Chump of the Week: Ricardo Mayorga

At 1:27 into the sixth round shit-talking, machete swinging, matador-outfit-wearing Ricardo Mayorga fell by TKO in front of a crowd of 13,000 people. What a bitch. I didn't get a chance to watch the fight live because I was busy watching the Laker's get their ass beat, but that's a story we'll save for another day.

If you don't know the story behind last night or don't follow boxing it pretty much went like this: Ricardo "El Matador" (hence the outfit) Mayorga is sort of the Nicaraguan Mike Tyson straight from the streets and angry as hell. After a streak of big wins against mediocre opponents he gains a little confidence and is thrown in the ring with Felix Trinidad who gives him the most brutal beating I've ever seen a boxer take. Meanwhile De La Hoya who has been cashing in the past couple of months as president of his own fight promotion company, Golden Boy Promotions, wanted a way back into the spotlight after suffering an embarrassing and first ever TKO by Bernard Hopkins. De La Hoya wants a comeback and Mayorga needs a big win, so the two go toe-to-toe. Months before the fight at a press conference Mayorga didn't just promise victory, but also brought up the Hopkins fight, insulted his wife and son and even went so far as to say "I hate you so much I would fight [De La Hoya] for free."

I must admit his antics and trash talking had me rooting for him on Saturday evening, but there's nothing more disappointing then hearing a fighter promise complete victory without the skills or the experience to produce it. Did Mayorga really think that he could just step into the ring with an Olympic Gold Medalist, or someone of Trinidad's caliber and beat them because he's tough? He obviously did because by the looks of his last fights, and last night's score card he didn't have the technique, strategy or defense of a world champion boxer or even a contender. Unless you're Mike Tyson it's going to take a little more then a badass attitude and craziness to last (long) in a sport like boxing.

To Mayorga's credit, he did put his feelings aside and congratulated Oscar with the championship belt and came away with a cool $2mil at the cost of his public humiliation.

And to add insult to injury Ricardo Mayorga has to wake up every morning knowing he lost to this guy...