Antonio Margarito and his band of merry men will hit Texas next in the boxer's search for a locale that'll allow him to fight Manny Pacquiao in the United States. California, the state that initially revoked Margarito's license on Feb. 11, 2009, turned down the boxer's request for a new license by a count of 5-1. The California State Athletic Commission grilled Margarito and his representatives for five-plus hours.
Illegal hard material was discovered in Margarito's wraps on both hands before he entered the ring against Shane Mosley on Jan. 24, 2009. California suspended Margarito for a year and revoked his license.
Through a translator, Margarito again stated that he had no idea that his former trainer Javier Capetillo had loaded the hand wraps with a plaster-like substance. From the Associated Press:
"I am here to make an apology not only to the commission, but to the entire world for not knowing what was in those wrappings," said Margarito. [...] "I think that anything that is placed in the wrap that isn't legal is cheating, and is an unfair advantage.
"All I'm saying is I did not know what was in these wraps. I'm being completely honest with all of you and with all the boxing people."
The commissioners seemed most upset that Margarito wasn't in control of his career or simply didn't care.
"The best-case scenario is that Mr. Margarito didn't know that this was being done to his gloves, but should have known," Commissioner Eugene Hernandez said. "The worst-case scenario is that he didn't know and he didn't want to know."
The boxer oftentimes seemed unprepared to state his case and defend himself against the verbal barrage. From AOL Fanhouse:
CSAC attorney Karen Chappelle contended that Margarito had not proven his rehabilitation and remorse, saying "a boxer like Mr. Margarito makes a living with his fists" and "knows what is in the wrappings that go on his fists."
Margarito's lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, came away thinking the denial was all political, and for appearance purposes, the CSAC took a strong stance.
"We thought the evidence was indisputable that Tony deserved to have a license granted today," Petrocelli told USA Today Wednesday. [...] "I'm afraid that largely for symbolic reasons, he's being asked to sit out another year."
Aside from the central point of the illegal hand wraps discovered before his loss to Mosley, the commission also pressed Margarito on how quickly he had separated himself from Capetillo. Margarito is now with trainer Robert Garcia.
The CSAC also harped on the fact that Margarito had trained in Oxnard, Calif., for a fight in Mexico without a permit. According to California law, professional fighters must have a permit to even train anywhere in the state. That news threw Team Margarito for a loop. CSAC commissioner John Frierson, who placed the only vote of support for Margarito, pointed out to Chappelle that the sparring rule was extremely obscure saying only "10 boxers" were likely aware of the law.
Margarito has a fight scheduled against Pacquiao on Nov. 13. Top Rank Promotions initially wanted the fight to take place in Nevada. Team Margarito was denied the opportunity to simply present its case when it sat down in front of the Nevada State Athletic Commission in July. The NSAC voted 4-1 to deny the request and stated it was California business.
So that makes it two states, with two of the most respected athletic commissions in the country, that have now passed on granting Margarito a license. What's next? Bob Arum said Margarito has already applied for a license in Texas and sounded confident he'd be granted one. His lawyer agreed. From USA Today:
"I can't see any other commission not finding Tony totally worthy of a license, whether it's Texas, Nevada or any other state," said Petrocelli.
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