Willie Romero–Willie Romero Photography
Ex-boxer Ricardo Mayorga (29-8-1, 23 KOs) made his initial transition from pugilism to MMA in May with a highly controversial win that later became a no-contest thanks to an illegal knee to the spine that incapacitated his opponent.
A mini-melee at the weigh-in for that debut MMA bout for Mayorga against Wesley Tiffer (0-1, 1 NC) didn’t take many fans of Mayorga by surprise, nor did the fact that Mayorga came in more than 20 pounds overweight for the fight. This is on par for a man who trash talks by nature and proudly smokes cigarettes before and after fights, even sometimes during interviews.
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It seems fitting that his latest opponent didn’t bother coming to the first press conference for their July 27 fight, instead appearing by way of Skype. Those in attendance for the event at the Holiday Inn in Managua, Nicaragua were treated to yet another comical tirade from the former light middleweight and welterweight world champion boxer known by the nickname of “El Matador.” The outburst came as soon as Rene “Level” Martinez (4-0) appeared on the viewing screen.
According to BoxingScene.Com, Mayorga yelled out:
“After I’m done with you, I’m going to send you back to Cuba with a cane. You are a bum and won’t last beyond the first round. When you come to Nicaragua, just save yourself the trouble of getting hurt and just give me your purse. Just come to the stage and hand it over to me, because if I get my hands on you, you won’t have any money left from [medical bills]. You are a gross looking Cuban and I will thank you for giving me all this money.”
Martinez provided a much more measured response, calling his future opponent a “fat comedian” and promising to show him “what a true fighter really is” when they meet later this month.
Mayorga’s legal maneuvering is the only reason he’s not currently serving a three-month suspension for kneeing Tiffer in the back to get out of an arm bar in their May 4 bout in Nicaragua. Since the referee did not see the foul, the fight went into the books as Mayorga’s first win. It now stands as a no-contest, which is exactly what Martinez should face when he battles the obnoxious boxing legend in a sport where he clearly does not belong.
If Mayorga couldn’t even get a clean win over a fighter with just a single losing bout on his record, how does he expect to beat someone with a four-fight win streak to begin his career? For boxing fans wanting to see someone from their sport make a real effort to prove that a prominent boxer can excel in any MMA cage or ring, Mayorga is a disgrace. He should either go back to boxing and try to get back to the form that made him famous, or he should just retire and quit this three-ring circus he’s putting on. MMA just doesn’t need any more controversy than it already has, and that’s all Mayorga is good for these days.
