Yesterday, Antonio Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, were temporarily suspended by the California State Athletic Commission after the discovery of foreign substances in his handwraps prior to his fight with Shane Mosley this past Saturday night. Those substances were described by Mosley’s trainer, Nazim Richardson, and at least one witness from the CSAC as being “plaster-like,” leading to rampant speculation that Margarito was attempting to load his gloves in an effort to gain more punching power, a highly illegal, and, in some past cases, outright criminal bit of deception.
The suspension of Margarito and Capello pends a larger investigation.
Both men have been ordered to attend a hearing on the matter in Van Nuys on February 10th. The commission has released no other information besides than spokesman Luis Farias affirming that the foreign substances in question have been deemed “suspicious enough” (in the
words of the L.A. Times) to warrant the temporary suspensions until the full investigation had been completed.
This news already has led many in the boxing world to speculate that the scheduled July 13th rematch between Margarito and Miguel Cotto will not happen. Cotto has a fight with Michael Jennings on February 21st at Madison Square Garden, a bout that he is heavily favored to win. If he does so, it has been presumed that he would fight Margarito again on July 13th in Vegas. This fight was reported to be moving ahead despite the fact that Margarito lost his WBA welterweight title to Mosley by TKO in the 9th round of Saturday’s fight.
Now, the news of the suspensions of Margarito and Capello casts that bout in serious doubt. Lou DiBella, promoter of WBC welterweight titlist, Andre Berto, came out today and announced that
Berto would be available to fight Cotto on July 13th if Margarito’s suspension holds and rules him out of contention.
Berto certainly is a likely candidate for the date, although Mosley, coming off his stunning upset of Margarito, also has a legitimate claim on a rematch with Cotto and at first seems a more probable choice. Cotto won a unanimous decision over Mosley in November of 2007 in a stellar fight that had many at ringside disputing the judges’ scorecards. Cotto then went on to lose his WBA title at 147 to Margarito in July of 2008 in a thrilling, bloody affair that was deemed by many (including
myself) as the 2008 Fight of the Year.
In that Mosley just seized that WBA title himself by destroying Margarito, it’s unquestionable that he has earned himself another shot at Cotto, although one also could imagine a scenario where Cotto takes on Berto in July with the winner to meet Mosley in a welterweight unification bout in the fall. Either way, the startling fact remains that one name is glaringly absent from the many great welterweight fights that are on the table right now. Antonio Margarito, who just a week ago sat at the top of the division and the top of the boxing world, now sits on the sidelines, suspended and with his entire career and reputation lying in the balance.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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Comments
Margo hasn’t been convicted of anything yet so let’s see what shakes out. Berto-Cotto…Berto ain’t ready for that unless Cotto is done after the Margo beating. Marquez-Diaz? and Julio-Kirkland who u got Large? Both fights will be AWESOME!
by cpd3577 on Jan 29, 2009 3:12 PM EST reply actions
CPD, I feel pretty strongly about both of those fights. I got Marquez and Kirkland. I agree with you that Kirkland/Julio is going to be a pretty good scrap, but in that battle of battleships, I think Kirkland’s got the bigger guns.Marquez… I think he is going to KILL Diaz. Straight up murder his ass. And I like Juan Diaz, but I don’t think he’s anywhere near ready for a fighter with the talents of JMM.
by No Mas Large.tsn on Jan 30, 2009 9:28 PM EST reply actions
And by the way, even if Cotto left a lot in the ring with Margo, I think he’ll still beat Berto. I gotta go all commutative property on that one. Cotto was at least the equal of Shane, and Shane destroyed Collazo. And of course, Collazo was the equal of Berto. And before you even bring it up, I don’t buy the excuse about Luis’s hands in the Shane fight. I think that’s been overblown to get Luis some big fights. I think Shane jut thoroughly outclassed him. Luis is a tough kid and a very good fighter, but he’s far short of the elite level, and I think Berto is too, at least right now. Cotto will handle him without even having to work very hard.
by No Mas Large.tsn on Jan 30, 2009 9:32 PM EST reply actions
"Unless Cotto is done after the Margo beating"? Guy, are u on dope or are just a little slow? Or maybe you didn’t watch the Margarito-Cotto fight? Well, that would explain ur ignorance!!! Can u see that Margarit"a" is a dirty cheater? Everyone that watched that bout knows that there was something out of order with the way Cotto got KO’d! Now, finally, the cat is out of the bag and Margaritt"a" has been revealed; (S)HE HAD TO CHEAT TO FIGHT COTTO!!!!…that simple. Man, I would just luv it to see that dirty cheater back in the ring with Cotto…i bet it would be a black night for Margarit"a"!!! But we probably won’t get the satisfaction to see the "pay-back"…we will have to be content with knowing that he got his butt kicked by one of Cotto’s contenders, and that ultimately "the flower boy" will probably get kicked out of boxing for been a dirty cheater!!! How sad…pero valla!!! >:-[ ha, ha, ha…
by Raul-Mas-Congas on Feb 9, 2009 5:34 PM EST reply actions
cpd3577, YOU ARE A FUNNY MAN. You must be doing some of Margaritos left over drugs from the Cotto fight. First off. I don’t know how… Well, now that this came out to the light… YES! I do know how Margarito won that fight… By cheating!!! And second, please let him fight Cotto again. If Margarito wins the second fight, I will come here and apologize for my comments. But after what we know now, this is going to be unlikely if not impossible for Margarita to accomplish.
by jays1970 on Feb 9, 2009 5:58 PM EST reply actions
I agree with you "jays1970" but to an extent!!! If it can not be proven that the flower boy cheated with plaster in his gloves, then I don’t have a problem coming back to humbly apologize to his fans…but, if on the other hand it is proven that he is a cheater, then Cotto should be reinstated as an undefeated fighter!!! Now, just a quick question for all you "flower boy’s fans" out there: do you really think that Margarito was suspended for no good reason? Hmmm…
by Raul-Mas-Congas on Feb 9, 2009 7:06 PM EST reply actions
Yeah Raul-Mas-Congas, this is a complete disgrace from hell to boxing fans. And the funny thing is that there are still fanboys out there defending him. What a disgrace!!! Flower boy should get ban from boxing forever!!!
by jays1970 on Feb 9, 2009 7:10 PM EST reply actions
Well said "jays1970"…Encore…Bravo!!!
by Raul-Mas-Congas on Feb 9, 2009 7:19 PM EST reply actions
Just want to add one more thing and that’s it…(thanks for the article "jays1970" :-)
In the hour before his first title defense as World Boxing Assn. welterweight champion, Margarito (37-6) was stopped from putting on his gloves when Mosley’s trainer Nazim Richardson told state officials he believed the taping was excessively thick.
When the tape was unwrapped, Richardson pointed out two pads inside one of the hand wraps that appeared wet and laced with "flecks" of a substance that appeared to be like cast-making substance "Plaster of Paris," Mosley’s attorney Judd Burstein said Saturday night.
"Plaster of Paris"?? What in the world? Now, quick question; unless Margarito was auditioning for "The Mummy Part 3", (or for a part as stone man "the Thing" for the Fantastic Four) what in the world did he needed "Plaster of Paris" in his gloves for? Hmmm… :-/ LOL, LOL, LOL…
by Raul-Mas-Congas on Feb 9, 2009 7:50 PM EST reply actions
LOL!!!!
by jays1970 on Feb 9, 2009 7:52 PM EST reply actions
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