Mayorga's wins over Forrest are clearly better than any victories on Maidana's ledger. I think Ricardo at his best presented a much tougher challenge than Maidana at his best, but Mayorga was more inconsistent.
Never mention Maidana and elite in the same sentence again or I will report you for trolling. He beat a journeyman. It will be insignificant in a year when Broner gets stopped in the 3rd round by DeMarcus Corley.
Mayorga was physically stronger, bigger and took punches a little better. Maidana is a little sharper, has better defense and has better ring IQ. I think Mayorga would prevail if the two were to meet at their best, probably by a mid round stoppage.
Mayorga's inconsistency had a lot to do with his lifestyle. Smoking. Drinking. Slacking off during training. If he wasn't so wild outside the ring, he'd be even better. It was probably his wild personality that made him such a fearsome fighter.