Rarely do boxers love to fight the way Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga does. He fights with the reckless abandon and the fearlessness of a teenager in a street brawl. Growing up on the rough streets of Managua, Nicaragua, instilled a fire in him that still burns to this day.

Born to Eddy Mayorga and his wife Miriam Del Socorro Perez March 10, 1973, the family was large with four girls and two boys. His father was a baker and his mother stayed home to raise the family. He witnessed the importance of mental and physical toughness at any early age.

"I come from a country where everything is war,” Mayorga said. “Even the women are tough. In Nicaragua, women give birth wherever—in the middle of the street, in the countryside—with no medical attention. You see that and it puts a totally different perspective on things."

He attended a military school growing up in Managua. Since he was a rough kid and didn’t participate in other sports, a teacher suggested that he might enjoy boxing. He followed the suggestion and found that he took to it very well.

He won the National Championship and was the Central American Golden Gloves champion as an amateur. He also had 103 amateur victories with only a few losses. He describes himself as an aggressive fighter, but that is an understatement. His favorite boxer was Sugar Ray Leonard, even though his style does not resemble the former five-time world champion.

“He’s very awkward and just comes forward, winging big shots,” Bob Goodman of Don King Productions says. “He’s a very heavy-handed guy with a belief in his own ability to knock anyone out. He’s really quite a character, and it’s quite refreshing. What other champion athlete will tell you that he needs a cigarette and a beer? That’s the first thing he said after he won his first world title.”

Mayorga has had some high-profile fights in his career before becoming a world champion. Two ended, literally, before they started. The first came against two-time world title challenger Diosbelys Hurtado on Nov. 27, 1999, in Carolina, Puerto Rico, and ended in a second-round technical draw.

Another came in his first world title fight against World Boxing Association welterweight champion Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis on July 28, 2001, in Los Angeles. It went into the books as a second-round no contest. Making just his second start in the United States, Mayorga stung Lewis with a right hand late in the first round, but Lewis suffered a nasty cut on his left eyelid after an accidental clash of heads in the opening seconds of the second round. The ringside physician halted the proceedings immediately after just six seconds had elapsed in the round.

“Lewis lucked out,” Mayorga said. “I said going in that I would stop him inside four rounds and I was on my way to doing just that. After I rocked him in the first round, I knew it was just a matter of time before I was going to take him out, but he got saved. Nothing can save him in the rematch. I guarantee I will knock him out. It will be within three rounds. Only the strongest survive, and I am too tough for him and will be in even better condition than I was the first time.”

The inevitable rematch came in Reading, Pa., on March 30, 2002, amidst rumors of Mayorga “sneaking” cigarettes and drinking a few beers after training sessions. Regardless, once Mayorga stepped into the ring he looked strong, confident and fought with a dogged determination. He went so far as to taunt the champion by dropping his gloves to his sides, jutting out his jaw, and letting Lewis pummel him in the face at will, only to remain standing and fire back barrages of combinations, the last of which sent Lewis to the canvas in round five. Referee Rudy Battle determined that Lewis was unfit to continue, and Mayorga scored a technical knockout and walked off with his first world title. True to his training style, he arrived at the post-fight press conference smoking a cigarette with a beer in his hand.

Few aficionados of the sport of boxing thought Mayorga could continue his winning ways. It also didn’t help that he chose reigning Boxing Writers Association of America 2002 Fighter of the Year Vernon “The Viper” Forrest to be his next opponent. Forrest, like Mayorga, had defied the odds to become the World Boxing Council 147-pound champion by defeating the seemingly invincible “Sugar” Shane Mosley. To prove it was not a fluke, Forrest defeated Forrest again in an immediate rematch.

“Right now they recognize Forrest as the best of the welterweights,” Mayorga said at the time of their first meeting. “I will prove them wrong.”

Not only did he predict he would win, he also said he would knock Forrest out inside of seven rounds—much to the amusement of many. He was so relaxed, he ate a slice of pizza when he got on the scales for the official weigh-in to taunt his opponent and prove he had no problem making weight. Mayorga repeatedly mocked Forrest: “In my country, women give birth to men. I will spank Forrest just like a man spanks a boy.”

Many ignored Mayorga’s musings and thought the crazy-talking brawler would merely be a bump in the road for Forrest when they met at Pechanga Casino in Temecula, Calif., on Jan. 25, 2003. Appearances, however, can be deceiving.

From the outset, Forrest appeared to be as perplexed as Lewis had been when facing the Nicaraguan bomber as power shots, thrown from unusual angles, rained down on him from the outset. Mayorga shocked the fans in attendance, experts and the world with a first-round knockdown. Mayorga continued to batter Forrest with bombs—and took his best shots—until referee Marty Denkin waved off the beating in just the third round. Mayorga was now the unified welterweight champion, picking up Forrest’s World Boxing Council crown to go with his WBA title.

Never fearful, Mayorga agreed to an immediate rematch in Las Vegas on July 12, 2003, with many fans and aficionados now taking Mayorga a bit more seriously. Both the WBA and WBC titles were on the line again, and Mayorga tormented Forrest through the media.

Forrest had been training in seclusion and didn’t arrive in Las Vegas until just before the fight. Being his friendly and outgoing self, Mayorga mingled with workers, casino guests and fans at the Orleans Casino during the 10 days leading up to the fight. A big spread appeared in Sports Illustrated talking about what a sensation Mayorga had become while Forrest was in hiding and even walked out of the final press conference before Mayorga got up to speak, merely adding fuel to the fire that Mayorga had gotten into his head.

The bout lived up to the pre-fight billing as Mayorga, as usual, came out attacking from the opening bell, building up an early lead. He taunted, talked, made faces, and threw bombs at Forrest, who tried to do his best to stay out of harm’s way.

During the middle rounds, Forrest picked up his pace, but Mayorga kept coming and refused to be denied. El Matador even pulled his patented stunt of sticking his chin out for Forrest to hit him with his best shots. Mayorga took the punches and motioned for Forrest to do it again, and Forrest obliged by nailing the Nicaraguan on the chin again. It didn’t faze the champion, and he just charged in for more. As dangerous as Mayorga’s ploy was, it seemed to unsettle Forrest.

“I wanted him to know that he couldn’t hurt me,” Mayorga said with a smirk after the fight. “I know it’s not a wise thing to want to get hit, and Mr. King told me after the fight that he doesn’t want to see me doing that again, but it’s what I wanted to do at the time. I wanted to let him know that I was the boss, I was his daddy, I was the champ.”

He won a majority decision and was recognized as the most exciting new star in boxing with people waiting to see what he might say and do next. Mayorga then attempted to become the undisputed world welterweight champion by facing International Boxing Federation champion Cory “The Next Generation” Spinks on Don King’s historic card with eight world championships at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall on Dec. 13.

Spinks, the slick boxer, was able to avoid much of Mayorga’s power and won a very close and controversial majority decision. Many fans and ringside observers felt Mayorga should have won the match.

On April 17 at Madison Square Garden, Mayorga was to fight WBA welterweight champion Jose Rivera for the title until Ricardo tipped the scales at 153, six pounds over the limit. He was given an opportunity to lose a few pounds to make a “catch” weight, but Mayorga was unable to go lower. It was time to move to a higher weight class.

A deal was struck to fight junior middleweight Eric “Murder” Mitchell, who was already scheduled to appear on the card. Mayorga dominated Mitchell for 10 rounds and won the decision by scores of 99-90, 98-91 and 97-92.

Mayorga moved up to full middleweight to face one of the all-time great boxers in Felix “Tito” Trinidad on Oct. 2, 2004. Trinidad had been retired for 29 months but decided to return to the ring against the tough Nicaraguan.

In a true fight fans’ fight, the two combatants came out of their corners and threw punches with bad intentions from the outset. In typical Mayorga fashion, Trinidad landed punches in the early rounds that would have vanquished a lesser foe, while Mayorga pounded his chest and stuck his chin out in defiance before stepping in to land some of his own leather.

Mayorga scored a flash knockdown in round three after landing an overhand right that forced Trinidad to touch his right glove on the canvas to keep himself on his feet. The flamboyant Matador, who dyed his hair flaming orange for the occasion, had started a fire in the ring.

Both fighters continued to throw and land fearsome power shots that delighted the 17,406 in attendance at Madison Square Garden. Trinidad, always known for his staggering power, was also as accurate with his punches on this night as he had ever been.

Mayorga, who had never been knocked down in his professional career, fought valiantly but endured a flurry of punches from Trinidad in round eight culminating with a left hook to the rib cage that forced the gallant Nicaraguan to the canvas. Mayorga beat the count and bravely rose to his feet, but the barrage continued until he had to take a knee to avoid further punishment.

Mayorga refused to quit and the assault continued until Mayorga was felled for the third time. Referee Steve Smoger then stepped in to wave off the action. One boxing writer referred to Trinidad vs. Mayorga as the Latin version of Hagler vs. Hearns in what was one of the most entertaining fights of the year.

Mayorga’s performance made him the No. 1-ranked mandatory challenger to WBC super welterweight champion Javier Castillejo, from Spain. Castillejo abdicated in favor of a big-money fight with Fernando Vargas (which he lost). Mayorga then fought former IBF welterweight champion Michelle Piccirillo, from Italy, for the vacant title.

Mayorga only knows how to fight one way, but his new co-trainer Yoel Judah was able to teach him a few defensive maneuvers—and was able to convince him to no longer pull the machismo stunt of sticking his chin in the air.

Mayorga blasted the former champion to the canvas three times in the first four rounds. Piccirillo ran like a deer for survival while Mayorga admonished him and urged him to trade shots. Mayorga’s pleas fell on deaf ears, but he easily won a unanimous decision to become a two-division (147 and 154) world champion.

The wild Nicaraguan then received an opportunity of a lifetime when Oscar de la Hoya emerged from apparent retirement after losing to Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins to meet El Matador on May 6, 2006, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

He pledged to train his hardest, which he did for a time with his longtime trainer Luis Leon and the new help of veteran trainer Stacy McKinley, but when he showed up at the final press conference three days before the bout he announced he wasn’t going to fight because he wasn’t being paid enough at over $2 million, plus possible bonuses.

Late the following afternoon, Mayorga relented and agreed to fight. His contract provided him extra money if the American pay-per-view numbers were high, and Mayorga walked away with and additional over $1 million when the event sold 925,000 buys. The fight also grossed over $7.5 million in ticket-sale revenue to view the event live in person.

The fight-week distractions certainly didn’t help Mayorga in the ring when De La Hoya knocked him down with a sweeping left hook in the first round that had been preceded by a stiff right. The Nicaraguan recovered and later landed a devastating uppercut in the third round that could have been an equalizer, but it wasn’t meant to be.

De La Hoya knocked Mayorga down twice more in the sixth round before Jay Nady waved off the action at 1:25. After the match, Mayorga apologized to Don King and everyone involved in the promotion of the event for making wild demands just before the fight.

Mayorga still believes his most important fights were against Diosbelys Hurtado on Nov. 27, 1999, and Marco Avendano on March 18, 2000, because those appearances earned him a spot in the world rankings.

He also has fond memories of his first-round technical knockout of Adolfo “Gato” Salazar at the WBA KO Drug Games in Venezuela for the FEDELATIN title because it was there that he was able to meet his soon-to-be promoter Don King.

Ricardo is married to Yesenia Vanessa Lobo and has four children: two older girls—both named Diana, one 12 and one 11—two boys, Ricardo Jr., 5, and a daughter, Mercedes, 2.

He loves to listen to romantic music, with his favorite singer being Ana Gabriel. He enjoys the typical foods of Nicaragua and misses home cooking when he’s on the road. He also enjoys watching action movies and driving sporty, fast cars.

Mayorga faced 5 reigning world champions, 3 former world champs & 1 world-ranked fighter.
Mayorga's opponents had a combined record of 281-13-3 going in.
Mayorga went 5-3, 1 NC against these opponents.
Mayorga knocked out reigning WBA welterweight champion Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis to win his first world title; knocked out reigning 2002 Fighter of the Year and undefeated WBC welterweight champion Vernon “Viper” Forrest—and decisioned him in an immediate rematch; lost a controversial majority decision to IBF welterweight champion Cory “The Next Generation” Spinks; knocked down three-time world champion Felix “Tito” Trinidad in a spectacular fight before losing by TKO; knocked down former IBF welterweight champion Michelle Piccirillo three times in the first four rounds and cruised to a unanimous decision win for the vacant WBC super welterweight championship; and, in his last outing, lost by sixth-round technical knockout to Oscar De La Hoya, one of the best boxers in history.

Lineage test that would make the Marquis of Queensbury proud: Then-undefeated “Sugar” Shane Mosley defeated “The Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya twice in succession. Mosley then lost two consecutive matches to Vernon “Viper” Forrest. Forrest then defeated Mosley in two consecutive matches before Mayorga beat him twice in a row. Therefore, Mayorga “beat the man who beat the man who beat the man”—and all of them did it twice.

7-17-2007