On Ricardo Mayorga’s MMA Debut March 6
Jake Rossen Dec 31, 2009
M.
Alonso/Sherdog.com
I have a very limited understanding of Ricardo Mayorga or his boxing career, but the portions the mainstream media seemed to focus on were A). the exaggerated habit of lighting a cigarette immediately after a fight, and B). having little to no regard for his own health, having stuck his jaw out repeatedly at Vernon Forrest. He does not appear to be a man of sustained and rational thought. I could be wrong.
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This is appalling career strategy, of course, and if Thomas fights with intelligence, I cannot think of a reason he would not be able to plant Mayorga on the ground and shove his toe into his nose. This is not Mayorga’s zip code, and while Ray Mercer/Tim Sylvia remains an unlikely exception to the rule, it is not hard to forget Mercer once was choked out by an extremely green Kimbo Slice.
Mayorga’s MMA bid comes after a dissolved relationship with promoter Don King, whom he sued for breach of contract. The suit was dismissed before going to court by Mayorga and his counsel for reasons the law firm representing him chose not to elaborate upon. Thomas, for his part, told Sherdog.com that he had signed for the fight.
If it happens -- and we’ve really heard all this before, with Tyson and K-1 -- it is not clear what’s in it for Mayorga. His contracted fights with King were to be in the $400,000 range, a purse that seems unreasonably generous for a small, regional promotion like Shine. (That’s assuming Mayorga wouldn’t want additional compensation to play in someone else’s sandbox.) And then there are Mayorga’s infamous ransom attempts in business, where he strives to leverage promoter investment against itself by threatening to no-show fights on late notice.
Maybe he’s made enough enemies in boxing to force him into other work. And maybe if you buy a ticket to this show, read the fine print.
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