Vernon Forrest vs. Ricardo Mayorga was a professional boxing match contested on January 25, 2003, at Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California.

[2] Forrest had won the WBC welterweight championship from Shane Mosley on January 26, 2002, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden[3] Despite being a 7 to 1 underdog and facing a fighter who had been regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world at that time, Forrest won a lopsided unanimous decision in a fight where he dropped Mosley twice.

[4] Mosley sought an immediate rematch, which took place in Indianapolis on July 20, 2002; although the fight was closer on the scorecards this time, Forrest managed to retain his championship.

The fight's referee was Marty Denkin, with Raul Caiz, Sr., John Keane, and Jon Schorle acting as judges.

Mayorga responded by coming out aggressively against the WBC champion, landing an early power shot that hurt Forrest.