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| This has the potential to be one of the most interesting fights of this year. The declining, free-swinging banger Mayorga (27-5-1) is probably the most entertaining fighter of this generation by the way that he doesn’t care if he wins or loses, he just wants to make you look like less of a man than he is. Michelle Piccirillo is a very good fighter at 44-2; he is |  © DAVID MARTIN WARR DON KING PRODUCTIONS |
out to be a champion again but does he have the gusto and smarts to beat former WBC and WBA welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga? Yes. Here is why. Mayorga has not been in a stage setting fight since December of 2003 when he lost and gave away a twelve-round majority decision to Cory Spinks by getting two points deducted on the scorecards and lost his cool as well as his respect to many of his fans.
A confidence-boosting win over limited Eric Mitchell brought him a fight at middleweight with Felix Trinidad. Mayorga proceeded to throw every boxing technique he learned out the window and go toe-to-toe with a man with more fights at that weight class and received a pummeling, going to ground four times before being counted out. That being said; he still showed flashes of bravado by taunting Felix to hit him and after the first couple punishing shots to Mayorga’s chin he resorted to just slugging it out and he was knocked out in the eighth round.
Has Mayorga changed? Well, according to his trainer Yoel Judah (father of undisputed welterweight champion Zab) he has gained much speed, gotten stronger and stayed off the menthols and beer for this reign. I really don’t think a fighter changes his ways in this short a period of time, but nonetheless, I’d still pay to see him fight as he still has that cement chin and intestinal fortitude to win back a title.
Enter Michelle Piccirillo. Piccirillo is most famous for his gift/robbery decision over Cory Spinks in his backyard (Italy) in 2002, winning the decision 115-112 (twice) and 116-111 in what was a very close fight that some experts including myself (though I am not an expert) had Spinks ahead 115-113. Piccirillo gained the IBF title, but did not gain respect and in the rematch, he got pasted 117-111, 117-112, and 115-113; the decision was not even that close, but since the fight was again in Michelle’s hometown the judges did manage to give him some respect.
Piccirillo’s only other loss was to Soren Sondergaard back in 1996 in which he was completely outclassed by a shutout decision loss. Piccirillo has not fought anybody really with a pulse, fighting eight-rounders and six-rounders after his loss to Spinks. Piccirillo can box however, and I think he will make this fight come out in his favor and become possibly boxing history’s most obscure two-time world champion-ever. He will jab and jab away at a frustrated Mayorga all night and with some drama near the end, I think he will pull out a possible split or majority decision. But can someone please tell me again why these two fighters are fighting for a title when it should be down to Vargas and Castillejo?
Contact David Shipman at davidshipman1@yahoo.com
