LITHONIA, Ga. — Vernon Forrest was remembered Aug. 3 as a different kind of boxer — one who shunned flamboyance and used his fame to promote his charity.
More than 1,000 people, including former boxing champions Evander Holyfield, Antonio Tarver, Robert Allen and Buddy McGirt, attended Forrest's funeral at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church here.
 BOB ANDRES/Cox Newspapers Flowers and photos were displayed around Forrest's casket during his funeral services at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga. For a larger, high resolution image, click HERE |
Family members entered the sanctuary wearing Forrest's three championship belts.
Forrest, 38, was shot and killed July 25 after being robbed at an Atlanta gas station. Police have made no arrests in the case, which was featured on "America's Most Wanted" Saturday night.
"I believe in God, I believe in justice and we want justice served to the fullest," said Forrest's brother, Alfonso Forrest. "He didn't deserve it, I don't deserve it, none of us do. It hurts so bad."
Kery Davis, head of programming for HBO Sports, recalled signing Forrest to a multifight contract following his upset of "Sugar" Shane Mosley. Davis asked Forrest how he wanted to be "introduced to the world."
"The first thing he said was, 'I've got an opportunity with this showcase, with this platform, to tell the world about Destiny's Child," Davis said.
Destiny's Child, which Forrest co-founded in 1997, was the focus of his charity work. The organization has provided 11 group homes for the mentally disabled.
As he entered the church, Holyfield said he'll remember Forrest more for what he did outside the ring.
"He was a good fighter, a good friend, a person who was very concerned about others," Holyfield said.
Forrest's promoter, Gary Shaw, said he hoped Forrest's killing would spark a renewed effort to reduce crime.
"Maybe Vernon Forrest's legacy will not be that he was a United States Olympian, or a great world champion who had several belts, or that he beat Shane Mosley," Shaw said. "His legacy will be helping the unfortunate and to stop all this violence."
Former Atlanta Falcons Jamal Anderson and Ray Buchanan were among those in attendance.
Forrest, a former International Boxing Federation welterweight and two-time World Boxing Federation junior middleweight champion, had a 41-3 career record, with 29 knockouts. He was planning a comeback in October.
Larry Hartstein writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
