Mayorga wants to get back to fighting, in MMA

Mayorga moves to MMA … uh-huh

Media manipulation is nothing new: Remember Floyd Mayweather Jr. floating the idea of fighting in an MMA bout a few years ago? Remember Floyd Mayweather Jr. actually stepping into the cage? Me neither. Now comes word that puffing pugilist Ricardo Mayorga wants to try his hand in a ring that allows kicks and submissions.

“I am a fighter by nature, I learned to fight on the streets of Nicaragua before I learned to box,” Mayorga said at a press conference Monday in Miami. “For many years, I have wanted to try MMA. Now I hope to get my opportunity.”

Not coincidentally, Mayorga was also there to publicize his lawsuit against Don King. The boxer alleges that a three-year deal, in which King was obligated to secure three fights per year for Mayorga, has resulted in only one offer since the contract was signed in June 2008. Without any fights in place and bound to King’s promotional arm, Mayorga’s legal team claims he can’t earn a living and is seeking a court to declare the agreement unenforceable.

Can he sign with Shine Fights, the Florida-based promoter pushing this idea, while still under contract with King?