Here’s one that belongs in the ‘I can’t believe he’s still fighting’ section. Former champ, former star, the seemingly always wild Ricardo Mayorga, is not yet ready to call it quits and leave the ring. Not quite anyway. The 45 year old, who insists (don’t they all) that he does not need the money, will return to action on April 6th in Guatemala, against the pro debut-making Lester Martinez.
Martinez, an amateur standout, will meet “El Matador” in a scheduled six-round bout, for which Mayorga will reportedly be paid around $8,000; the fight set for the limit of 170 pounds. speaking with notifight.com, Mayorga said he will “knock this boy out” or else retire for good.
“I like challenges,” Mayorga said in explaining why he is still fighting after all these years. “I have a sports bar business, my wife has a nail salon. I have money in the bank and I’m fine. Those people who criticize are envious. They are people who are not happy. The debuting boy wants to fight with me, and I accepted. I still have the power to knock him out because I still have my punch. This boy made a mistake and should have thought about facing an easier opponent. I’m going to knock him out quickly, in the first round. If I lose, I’ll definitely hang up the gloves.”
We’ve heard Mayorga vow retirement before, yet here he is, still fighting on, or trying to. Maybe he doesn’t need the money, instead only a challenge and the adrenaline boost that is achieved by entering the ring to do battle. And who knows what type of a fight we can expect between Mayorga and the Colombian hope.
Mayorga, 32-11-1(26) has a vast wealth of experience and, as he says himself, he can still crack hard. Maybe Martinez is taking at least something of a gamble by tackling the possibly still dangerous former champ in his very first pro bout, maybe not. The fan interest in the April fight could prove to be quite big, so maybe the Martinez team are launching their pro career in style.
Mayorga last fought back in April of last year, when he was TKO’d by one Rodolfo Gomez Jr. and before that, in 2017, Mayorga lost via a corner retirement. Look (those who will actually watch the April 6 fight) for Mayorga to come out and give it a go in the opening round against Martinez but then, if he doesn’t get the desire effect, to fade and perhaps get taken out or stay sat on his stool once again.
But will Mayorga keep his word and retire should he taste his twelfth defeat?
