Fans who thought Shane Mosley would win his rematch with Vernon Forrest could not say how the former two-division champion would overcome the height advantage and difficult style of his longtime nemesis, they only had a "gut feeling" that Mosley is a great fighter -- worthy of his "Sugar" moniker -- and that the best fighters in history, including Ray Robinson and Ray Leonard, always came back to defeat the men who handed them their first defeats.

Mosley may still prove to be a great fighter, but he fell short Saturday night when he failed, once again, to solve the riddle of Forrest's methodical counter-punch-and-hold boxing style. The WBC welterweight champion retained his title by unanimous decision at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, leaving Mosley -- who claimed he lost the first bout because of a concussion he suffered due to a headbutt -- to ponder his future.

"It was the right decision," Mosley, now 38-2, said when asked if he made the right choice to take on Forrest in an immediate rematch. "The first time we fought, I was caught off-guard. This time I felt it was close. I don't know if he has my number. He fought a smart fight. It was a close fight and the judges saw it his way."

The official judges favored Forrest, now 35-0, by scores of 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111.

Forrest, who now has three wins against Mosley (one amateur and two pro victories), was non-committal when asked what he would do next.

"I need to get some rest," is all he said when asked if he would stay at 147 pounds or venture into the 154-pound division, where Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas reside.

Standing 6-feet tall, and having struggled to make the 147-pound welterweight limit for this fight, it would seem that jumping to the lucrative junior middleweight division is the next logical move for Forrest. But here's the problem: Why would anyone want to see Forrest face the winner of the Sept. 14 De La Hoya-Vargas grudgematch after suffering through his 12 mostly boring rounds with Mosley?

You could say Mosley fell short of greatness by failing to solve Forrest's style, but both fighters failed to put on an entertaining fight for the fans in the Conseco Fieldhouse (and those watching on HBO). It was far from a great fight -- in fact, it wasn't a fight at all: It was an intense boxing match that exhibited more clinching and grappling than sustained punching action.

Mosley, to his credit, tried to make it a scrap by rushing out and nailing Forrest with a lead left hook in the opening seconds of the first round, but he was soon tied up by his taller foe and found himself on the opposite side of a hook-right hand combination before the bell sounded.

Mosley continued to rush in and load up with big punches in the following early rounds, but Forrest stuck to his game plan and coolly counterpunched and tied up the shorter, more hyper challenger. Neither fighter was able to land more than one big punch at a time before one or the other grabbed his foe into a clinch.

After an intense four rounds of even action, the pace of the bout slowed down to become such a monotonous shove-and-grab contest that fans in the Conseco Fieldhouse began to boo, and even stood up to cheer on a brawl that took place in the cheap seats of the venue during the sixth round.

If the De La Hoya-Vargas fight lasts that long, you can bet the action is going to be in the ring, and not in the seats.

From rounds six through nine, Forrest began to impose his style and will on Mosley, who, unable to land more than one punch at a time, looked desperate and out of ideas. Mosley may have taken the 10th and 12th rounds on sheer aggression, but he was never able to impose his will on Forrest as he had done to 38 previous victims. Both fighters were largely ineffective down the stretch, but Forrest, who controlled most of the "action," was less so.

He did not apologize for winning a rather slow, ho-hum boxing match.

"Mosley came out with a different strategy this time," Forrest said. "I was a bit confused. But the guy's a great boxer. Against a guy of that caliber, you can't get out of your game plan and get reckless, that's how you get caught."

Forrest didn't get caught. Mosley didn't get caught. At times in the bout, both fighters barely caught the attention of the in-house fans.

Maybe styles do make fights. Mosley seems to have accepted this fact, and may look elsewhere for his challenges. He hinted at moving up in weight.

"Maybe I'll see what's up there," said Mosley, who gained 11 pounds after the weighin.

He might as well move on.