As far as Vernon Forrest was concerned, beating Sugar Shane Mosley was not such a big deal.

After all, he had done it 10 years earlier, albeit when the pair were just young amateurs.

The new World Boxing Council welterweight champion shocked the boxing world when he comfortably outpointed Mosley on Saturday in New York.

The beaten champion was considered by many to be the best at any weight and was also reaching his prime.

Forrest, on the other hand, was a seven-to-one underdog whose previous oppinents would not have scared a clubfighter.

That kind of logic made the upset all the more astounding - Forrest floored the Californian for the first time and upset the boxing landscape which had shaped up with Mosley at the top.

It is hard to believe that at the 1992 Olympics, Forrest's gold medal hopes were ended by Britain's Peter Richardson in the first round.

Richardson achieved little as a professional, but Forrest is on the verge of stardom after a career-best performance.

Originally from Augusta in Georgia but now based in Atlanta, Forrest's climb to the top has been a slow and frustrating one.

His status as a world amateur junior champion meant that upcoming fighters were only too happy to avoid the freakishly tall Forrest.

Old rival

As such, he managed only eight fights in his first two years as a professional.

Even when his activity levels increased from 1995 onwards, Forrest remained on the fringes of the welterweight division, then dominated by Pernell Whitaker, Felix Trinidad and Oscar de la Hoya.

By the summer of 2000, Forrest would have been forgiven for thinking that the boxing world had something against him.

While old rival Mosley had moved up from lightweight to capture De la Hoya's WBC Welterweight title, Forrest once again had to look at the big time from the outside.

Having finally won the IBF welterweight title in May 2001 with a points win over Raul Frank, Forrest made it clear that he wanted to face Mosley.

Once the fight was set, the talk drifted back to the amateur fight that the pair had back in 1992.

What no one in the boxing world seemed to understand was that Forrest held the same advantages at the age of 29 that he did at 19.

A strong and powerful six footer, he showed no fear in the long awaited rematch and dictated the terms of the fight to his opponent.

It was a stunning performance from a man who had never fought anyone as classy as Mosley.

Even though the defeated man conceded afterwards that he had been well beaten, it seems certain that a rematch will be put on Forrest's agenda very soon.

If he can prove that this win was no fluke, Forrest can then expect to take on the likes of De la Hoya, Felix Trinidad or Bernard Hopkins, fights that were lined up for Mosley.

Fighting anyone of that trio is hardly a reward for beating Mosley twice, but the financial compensations are sure to make it worthwhile.