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Shine Fight Promotions recently confirmed the reported mixed martial arts signing of boxing legend Ricardo 'el Matador' Mayorga. Mayorga, a former WBA/WBC welterweight champion and former WBC junior middleweight champion, recently told MMA Spot’s Jesse Denis, "I'm anxious. I want to fight. I'm excited about fighting for Shine, I'm just waiting for Don King's letter of release."

'El Matador' is known for being one of Boxing's most polarizing figures, he was even dubbed "the craziest man in boxing" by Ring Magazine in 2003. Having amassed a record of 28 wins (22 via knockout), 7 losses, and 1 draw, Mayorga looks to begin a new career in MMA; using his world-class boxing as a springboard to success. He brings with him powerful hands, and experience against some of the best boxers in the world; Vernon Forrest, Felix Trinidad, Cory Spinks, Fernando Vargas, Shane Mosley, and Oscar De La Hoya, to name a few.

When asked as to what his motivation to switch sports was, Ricardo gave a very straight forward answer; "I always enjoyed fighting in the streets, but I became a professional so I had to stop… I was always seen a very violent, aggressive person in the ring, and now I'm going to take my aggression into the cage."

Shine Fights co-founder Devin Price believes Mayorga is making a good choice, "We feel that out of every boxer, Ricardo is the one who could really make the transition (into MMA)."

Shine Fights, coming off a successful showing at "Shine Fights 2: ATT vs The World," which took place in Miami, are proud of their latest acquisition, stating "….the first true boxing champion coming into the sport of MMA in his prime… We feel that signing Ricardo is a major step in that direction." Shine is looking to promote Mayorga's first match in late February or early March, once again in Miami. "we like the Miami market," Price declared, "We're looking to do the Mayorga fight in Miami as well."

Mayorga says that his goals for his MMA career are simple; "A title." Price expanded on this later, "When we first approached him, the first thing he said was, ‘I want to fight a champion, a top level fighter.’ We're going to make that happen."

(Video interview with Mayorga after the jump)

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