As Antonio Margarito awaits a decision Tuesday afternoon from the New York State Athletic Commission, Miguel Cotto, the WBA super welterweight champion continues to conduct business in final preparations for his return bout and title defense. The fight with Margarito is scheduled for December 3rd on HBO Pay-Per-View at Madison Square Garden. The issue about Margarito?s clearance to fight in New York will be resolved Tuesday afternoon.
Cotto spoke with media in a conference call Tuesday. He was asked about the medical issue regarding a possibility of the fight moving to another venue. In the meantime, the Garden is nearly sold-out. Promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank has met with representatives of other venues, including the Pepsi Center in Denver Colorado.
Regardless of the outcome, from the New York State Athletic Commission decision, Arum is expected to proceed with the mega fight, one that Cotto has been looking for since his ugly loss to Margarito . There is a lot at stake, even as Cotto said he will not fight anywhere else but New York because that is how the contract was signed. The undercard is also interesting that includes a return bout between Delvin Rodriquez and Pawel Wolak , junior middleweights who fought to a majority draw in New York City back in July.
Top Rank is intent on moving along with plans for the Garden card. At this juncture, shifting to another venue will be costly to the promotion as well as a revenue loss. Not counting the fans that purchased tickets and hotel rooms, supporters of Cotto and Margarito, the undercard fighters, and personal, if the NYSAC rules that Margarito is unable to fight, this will become one of the all-time travesties for the sport.
There continues to be issues here. Margarito had to break training camp in Mexico, and on Monday had two separate medical procedures conducted by NYSAC doctors on his right eye. Though there is optimism coming from Top Rank as they believe the decision will go in the favor of Margarito and the fight will take place as scheduled at the Garden.
Arum has said there are contingency plans, and though it does present an obstacle, moving the fight to another venue on short notice can be done. Here the NYSAC, the most reputed in the country, has the bad image. They approved and accepted the fight for New York knowing that Margarito had an eye issue that required surgery after he lost to Manny Pacquiao last November. The license of Margarito that was suspended and reinstated, stemming from using tainted hand wraps under his gloves, is not the issue.
Sources say that Arum is incensed more about procedures and how the NYSAC has handled the entire situation. Arum offered to fly NYSAC doctors midway from New York and Mexico, so that Margarito would not have to break camp. NYSAC Chairperson Melvina Lathan , a political appointee and former ringside judge, is now on the bad side of this obvious inept and inconvenience for Arum, Margarito, Cotto, the Garden, and boxing fans.
The prevailing attitude is Margarito will be granted a license. Lathan has been misinformed, or she has to protect the interests of boxing not suffering another blow in New York State, let alone the Garden which will slowly lose their image as the Mecca of boxing.
A decision should have been made months ago, not two weeks before fight time. Someone is at fault, and if it means Lathan is the culprit, well Arum who moved his corporate headquarters years ago from New York to Las Vegas, could remove himself from doing further boxing business in the Big Apple.
Cotto in the meantime is not concerned as he wraps up training in Orlando Florida. Tuesday he reiterated, this redemption fight that handed him his first loss, has to be in New York. ?I?m focused on training camp,? he said. ?This is not about us. ?I am not fighting anywhere else but New York,? he said.
And with the latest comments from Cotto, Lathan will have to make the right decision. Because Cotto now says the fight has to take place at the Garden and Arum can?t afford the embarrassment or any conflicts with his champion. How contentious is this issue? Arum abruptly stopped the Cotto media conference call because it was bad timing as the commission decision is a few hours away.
And Cotto made it known. The fight has to be in New York, or there will be no fight.
CHAVEZ JR. READY FOR MEGA FIGHT: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has a few options after putting Peter Manfredo Jr. into retirement after his WBC middleweight title defense this past Saturday on HBO. The obvious mega fight, the first of his career, would be to defend against Diamond Belt champion Sergio Martinez, that would determine who is the undisputed middleweight king.
Sources at HBO Sports said this is a fight they want on their calendar in the coming months, which makes sense with Ken Hershman taking over as their new boxing chief at the beginning of January. And with HBO reportedly cutting back on their budget for boxing, the fight could generate interest as a televised pay-per-view card and become one of the mega fights for 2012.
Martinez, scheduled for a title defense of the bogus WBC Diamond belt, in March, leaves all the business to promoter Lou DiBella. Arum, with Pacquiao and Cotto, also with Ninito Donaire, has slowly milked the career of Chavez into being a viable and legitimate middleweight champion.
DiBella could not be reached for comment, though reports were he was on the phone with Arum hours after Chavez got his latest win. The problem here is not Chavez wanting to be recognized as the true middleweight champion. The new legend in Mexico, quickly gaining in popularity that will never surpass his legendary father, was handed the belt by the WBC because of boxing politics and the failure of Martinez to comply with WBC bylaws.
Arum and DiBella have a history of going back and forth, especially when it comes to Martinez. DiBella, on more than one occasion this year called out Arum for failure to get Pacquiao, more so Cotto to get in the ring with Martinez. That now has come to pass as Martinez is content on staying as a middleweight and the eventual meeting with Chavez Jr. is on the agenda.
THROWING THE PUNCHES: There are more issues for the NYSAC as they are hearing an appeal from Louis Resto, the one-time welterweight contender from New York. Resto damaged the face of the late Billy Collins Jr. in their fight at Madison Square Garden back in 1983 and was implicated with trainer Panama Lewis for padding his gloves with an illegal substance.
Resto was indicted by a New York Grand Jury, and sentenced two years for attempted murder, and Lewis banned from working corners. Now the NYSAC is pondering a request by Resto to work corners as a second, this as the Margarito situation is in the balance. Ironic, also that Margarito was suspended for using tainted hand wraps though the commission is not basing their issue about tainted gloves or hand wraps to license Margarito?
From the statistical department and it is interesting as a trend for the sport. Over eighty percent of current champions are of Latino descent and boxing is predominantly represented by Latino nations, with over 70 percent of active fighters of Latino descent..
