Ricardo Mayorga

Ricardo Antonio Mayorga Perez, also known by his nicknames El Matador and El Loco, is a former Nicaraguan professional boxer and mixed martial artist. Mayorga has been in the professional boxing industry for more than 25 years, spanning from 1993 to 2019, and is a former two-weight world champion.

Mayorga was born on October 3rd, 1973, in Masaya, Nicaragua. He made his professional boxing debut at the age of 19 and defeated his opponent, Jose Morales, via 3rd round knockout on July 20th, 1993. After 14 professional fights, Mayorga had his first world title fight at the age of 25 on July 24th, 1999, against Jose Córdoba for the welterweight WBC (vacant) title. He won the fight by a 1st round knockout, making him the welterweight champion of the world. This win was the start of many significant moments in his boxing career.

Throughout his career, Mayorga has won six world titles at two weight classes and has had a total of 46 fights. Out of these 46 fights, he has won 32, 26 of which were via knockout. Mayorga has also had 12 losses, with nine of those losses being via knockout. While he has had a draw and a no-contest in his record, he has successfully defended his titles twice throughout his career. His career highlights include wins over Vernon Forrest, Andrew Lewis, Jose Córdoba, Manuel De la Rosa, German Espinales, Andrik Saralegui, and Elias Cruz.

One of his most significant fights occurred on March 30th, 2002, when Mayorga won the WBA welterweight title from Andrew Lewis by beating him via a 5th round technical knockout. He went on to win the WBA (Super) welterweight title on January 25th, 2003, from Vernon Forrest, beating him via a 3rd round technical knockout. The following year, on July 12th, 2003, Mayorga defended the WBA (Super), WBC, and The Ring welterweight titles against Vernon Forrest and won via a 12-round majority decision.

Mayorga first became famous among boxing enthusiasts after appearing on the cover of The Ring's December 2003 issue, entitled "The craziest man in the sport: Mayorga lights up boxing." This title came due to Mayorga's relentless trash-talking and smoking and drinking habits outside the ring, which he has maintained over the years. His attitude and style made him a fan favorite and a sought after fighter.

While Mayorga's boxing record is impressive, there have been setbacks throughout his career. He suffered his first loss against Humberto Aranda via a 6th round technical knockout on August 29th, 1993, and lost three of his next eight fights. Three of his losses were in title bouts, and he lost nine in non-title bouts. One of his most significant losses happened in May 2005 when he lost his WBC welterweight title to Oscar De La Hoya, who he had publicly insulted and taunted when the two were promoting the fight. Despite this setback, Mayorga's career continued to flourish, though it was not as successful as it once was. His last professional fight was on April 6th, 2019, against Lester Martínez in a non-title bout, which he lost via a 2nd round TKO.

Mayorga currently has a record of 32-12-1, which includes 26 knockout wins and nine losses via knockout, as well as six title wins. Even though he has retired from professional boxing, Mayorga remains an admired and loved figure in the sport due to his unorthodox behavior both inside and outside the ring.

Mayorga's career highlights and world titles speak for themselves, and regardless of the setbacks he's experienced, he remains an iconic figure in boxing history. His unpredictable style and unyielding personality filled fans with excitement and happiness. Mayorga's popularity grew due to his steadfastness in pursuing his goals and his distinct personality, traits that will undoubtedly keep his name etched in boxing history.

Ricardo Mayorga Fight Record