Mourning Vernon Forrest

Fans and friends say murdered boxer was an extraordinarily compassionate man.

Former boxing champion Vernon Forrest was gunned down during a robbery Saturday night that began when he stopped at the Chevron on Whitehall Street south of downtown to fill his car tires with air.

His manager told 11 Alive news Forrest chased after a group of men after they stole his wallet. Unable to catch them, he began to head back to the gas station, at which point he was shot repeatedly in the back. Suspects were seen fleeing in a red Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Fans, friends, and colleagues say Forrest wasn’t just a gifted boxer, but an uncommonly kind-hearted, compassionate individual.

From Kieran Mulvaney, who covers boxing for ESPN:

In popular imagination, boxing is full of snakes, back-stabbers and thieves. Personal observation lends credence to the caricature, but also reveals another side of the sport that outsiders often miss: It is also full of kindness and consideration, an admittedly dysfunctional extended family whose members look out for one another in times of need.

People are almost invariably surprised to hear me say this, but some of the nicest people I have ever met are professional fighters.

Even by that standard, however, Vernon Forrest stood out.

Read the rest.

And thank you Scott Freeman for the link.