By Elisinio Castillo
Former welterweight and junior middleweight world boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga will return to the ring on April 1, at the age of 43, in Managua, which is the capital of Nicaragua.
The former World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) champion has been inactive since August 2015, when he was knocked out in the sixth round in his rematch with Shane Mosley in California.
Mayorga will be matched against a Mexican boxer whose name was not released by event's promoter, Bufalo Boxing Promotions, which is run by former world champion Rosendo Alvarez.
Mayorga's comeback fight will take place at a catch-weight max of 170-pounds. The boxer's ultimate goal is to campaign in the middleweight division and work his way back to a world title opportunity.
The comeback was officially announced during a press conference in Nicaragua, where Mayorga and Alvarez informed reporters of the planned event.
Mayorga denied some of the information recently published by local papers, who claim the boxer is coming back for financial reasons.
"I'm not coming back because I don't have money. In that area I'm fine. I'm fighting for honor. I want to show my son that I can be world champion," said Mayorga, who throughout his career has been characterized by his controversial antics - like smoking and drinking during media events.
Alvarez will oversee his training camp because he wants to ensure that Mayorga is taking things seriously.
"We want to see him training, focused. I'm going to take on the task of monitoring his preparation," Alvarez said.
Mayorga, who recently challenged UFC star Conor McGregor to a boxing match, has a record of 31 wins, 9 losses and a draw.
The Nicaraguan has faced some of the best boxers of his era - such as Felix 'Tito' Trinidad, Oscar de la Hoya, Vernon Forrest, Fernando Vargas and Mosley.