an injury.

I was told that negotiations are ongoing for a fight in France between Martinez and hometown hero Christophe Canclaux (39-2, 24KOs). That fight is being eyed for a date in September or October.

When his title defense is set, Martinez, in honor of Forrest, plans to wear trunks with the word "Viper" [Forrest's nickname] on the front and back.