By Rick Reeno
WBC junior middleweight champion Vernon Forrest (40-2-29KOs) is taking aim at Oscar De La Hoya (38-5-30KOs) and rival Ricardo Mayorga (29-6 23KOs).
Promoter Gary Shaw tells BoxingScene.com that he would like to match Forrest against De La Hoya or Mayorga in the near future.
"My first choice is Oscar De La Hoya, and the Mayorga," Shaw said.
Getting De La Hoya in the ring against Forrest is a stretch. Mayorga on the other hand is a very good possibility. Mayorga holds two wins over Forrest, both of which took place in 2003. The first bout saw Mayorga stop Forrest in three rounds. They came together for a rematch a few months later, with Mayorga winning a close-decision.
Right now is the best time for a trilogy meeting. Mayorga is coming off his biggest win in the least few years, a close decision nod over Fernando Vargas at a catch-weight of 166-pounds. Mayorga plans to move back down to junior middleweight and called out Forrest for a third meeting. Forrest, after suffering some serious setbacks due to injuries, has been able to get his career back on track by winning the WBC junior middleweight title and extending his win steak to 5-0 with 3KOs since he returned from a two-year layoff in July of 2005.
