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Former boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga moving to MMA with Shine Fights
Colorful boxing veteran Ricardo Mayorga, who's fought everyone from Oscar De La Hoya to Shane Mosley to Félix Trinidad, is heading to the world of mixed martial arts.
The Ohio-based Shine Fights, which held its second-ever event on Friday in Florida, made the announcement during its online pay-per-view broadcast of the show.
No debut date or opponent have been determined for Mayorga, a former WBA/WBC welterweight and WBC junior middleweight champion who owns a 29-7-1 career record.
Mayorga, a 35-year-old native of Nicaragua, debuted professionally as a boxer in 1993. He hit his stride from 1999 to 2003 by going 16-0-1 with 13 knockouts. He concluded the streak with a TKO of Vernon Forrest for the WBC/WBA welterweight belt and won the rematch via majority decision six months later. (Forrest was 35-0 entering their first meeting.)
Since then, though, Mayorga has alternated between wins and losses and is just 3-4 in his past seven fights. He most recently suffered a 12th-round knockout loss to Mosley in September 2008.
Mayorga recently sued Don King for his inability to find him a fight and for alleged violations of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. In the interim, it appears he'll begin preparations for a late-career run in MMA.
Mayorga wouldn't be the first pro boxer to try MMA, but he certainly would be one of the bigger and more accomplished names to make the transition.
The Ohio-based Shine Fights, which held its second-ever event on Friday in Florida, made the announcement during its online pay-per-view broadcast of the show.
No debut date or opponent have been determined for Mayorga, a former WBA/WBC welterweight and WBC junior middleweight champion who owns a 29-7-1 career record.
Mayorga, a 35-year-old native of Nicaragua, debuted professionally as a boxer in 1993. He hit his stride from 1999 to 2003 by going 16-0-1 with 13 knockouts. He concluded the streak with a TKO of Vernon Forrest for the WBC/WBA welterweight belt and won the rematch via majority decision six months later. (Forrest was 35-0 entering their first meeting.)
Since then, though, Mayorga has alternated between wins and losses and is just 3-4 in his past seven fights. He most recently suffered a 12th-round knockout loss to Mosley in September 2008.
Mayorga recently sued Don King for his inability to find him a fight and for alleged violations of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. In the interim, it appears he'll begin preparations for a late-career run in MMA.
Mayorga wouldn't be the first pro boxer to try MMA, but he certainly would be one of the bigger and more accomplished names to make the transition.
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