Former boxing champ killed

ATLANTA (AP) — Vernon Forrest, a former two-division champion who gained stardom when he became the first boxer to defeat Shane Mosley, was shot to death in what police are calling an attempted robbery.

Atlanta police Sgt. Lisa Keyes said in an e-mail Sunday that the 38-year-old Forrest was shot several times in the back late Saturday night on a street just southwest of downtown. Keyes said there were no suspects.

Fulton County medical examiner Michele Stauffenberg confirmed the case was a homicide and that the autopsy showed Forrest died from “multiple gunshot wounds involving the torso and thigh.” Keyes said a police report on the shooting was not immediately available

“Vernon was one of the few decent people in boxing,” promoter Gary Shaw said Sunday. “I mean really decent. He cared about mentally challenged adults. He cared about kids. I just can’t believe it.”

Forrest, a native of Augusta, Georgia, who lived in Atlanta, was a member of the 1992 Olympic team along with Oscar De La Hoya. The popular Forrest later won welterweight and junior middleweight titles and compiled a professional record of 41-3 with 29 knockouts.

Mexico stuns U.S. in Gold Cup finale

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (AP) — Mexico snapped a decade victory drought against the Americans in the United States on Sunday with a 5-0 rout for its fifth CONCACAF regional championship.

Captain Gerardo Torrado scored on a penalty in the 56th minute, then the inexperienced U.S. squad came unglued.

As an overwhelmingly pro-Mexico sellout crowd of 79,156 rocked Giants Stadium, Giovani Dos Santos and Carlos Vela scored five minutes apart despite several brilliant saves by Troy Perkins. Indeed, it seemed the goalkeeper was the only American on the field during the 11-minute blitz in which Mexico’s attackers could have sprinted all the way back to Azteca Stadium without being touched.

Rain cuts short Pedro’s rehab

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Pedro Martinez smiled after taking another step back toward the major leagues.

“I feel really good,” the three-time Cy Young Award winner said Sunday. “That’s the news here.”

The 37-year-old’s first minor league rehab start in preparation for a comeback with the Philadelphia Phillies was cut short by rain, yet the right-hander remained on track for a return with the World Series champions after an abbreviated appearance for the Class A Clearwater Threshers.

Martinez worked 1 1-3 innings before the Florida State League game against the St. Lucie Mets — the Advanced-A affiliate of the team the eight-time All-Star played for from 2005-08 — was stopped because of a downpour.

He felt it was “interesting” that his initial rehab outing would come against farmhands from his old team and was disappointed the day ended with him moving indoors to pitch three simulated innings instead of facing batters.

“I wasn’t going to approach these kids like kids. I was going to approach them like they’re big leaguers,” said Martinez, who was immediately placed on the disabled list with a shoulder strain after signing a $1 million, one-year contract this month.