On the evening of July 25, 2009, Forrest was shot dead during an attempted carjacking in Atlanta, Georgia. Forrest was shot seven or eight times as he attempted to stop carjackers from stealing his Jaguar, which had his girlfriend’s son in the backseat.

Vernon “the Viper” Forrest (February 12, 1971 – July 25, 2009) was an American professional boxer. He was a world champion in the welterweight and light middleweight divisions and is best known for his two fights with Shane Mosley.

Forrest started boxing at the age of 9 and compiled an impressive 225-16 record as an amateur. He was the 1991 US junior welterweight champion, and also won a silver medal at the 1991 World Amateur Boxing Championships. He received a scholarship to Northern Michigan University, where he majored in business administration. Forrest continued to train with the US National Team under the tutelage of head coach Al Mitchell.

Fulfilling his Olympic dream was the only reason Forrest left college. He was a member of the 1992 US Olympic Team that competed in Barcelona, Spain. He earned his Olympic berth by beating Shane Mosley in the trials. After that fight, Forrest was now the gold medal favorite heading in to the tournament. However, he was stricken with food poisoning a day before his first round bout and was beaten by Peter Richardson. He returned home to Augusta, moved to Las Vegas, and turned professional.

In his professional debut in November 1992, Forrest defeated Charles Hawkins. Through 1996, Forrest stopped 13 out of 15 opponents. Five were stopped in the first round.

As the years went by Forrest won a few minor title belts. It the year 2000 Forrest finally got his chance to fight for the IBF welterweight title against Raul Frank. A cut caused by an accidental head butt ended the bout in round three and the fight was therefore ruled a no contest.

Forrest met Frank again in a rematch at Madison Square Garden on May 15, 2001 on a Felix Trinidad undercard. Forrest dominated his opponent and won the fight by a unanimous decision to claim the title.

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