General

Round by Round: Weekly Boxing Notes

Feb 13, 2009, 8:30 PM UTC

The Fallout from Margarito’s Suspension
â†µBob Arum, Antonio Margarito’s promoter, is predictably fuming in the aftermath of Margarito’s one-year suspension by the California State Athletic Commission for illegal substances found in his hand-wraps prior to his fight with Shane Mosley on January 24th. In all probability, the suspension by the CSAC will be honored by the rest of the 49 states, meaning that Margarito is ineligible to fight in the U.S. until February of 2010 and thus is unavailable for the high-profile rematch with Miguel Cotto that Arum previously had scheduled for this July. â†µâ†µThe essence of Arum’s rage boils down to the very same case that was made by Margarito’s trainer, Javier Capetillo, in the hearing on Tuesday -- that Margarito himself had no knowledge of what had been placed in his wraps on the night in question and consequently is completely innocent in the matter and should not be penalized. â†µ

â†µâ†µCapetillo also received a one-year-suspension from the CSAC on Tuesday, and Arum agrees with that penalty. But Margarito, he says, is being punished unjustly for something that was out of his control. Others have echoed this sentiment, including HBO commentator and Hall-of-Fame trainer Manny Steward, who said that he thought a six-month suspension would have been enough for the fighter, and WBC president Jose Sulaiman, who called the Margarito suspension a terrible mistake. â†µ

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â†µArum is exploring the option of having Margarito fight this summer in Mexico (which likely would not honor the ban of the CSAC) and he has mentioned former WBC welterweight titlist Carlos Baldomir as a possible opponent. â†µ

â†µâ†µFrom my standpoint, I would think that Margarito and his people would be taking their medicine lying down on this one. As I pointed out right here at TSB, a door was opened in the hearing on Tuesday that to my mind could lead to jail-time for the fighter if it were pursued. If it could be proven that Margarito’s wraps also were loaded in his fight with Miguel Cotto last July (a point that was alluded to by an attorney in the Tuesday hearing), he ultimately could be found guilty of assault if the case ever were brought before a criminal court. â†µ

â†µâ†µOne would expect Cotto and his team to be spearheading an investigation into that matter if there were going to be any such investigation, and as of right now that doesn’t seem to be happening. Another former Margarito victim, Kermit Cintron, has said that he is exploring his legal actions, but the only comment from Cotto thus far since the suspension is to say that he thinks Margarito should honor his penalty and not go off to fight in Mexico. â†µ

â†µâ†µI wholeheartedly agree. Though many have speculated that Margarito’s wraps probably were loaded when he took on Cotto, it’s unlikely that ever will be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. All there is to go on right now is what happened at the Staples Center on January 24th, and for that infraction I think a year’s suspension is appropriate for fighter and trainer alike. In a matter as serious as this one, a matter that amounts to the attempt to commit assault with two deadly weapons, the idea that the fighter should be exempt from punishment on the claim ignorance is preposterous. Arum can beat his chest all he wants and shout to anyone who will listen that Margarito is the real victim here. But I imagine that I am only one of many when I say that I don’t believe a word of it. â†µ

â†µâ†µBoxing After Dark Triple-Header
â†µQuite a three-bout card on HBO tomorrow night, although the night lost quite a bit of juice when Ricardo “The Matador” Mayorga pulled out of the headline bout with Alfredo Angulo, claiming that a rib injury that he sustained in the Mosley fight prevented him from training properly. â†µ

â†µâ†µFor one who always has campaigned under the Jolly Roger banner of El Mas Macho to the death, let us understate the case considerably and say that Mayorga’s sudden withdrawal was El Menos Mecho indeed. Still, after a detour that went through Danny Perez (who also abruptly pulled out), a respectable opponent was found for Angulo for the Valentine’s Day Massacre, top-flight Mexican journeyman Cosme Rivera. Rivera gave Joel “The Love Child” Julio all he could handle back in October of 2006, even putting him on the canvas in the 12th round, and he also put Andre Berto down when the two scrapped in July of 2007. â†µ

â†µâ†µOf course, Rivera lost both those fights by decision, and the savvy observer will note that they were both contested at 147 pounds where Angulo does his fighting at 154. Rivera has never fought above 47 in his career. In other words, yes, he’s going to get one hell of a beating tomorrow night from the ferocious Angulo. But hey, it was short notice, and at least the man is game. â†µ

â†µâ†µThe second fight of the night should be a corker, featuring the WBO and IBF lightweight champ Nate “The Galaxxy Warrior” Campbell vs. IBF mandatory challenger Ali “Rush Hour” Funeka of South Africa. There’s quite a bit riding on this fight for Campbell, a potential unification fight with The Ring’s lightweight champ, Juan Manuel Marquez, which without question would be the biggest fight of Nate’s career.â†µ

â†µâ†µWhatever you do, don’t come to this card late, because the opening bout may well be the best fight of the night, as the slick-boxing Sergio Martinez takes on had-punching Kermit Cintron in a fight for the interim WBC super middleweight title. This is a crucial moment for Martinez in his crusade to ride his current hot-streak to a major title and a high-profile fight in the near future (possibly against Paul Willams?). As for Cintron, the fight with Martinez is unquestionably a crossroads moment. He nabs a victory over Martinez and he’s still very much in the game, while a loss most likely sends him down that long, lonesome road to nowhere. â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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