Ricardo Mayorga facts for kids

Ricardo Antonio Mayorga Perez (born October 3, 1973) is a professional boxer from Nicaragua. He is also a former mixed martial artist. In boxing, he became a world champion in two different weight classes.

In 2003, he held the unified WBA (Unified), WBC, Ring magazine, and lineal welterweight titles. Later, from 2005 to 2006, he held the WBC super welterweight title. Ricardo Mayorga became well-known to boxing fans when he was featured on the cover of The Ring magazine in December 2003. The magazine called him "The craziest man in the sport." He was known for his bold statements and confident attitude before many of his fights.

Ricardo Mayorga's Boxing Journey

Winning the WBA Title

Ricardo Mayorga first fought Andrew Lewis for a title. Their first match in 2001 ended early because of an accidental headbutt. This meant the fight had no winner. In a rematch in 2002, Mayorga won in the fifth round. He won by TKO (Technical Knockout), which means the referee stopped the fight. With this win, Mayorga became the WBA welterweight champion.

Surprising the Boxing World

In January 2003, Mayorga faced Vernon Forrest, who had a perfect record of 35 wins and no losses. Many people did not expect Mayorga to win against the stronger Forrest. However, Mayorga surprised everyone. He knocked Forrest down in the first round and again in the third round. The referee stopped the fight after the second knockdown because Forrest was too dazed to continue. Mayorga won and kept his WBA title, also winning the WBC and The Ring welterweight titles.

Six months later, Forrest and Mayorga had a rematch. This fight was very close. Mayorga won again, this time by a majority decision. This meant two judges scored the fight for Mayorga, and one judge scored it as a draw.

Losing the Titles

On December 13, 2003, Mayorga fought Cory Spinks. Spinks was considered an underdog, but he managed to defeat Mayorga. Spinks won by a majority decision, taking away Mayorga's WBA, WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles.

Big Fights and Challenges

Ricardo Mayorga continued to face famous boxers. In October 2004, he fought Félix Trinidad at Madison Square Garden. Mayorga was knocked down multiple times in the eighth round. Trinidad won the fight by technical knockout.

On May 6, 2006, Mayorga fought against Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya knocked Mayorga down early in the first round. De La Hoya won the fight by knockout in the sixth round, earning his tenth world title.

In November 2007, Mayorga fought Fernando Vargas for the vacant WBC Continental Americas super middleweight title. This fight was a big event. Mayorga won the fight by majority decision. He knocked Vargas down in the first and eleventh rounds. After the fight, Vargas announced his retirement from boxing.

Later Career Fights

In September 2008, Mayorga fought Shane Mosley. The fight was for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental light middleweight title. Mosley won the fight in the twelfth round by TKO. He knocked Mayorga down right at the end of the round, and the referee stopped the fight.

On March 12, 2011, Mayorga challenged Miguel Cotto for his WBA light middleweight title. The fight took place in Las Vegas. Cotto defeated Mayorga by TKO in the twelfth round. Cotto landed a left hook that dropped Mayorga, ending the match.

Mayorga returned to boxing in 2014 after a break. He won two fights that year. In August 2015, he had a rematch with Shane Mosley. Mosley won again, this time by knockout in the sixth round.

Mixed Martial Arts Career

Ricardo Mayorga also tried a career in mixed martial arts (MMA). In May 2010, he was supposed to have his first professional MMA fight. However, the fight was stopped by a court order because of a contract issue.

After retiring from boxing, Mayorga officially started his MMA career. On May 3, 2013, he fought Wesley Tiffer. Mayorga won the fight by TKO after Tiffer could not continue. However, the Nicaraguan Mixed Martial Arts Commission later changed the result to a "No Contest." This was because Mayorga used an illegal knee strike during the fight. He was also suspended for three months for being over the agreed weight limit.