If Gatti is inducted into the IBHOF, why not include Forrest, who was better boxer, beat better opponents, lost to better fighters and less times, and tragically died the same year. Maybe he was not as popular as Gatti but he had better achievements in the boxing ring and clearly was the better boxer.
If Gatti and McGuigan are there then so should Forrest imo...Infact, id sign a petition to get McGuigan removed
There's A LOT of fighters who aren't in the HOF who are more deserving than Forrest. Donald Curry for instance. I have no clue why Curry isn't in the Hall. And Julian Jackson. And Rodrigo Valdez. And Esteban DeJesus. All these guys belong in the HOF. Forrest was a good fighter, but he's really no more deserving of the Hall than say.... Ike Quartey. But yes, it's a crime that bum ass Gatti made the HOF.
I don't understand the hatred for Gatti, personally, but then I thought of my own despising of Pazienza. Gatti was far better than him, but still. At least I can respect Paz's guts. There's always something to respect, isn't there? As to the hall of fame, well......it's a Hall of Fame, not a Hall of Great. Let's not confuse the two. Forrest was neither. Maybe we can compromise and induct him into the Hall of Competent?
Gatti was far better than Pazienza? Ummm.... what? He was? No TF he wasn't! Pazienza was easily a better fighter than Gatti. Why is scrubby Gatti so absurdly overrated?
Forrest should be in the Hall of Gift.... he was the recipient of one of the worst decisions in boxing history with his "win"over Quartey. Ike won 7 or 8 outta 10 rounds, and somehow Forrest got the decision.
Yes. He was much better than Pazienza. Doesn't need a whole lot more clarification than that. Go over their resumes and get back to me.
What was Gatti's best win again? Paz beat Haugen 2/3, and Haugen alone was a far better fighter than Gatti.
First, we all know Paz got gifted the first time around, so it's one of three. Who else was there? Gatti beat Patterson twice and Ruelas just off the top of my head. That completely trumps anything Paz ever did. Unless of course you rate Gilbert Dele, and you shouldn't. Paz has literally nothing else. Nothing.
That is the problem with Gatti being inducted, then we can say why not Forrest. But I don't think so. Gatti is exceptional for his exciting fights. I don't see how Vernon would get in over someone like Donald Curry for example.
To be honest, Ruelas was just a brief title holder, nothing special. So it leaves Patterson as his best opponent (not a HOF level) Also Gatti at his best lost to fringe contenders/jorneymen like Ivan Robinson (twice) or Mickey Ward, who were never even close to top-10 in any division. I don't dislike Gatti at all, I actually admire his style and like to watch his exciting fights, but he just wasn't an elite boxer.
I'm bummed out to see that this thread has turned out to be about Arturo Gatti rather than Vernon Forrest. Forrest was at his peak when I was just making the transition from casual to hardcore fan. His style-tactical, effient boxer with stern power in both hands-was and still is a style I enjoy watching, even though some may find him eccessively risk averse. Unfortunately Forrest didn't really get the career he deserved, because of his devastating shoulder injury after the second Mayorga fight. Sure, he won another title in a second weight class and regained it after losing it, but he wasn't quite the same guy, as the Quartey fight showed. People forget that Forrest had a win over Vince Phillips not long after Phillips' two year title reign, before Vince went on his slide.
Ward and Robinson have both held rankings. In Robinson's case, ot had a lot to do with beating Gatti, but he was also ranked in 96.
It's always the 'Gatti is in, so should this guy' argument. Under this line of reasoning, we might as well let most guys who have even moderate success at the world level in because after all, they were probably more talented and accomplished. But Gatti didn't get in for the same reason most others do. He was a revered blood and guts type who gave us more excitement than the vast majority of fighters who ever donned a pair. He is talked about far more often than most greats, as well. Potentially I can see a reasonable case for his inclusion because of that, he's in a unique bubble. Forrest should be compared to the standard crowd because he didn't have that transcendent aspect. I was big on Forrest and think he could have been a great had he gotten a shot earlier, but he isn't accomplished enough to deserve it.
