GL: Boxingtalk recently broke the news that you're going to be returning to the ring on May 19 as part of the Taylor-Spinks event. What can you tell us about this? "I think it's going to be a great night of boxing. You've got the undisputed king Jermain Taylor and one of the best junior middleweights out there going at it. From my understanding through Boxingtalk, Miranda is going to be fighting the other kid, what's his name? Pavlik. And then with myself on the same card it's going to be a great night of boxing and it's something that the people of Memphis and the people in boxing should look forward to."

GL: How are you looking at this situation? Your last fight was a victory over Ike Quartey in a HBO headliner. As Boxingtalk readers know you weren't at 100% after the fight, but do you feel slighted by having to fight off tv and not receiving a televised slot?

Vernon Forrest: "I don't necessarily feel slighted by not having my own slot on HBO. HBO does very well for me and I don't have anything bad to say about HBO."

GL: Is the blueprint to get this fight out of the way before returning to the network in a marquee fight?

VF: "Well I'm the number one contender in the WBC so the winner of De La Hoya-Mayweather has to fight me if they want to keep the title. There's some other marquee fights out there, but we're going to have to wait to see what happens because there's some other big fights in the junior middleweight division."

GL: Do you have any idea who you'll be fighting on May 19?

VF: "Not yet."

GL: Will it be someone of the ilk of your first few comeback foes?

VF: "I don't know what the gameplan is just yet, I know right now I could do one of two things, I could sit back and wait on May 5 or I can work and continue to get sharper and get better. Instead of waiting I chose to keep working."

GL: Are you hoping it's somebody durable on the 19th. I imagine you don't want a get right fight to end in two rounds or less?

VF: "However long it lasts it lasts, but I've never been paid a cent for overtime."

GL: Where will you train for this fight?

VF: "I'm probably going to be staying here in Atlanta doing my thing in the ATL."

GL: Who will be training you for this fight?

VF: "Right now I'm putting together my old team, the guys who were with me when I first won two world titles, fighter of the year and all of that stuff."

GL: Does that mean Ronnie Shields is back?

VF: "Not yet, I haven't reached out to Ronnie just yet."

GL: Enlighten us, when you mention your old team, who exactly does that entail?

VF: "It'll all make sense when all the details are done. I don't like to sit there and speculate and say stuff that isn't worth talking about just yet."

GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?

VF: "Other than thanking my fans and the Boxingtalk readers, I'm just going to let the beat roll."

M

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