The Managua Mauler has been in training for his Dec. 13 showdown with Cory Spinks for seven weeks now, and to the knowledge of manager Carl King, Ricardo Mayorga has not had even a teaspoon of beer during that spell. Cigarettes, well, they are another matter entirely.

"Let's put it this way," said King from the King Training Facility in Fort Pierce, Fla. "I've been to Managua (Mayorga's hometown) and trying to find a non-smoking area, that's like trying to find a smoking area here in the US. It's hard." King, who shares that delightful, deep-from-the-diaphragm laugh with his higher-haired father, says that the Nicaraguan welterweight has been puffing a few smokes a day, down from a pack per day.

Mayorga's stamina, which served him well in his last fight, a 12-round majority decision win over Vernon Forrest on July 12 in which he retained his WBA and WBC 147-pound belts, doesn't seem to be affected by the tobacco intake.

"He ran four miles yesterday at about 5:50 minutes per mile," King said.

So it's not like King has Mayorga on lockdown, or uses a nanny cam to spy on the fighter, who's looking to unify his division when he takes on IBF titleholder Spinks in Atlantic City.

"I try to give him enough space," King said. "I'm not smothering him."

King, who lives in Boynton Beach, Fla., 75 miles south of the training facility, admitted he had slight reservations about Mayorga before he took on the Nicaraguan in March of 2002.

Mayorga's penchant for beer (he downs Œem in the ring like Stone Cold Steve Austin), broads (he has a collection of women's drawers that would rival Tom Jones') and fast cars (he aspires to open his own drag racing complex in Nicaragua so he can pursue his passion legally) is no secret in any quarters.

"Initially, I knew the guy had the opportunity to be a great champion," King said, "but I wondered whether there would be a time and labor issue trying to keep him in check."

That hasn't proved to be the case, though it can be an ordeal getting Mayorga to depart his beloved Nicaragua to come to the US and train in earnest, King said: "He'll say, 'Let's go in one day,' and then one day becomes another, and then we go and it takes him a week to get past the homesickness. Then we're in gear."

DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley has been helping to prime Mayorga, while Carl Daniels and Luis Collazo have also given him sparring rounds. Corley is playing the role of the slick southpaw Spinks and King said Mayorga hasn't had trouble closing the distance and getting off.

If all goes to plan for the Kings -- father Don signed Mayorga to a promotional deal the same day he spotted him on a Venezuelan card in December 2000 -- and Mayorga downs Spinks and makes off with the IBF crown, Carl has a strong inkling on what comes next.

"Mosley would be practical and most probable," the manager said. "He has the (WBC, WBA jr. middleweight) belts and if unfortunately we didn't win, Ricardo would still hold his titles. And if we win against Spinks and Mosley then we'd beg De La Hoya to fight," King said with the trademark laugh. "And if Ricardo destroys Oscar, then he becomes Oscar."

That last part is debatable: the Golden Boy is a renaissance man quite unlike Mayorga.

Oscar's forays into the recording industry, the building of the fledgling mini-empire as a promoter, the calculated speaking style, the very un-Gatti like hesitancy to trade ­ these are not resume points and character traits that endear De La Hoya to the common man.

As counterpoint, we have Mayorga. The oozing machismo, the bullying bravado he spews during pre-fight banter, the omnipresent can of beer, the search and destroy fighting style that sometimes looks like it was honed in a barroom, these are character traits that resonate with the common man.

It may not be in Mayorga's best interest to dethrone Oscar and sit himself in the Golden Throne. Mayorga's own background story ­ c'mon, as a kid, he was a street pickpocket in Nicaragua ­ demolishes Oscar's, and that breeds media interest that could theoretically surpass the ink Oscar has manufactured. And when and if Mayorga's level of achievement matches his personality and colorful personal biography, that's when he will be considered a true superstar, when the name Mayorga will be in the league of Tyson, Oscar and Roy.

If that happens, it's good for all of us who have a rooting interest in the re-elevation of boxing to the level of a mainstream sport. If not, this writer may still sit down and write a screenplay for The Ricardo Mayorga Story.