Former welterweight champions Vernon Forrest and Carlos Baldomir will fight July 28 at Tacoma’s Emerald Queen Casino, in the state’s biggest professional boxing match in nearly two decades.

With Floyd Mayweather, Jr. electing to keep his World Boxing Council welterweight title instead of the WBC super welterweight title he won from Oscar De La Hoya in May, Forrest (38-2, 28 KOs) and Baldomir (43-10-6, 13 KOs) will now be fighting for the newly-vacated WBC super welterweight title in a 12-round bout.

It marks the first world title fight in Washington since Auburn’s Greg Haugen successfully defended his International Boxing Federation Lightweight title in the Tacoma Dome against Miguel Santana on April 11, 1988.

“I doubt there has ever been a bigger boxing match in state history,” said Brian Halquist, who is co-promoting the event. “You have two former world champions looking to reclaim the title. It’s going to be something special.”

Forrest, from Atlanta, captured the IBF welterweight crown with a unanimous decision over Raul Frank on May 12, 2001. The hard-hitting 147 pounder also won the WBC welterweight title with a victory over Shane Mosley in 2002.

Argentina’s Baldomir defeated heavy-regarded Zab Judah for the WBC welterweight title on Jan. 7, 2006 and successfully defended the crown against former world champion Arturo Gatti before dropping the title to Mayweather last November.

The undercard will feature undefeated featherweight Mario Santiago (18-0, 13 KOs) meeting top-10 contender Hector Velazquez (47-11-2, 33 KOs) in a 12-round WBC featherweight bout with the winner becoming the WBC's No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger in the featherweight division.

The Forrest-Baldomir world title fight PRESS CONFERENCE will be held 3 p.m. on Thursday, July 26 at the Emerald Queen Casino.

The WEIGH-IN will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 27 at the Emerald Queen Casino.