Uncasville, CT (Sports Network) - Sergio Mora stunned Vernon Forrest by taking his WBC light middleweight title with a majority decision on Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Casino.
In his first fight at 154 pounds, Mora won on two scorecards, 115-113 and 116-112, while the third scorecard had an even 114-114 draw.
Mora (21-0-1) came out with more energy than the 37-year-old Forrest (40-3), bobbing and weaving Forrest's bigger punches and working the inside of the champion.
Mora, who won the first season of the television series The Contender in 2005, fought limited competition leading up to his first title fight, but he clearly showed he belong with the elite of the sport.
Referee Dick Flaherty issued a plethora of warnings to both fighters for clutching and low-blows throughout the contest. Mora was the more active fighter, while Forrest limited himself to two or three-punch combinations.
Mora sported a puffed left eye for most of the fight, but did not seem to fear Forrest's power. Most of the action took place in the middle of the ring, where the Los Angeles native used his quickness to stun the champion from Augusta, Georgia.
With both fighters seemingly needing the final round to tip the scorecards, neither fighter went on the offensive. In the waning seconds Mora could sense victory and showboated before the final bell, waving to the crowd that watched him remain unbeaten in his professional career.
In the first championship fight of the night, Paul "The Punisher" Williams regained the WBO welterweight title by making quick work of the overmatched Carlos Quintana with a first-round TKO.
In early February, the 31-year old Quintana (25-2) earned a unanimous decision over Williams (34-1) to capture the belt and hand Williams the lone loss of his professional career in his first title defense.
The judges wouldn't be needed for the rematch of the southpaws, as the 26- year-old Williams came out with a purpose and never relented on the native of Puerto Rico. Midway through the first round, Williams used his decided reach advantage to connect on a stiff left that dazed Quintana in the middle of the ring.
The South Carolina native jumped at the chance of a knockout and continued to pound the champion with lefts and rights before Quintana finally hit the canvas.
After a standing eight-count, Williams kept up the pace as his jab directed Quintana into the corner, where he was hit with one final left before stumbling. Referee Eddie Claudio had little choice but to stop the fight at the 2:15 mark of the round, giving Williams an emphatic victory after the only blemish of his career.