A nutty event, even for boxing
Ricardo Mayorga smokes cigarettes in the ring after particularly satisfying victories. “El Matador” wears a bullfighting outfit before his fights, and he revels in insulting his opponents’ families, challenging their ethnicities and questioning their sexual orientations.
In short, the former Nicaraguan gang member is one of the nuttiest men in a profoundly irrational profession. He has little in common with Oscar De La Hoya, the cultured epitome of businesslike fisticuffs – except a desire for a career-revitalizing win when they meet in Las Vegas tonight.
De La Hoya seems eager to be back in the ring after a 20-month absence since his ninth-round knockout loss to Bernard Hopkins in September 2004. The Golden Boy has nothing left to accomplish in a long, frequently spectacular career, but he seems determined to fight at least two more times before devoting himself fully to his myriad interests outside the ring.
So why would De La Hoya risk his health and reputation against Mayorga, of all people? Perhaps it’s exactly because Mayorga is just the type of fighter who would insult De La Hoya’s wife and Latino heritage, filling any motivational gaps for a fighter who’s already done everything.
“He’s done his job already,” De La Hoya said. “He’s made me train already as hard as I can. He’s motivated me already to be the best fighter I can be, so there’s no way I can fall in whatever kind of trap he’s trying to set for me.”
De La Hoya (37-4, 29 knockouts) has maintained his sterling career and a largely unblemished face by avoiding any of the flat-out brawls that take their toll on any fighter – the type of brawls that Mayorga revels in starting.
De La Hoya insists he’ll stand toe-to-toe with Mayorga (28-5-1, 23 KOs) at the MGM Grand, trading power punches for the WBC light middleweight title.
While De La Hoya is expected to make $8 million for his business empire, Mayorga threatened not to fight this week unless his purse was increased to $8 million as well. Promoter Don King and manager Tony Gonzalez announced Mayorga’s decision to fight after all on Thursday, though neither knew why Mayorga changed his mind.