By James Slater: Nicaraguan Wildman Ricardo Mayorga is well known for trash-talking. The former welterweight and light-middleweight ruler is also fond of making boastful pre-fight predictions. Today, in an early leg of the promotional tour for “El Matador’s” challenge of WBA 154-pound ruler Miguel Cotto, Mayorga was unable to avoid being his usual self.
At one point in the head-to-head, staredown photo session, the 37-year-old “faked” a head lunge at Cotto! The Puerto Rican star, cool as ever, never even blinked! Then, in another no doubt useless attempt at intimidating Cotto, Mayorga let loose with his pre-fight prediction: claiming he will knock Cotto out in the 4th-round!
As fans know, if Mayorga makes good on his boast, he will become the quickest guy to have taken out Cotto. Only Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao have been able to stop “Junito,” and they both had to settle for doing it late and only after going through an incredibly tough ordeal. Also making Mayorga’s prediction look unlikely is the fact that he has not stopped anybody that quickly since way back in 2003. However, on the 25th of January that year, Mayorga did bag himself a huge upset win over the late Vernon Forrest; halting “The Viper” in the 3rd to become world welterweight king. Can Mayorga possibly spring a similar upset in Las Vegas on March 12th?
Cotto hasn’t been active as of late and some fans wonder if he’ll ever be the same after the brutal losses to “Tony” and Pac-Man. Could this fight have come at the perfect time for the cigarette-smoking, beer-slurping trash-talker? In a word, no!
It’s almost five years since Mayorga met a truly world class opponent, and on that day, Oscar De La Hoya smashed him inside six-rounds. Oscar was thought by many to be past his best back then, yet he used the insults Mayorga had hurled at him as fuel. “The Golden Boy” was as pumped up as never before due to Mayorga’s attempts at intimidation. I feel the Nicaraguan’s latest attempts at getting under the skin of an elite fighter will backfire in a similar fashion.
Simply put, Cotto is more of a professional than is Mayorga, he is younger, more disciplined and he has better skills and is a better technician. I’m not saying it will be an easy fight for him – with his unpredictable, roughhousing style, Mayorga is capable of giving anybody a hard night, plus he can bang – but Cotto wants it more and he will get the win. In fact, I think it will be the 30-year-old who winds up standing over his opponent. Not as early as the 4th, but around the 9th or 10th.
A good battle will ensue in Vegas in March, but the most fun will come in the remainder of the pre-fight build-up. Look out for more Mayorga hi-jinx in the days ahead!