Feb 11 2009
Margarito Banned For At Least A Year!
Following his hearing with the California State Athletic Commission, Antonio Margarito and his trainer Javier Capetillo have both had their licenses revoked for at least a year.
This comes in the wake of the Shane Mosley fight where experienced trainer Nazim Richardson asked to inspect the hand wrapping and discovered a “plaster like substance” on Margarito’s hands.
Bob Arum, of Top Rank Promotions has already labelled the decision “outrageous” and plans to appeal. In the meantime however, Arum will try to set up a fight in Mexico for the Tijuana Tornado, as the CASC ruling will have no affect there.
Appeal pending, the impact this decision will have on Margarito’s reputation, and career from this point on could be immense, given this could rob him of all credibility and tarnish his career defining win over Miguel Cotto.
However, the extent to which this actually restricts Margarito’s ability to fight depends largely on whether other Athletic Commissions recognise the decision, as Comissions such as Nevada (so Las Vegas) and New York are not bound to accept this license revocation.
One would hope that the various Commissions do recognise this decision, and how serious this is, but I believe this will depend on public perception of Margarito going forward and whether the fighter remains popular and a box office draw.
The planned June rematch with Cotto is now said to be off, and the Puerto Rican may well feel aggrieved at his loss last time out, given the possibility of Margarito using loaded gloves for that bout.
I’ll keep you posted!
