The chain of the Legends Sports Universe Boxing Federation Welterweight title began with a terrific title bout in which Vernon Forrest survived a fourth-round knockdown from Paul Williams and took advantage of a cut that seemed to alter Williams’ style over the final five rounds as Forrest earned a close but unanimous victory.

 

Forrest would drop the strap in his first defense, a 12th round TKO loss to the man Williams stopped in the semifinal, Tommy Ryan. 

 

Ryan and Williams would get very well acquainted over the next two years.

Ryan would lose his first defense to Williams via a 9th round TKO, but regain the title in a rematch three months later by unanimous decision.

The rapid succession of changes left Forrest out in the cold for a while until Ryan gave him his title shot eight months after regaining the title from Williams.

Ryan stopped Forrest by TKO when he knocked him down three times in the 14th. Three months later, Ryan would coast to a unanimous decision win over Ted “Kid” Lewis before knocking out Keddy Burke in the 8th the folliwing February.

 

But in May, Williams would get another shot at the belt and defeat Ryan by unanimous decision in dominant fashion, dropping Ryan in the 10th and 14th on his way to a 147-138, 146-138, 145-139 decision.

Ryan would get a mandatory rematch for the pair’s fifth fight in the span of three years, and it would end in hotly debated fashion, the judges calling it 142-141 Williams, 142-141 Ryan, and 142-142...a draw.

Williams retained and Ryan will have to wait his turn before he gets another crack.

Most recently, Williams would take a convincing unanimous decision against Cory Spinks to keep his handle on the title.

In the wings, are a pair of up and comers - Barney Ross and Kid Gavilan - who figure to earn shots in the not-too-distant future.