Former IBF welterweight and WBC light-middleweight world champion Vernon Forrest has been shot dead during an attempted robbery in America.

Forrest was shot several times after apparently confronting thieves at a petrol station in Atlanta, Georgia. The 38-year-old, also a member of the 1992 US Olympic team, gained stardom in 2002 when he became the first man to defeat Sugar Shane Moseley.

He had a professional record of 41 wins, three losses and 29 knockouts. Fulton County medical examiner Michele Stauffenberg said that the autopsy showed Forrest died from "multiple gunshot wounds involving the torso and thigh" and confirmed that the case was a homicide. Police reports indicate that Forrest may have been shot after chasing one of the thieves who tried to rob him as he was putting air into the tyres of his Jaguar. The 11-year-old son of Forrest's girlfriend was with him at the Chevron station at the time and was able to give police a description of the attackers. Forrest captured the IBF welterweight title in 2001 when he beat Raul Frank in a unanimous points decision before defeating Moseley twice in 2002.

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Muhammad Ali's visit to Ireland later this month could include a trip to his Irish ancestral home in County Clare.

Ennis Town Council has sent the boxing legend an invitation to retrace the steps of his great grandfather who emigrated to the US in the 1860s. Ali is scheduled to attend a dinner in Dublin on 31 August which will come after a short visit to the UK. Council officials from the Clare town are optimistic that the boxing legend will also travel to Ennis.

There is also speculation that Ali may travel to Dundalk as the businessman who has convinced the former world heavyweight champion to travel to Ireland is a native of the County Louth town. Dr Pearse Lyons is the head of Alltech, a global animal health and nutrition company, which has made substantial donations to Ali's charity. "The people of Ennis and County Clare will welcome Mohammad Ali with open arms," said Ennis Mayor Frankie Neylon. The former world heavyweight champion, now 67, is planning visits to Ireland and the UK to raise money for his non-profit Muhammad Ali Centre and children's hospices.

His UK appearances will include a visit to football club Stoke City's Britannia Stadium for a luncheon event on Thursday, 27 August. Mayor of Ennis Mr Neylon said that details of Ali's visit would be finalised this weekend when council officials met with the former boxer's representatives. Mr Neylon added that Ali, who is fighting Parkinson's disease, had expressed his desire to travel to Ennis.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/boxing/8187893.stm