By Keith Idec

Vernon Forrest’s nickname, “The Viper,” never seemed suitable for an affable fighter who has always been respectful and understated.

Until now.

An unusually feisty Forrest, offended by the mere mention of Sergio Mora becoming the third “Contender” to pull off an upset within the past year, stunned virtually everyone on a conference call Wednesday by mocking Mora and humiliating Jeff Wald, the front man for the “Tournament of Contenders” promotional group.

Forrest dismissed Mora’s boxing style as “garbage,” repeatedly referred to him as a “pretender” and promised punishment when they fight for Forrest’s WBC super welterweight title June 7 in Uncasville, Conn.

“On June 7, I just want you to come to fight,” Forrest (40-2, 29 KOs, 1 NC) told Mora (20-0-1, 5 KOs). “If you come to fight, I promise you they’re going to take you out on a stretcher. If you do all that running (stuff) that you normally do, then it’s going to be a boring fight and I’ll win a unanimous decision. But if you come to fight, they’re going to take you out on a stretcher. I guarantee you that. … If you come to fight, like a proud Mexican warrior, I’m knocking your (butt) out.”

The Forrest-Mora match will be the main event of a “Showtime Championship Boxing” broadcast from Mohegan Sun Arena. Paul Williams will attempt to regain his WBO welterweight championship from Carlos Quintana in the co-featured fight. Puerto Rico’s Quintana (25-1, 19 KOs) was an underdog when they fought Feb. 9 in Temecula, Calif., but he out-boxed the highly regarded Williams (33-1, 24 KOs), of Augusta, Ga., to record an upset.

Atlanta’s Forrest, a 5-1 favorite according to one Internet sports book, tried to discourage anyone thinking Mora might join Alfonso Gomez (Arturo Gatti) and Brian Vera (Andy Lee) as “Contender” alums who’ve won fights in which they were big underdogs. Vera knocked out Lee, then an unbeaten middleweight prospect projected to become a challenger for WBC/WBO champ Kelly Pavlik, in the seventh round March 21 at Mohegan Sun. Gomez stopped Gatti in the seventh round and ended the fearless fan favorite’s career July 14 in Atlantic City.

The 37-year-old Forrest scoffed at the thought of comparing him to Gatti and/or Lee.

“When you talk about Gomez and Gatti, Gatti was over the hill and Andy Lee is overrated,” Forrest said. “So when you’re talking about fighting a guy on my skill level, it’s a whole different ball game.”

When Wald tried to address Forrest’s assertions, Forrest dismissed him as a middle man who should “sit down and shut up,” and “just enjoy the conversation.”

Mora maintained his composure throughout Forrest’s tirade, but he disagreed with Forrest’s recollection of their sparring session three years ago in Los Angeles. Forrest, who was working his way back from a two-year layoff caused by debilitating shoulder surgeries, said he dominated Mora “with one arm.” The work was so easy, according to Forrest, he was left laughing in disbelief because Mora was preparing to fight Peter Manfredo Jr. for $1 million in the championship match at the end of the first season of “The Contender.”

The 27-year-old Mora defeated Manfredo, but “The Latin Snake” has made more headlines since then for turning down a fight against Jermain Taylor, then the undefeated, undisputed middleweight champion, than for anything he has done inside the ring.

“Vernon Forrest, I’ve got nothing but respect for him and praise for him,” Mora said. “I can see by what he’s saying he has no respect for me, which is cool. That’s fine. But when it comes down to it, I can say all I want. I’m still going to have to do what I do. So whether I’m real or not, I’m a ‘Contender’ or a ‘Pretender’ or whatever, I’m going to have to prove it to everybody June 7, regardless of what I say.”

The light-punching Mora’s detractors are saying he doesn’t deserve a title shot at 154 pounds. He has fought exclusively at 160 the past five years and he is only seven months removed from a dubious draw with Elvin Ayala (18-3-1, 8 KOs) in Carson, Calif. Mora actually acknowledged he hasn’t done enough at 154 to truly warrant a title shot, but the slick boxer believes he’ll show Forrest he isn’t just some manufactured fighter who is more famous than formidable.

“The bottom line is he is a champ and he has proven himself, and I’m a guy fighting for a championship and I need to prove myself,” Mora said. “That’s a basic story line and it doesn’t get too exciting. … I am the underdog, obviously. As far as his insults go, I can’t do nothing about that. That’s what he said. I’m not a pretender. I know that. I know I’m a damn good fighter.”

Forrest has looked terrific in each of his two bouts since his debatable decision defeat of former welterweight champ Ike Quartey (37-4-1, 31 KOs) in August 2006. The 1992 Olympian dominated Argentina’s Carlos Baldomir (44-11-6, 13 KOs) to win the vacant WBC super welterweight title July 28 in Tacoma, Wash. Then he out-classed Italy’s Michele Piccirillo (49-4, 30 KOs, 1 NC) in making a mandatory defense Dec. 2 in Ledyard, Conn.

He had hoped those wins would lead to a more marketable fight, but Forrest is a high-risk, low-reward option for Oscar De La Hoya or Floyd Mayweather Jr. There aren’t many attractive alternatives for Forrest in his division, either. Fights against WBA champ Joachim Alcine (30-0, 19 KOs) and contender James Kirkland (22-0, 19 KOs) are intriguing, but the risk won’t out-weigh the reward for Forrest in those instances.

Perhaps that’s why Forrest hasn’t been his usual respectful self.

Regardless, he isn’t about to apologize for suddenly becoming brash.

“From this point on in my career, every fight is personal,” Forrest said. “No more ‘Mr. Nice Guy.’ Those ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ days are over. Nice guys always finish last. People are saying, ‘Well, you’ve changed.’ I haven’t changed. In order for me to go where I want to go and make my mark in this sport, then there are certain things that I’m going to have to do that some other people might not agree with. So be it. This is my career and these are the things I choose to do.”

Keith Idec covers boxing for the Herald News of West Paterson, N.J., and The Record, of Hackensack, N.J.