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Margarito back in the ring? NEVER! By Dezzie Lightbulb PhilBoxing.com Mon, 25 Jan 2010  Let me remind you of a fight, the like of which you won’t see often. It may not be of equal importance, yet it tells a story to equal any recounted by Foreman-Ali, Hagler-Hearns, or Holyfield-Tyson. It`s 24th of January 2009, downtown Los Angeles, the Staples Centre, a record breaking crowd, and everything is set for the much awaited Margarito-Mosley bout. Margarito came into the fight an astonishing 4 to 1 favourite. He was coming off his monumental victory over the then undefeated Miguel Cotto. He was all set to enjoy a huge home crowd advantage. Another considerable benefit was that at the time life was far from rosy for Mosley. There was the ongoing turmoil of his involvement with the BALCO doping scandal. He had interrupted his training camp to finalise the terms of his divorce from his seven year wife and former manager. This could have affected his conditioning, and must surely have been playing on his mind. He had just fired his long time trainer, his father, and hired a new trainer. So the 4 to 1 odds were probably justified in view of the younger, trouble free, on form fighter. Mosley must have thanked his lucky stars a million times that he had chosen Nazim Richardson to become his new trainer. It was indeed Richardson who discovered Margarito`s illegal hand wraps, and that had profound repercussions on both the fight and on Margarito`s future in boxing. Word of the discovery must have spread like wildfire throughout the 20,820 in attendance at the Staples Centre. The home crowd advantage was almost completely wiped out even before the two boxers made their appearances. It seems to me that all the way through the fight Margarito`s fans never really got behind him. Even though Mosley did dominate from the first bell, Margarito`s crowd never seemed to rally to urge their fighter on. And why would they? He had just been caught red-handed (or should I say pink-handed?). The discovery that he had tried to cheat, and had been caught took the heart from all but the most fanatical of his followers. From our first glimpse of Margarito just before he stepped out to meet the public, we see a man whose darting eyes and uneasy look tell us that something is very wrong. His public cheered more for the Mexican music than they did for Margarito himself. When Michael Buffer introduced Mosley his corner men stood behind him, faces and eyes resolutely forward, smiling and brimming with confidence. Margarito`s camp on the other hand, looked off-colour and worried in comparison, uneasy conversations were being whispered in the background. Each and every one of them knew that they were in big trouble. Even if Margarito won the fight, there was a good chance they would soon find themselves out of jobs. I would pay dearly to know exactly what it was that Mosley said into Margarito`s ears during those clinches in the early rounds. Whatever the actual words were it is certain that he was driving home the advantage of having caught his opponent cheating. Psychologically Margarito was on the back foot right from the off, and Mosley gave him absolutely no chance to recover. Is this what inspired Shane to give us one of his best ever performances? Did it add extra speed and accuracy to his dazzling combinations? Was it this psychological upper hand that Mosley used to beat Margarito down? One would have to think that was the case. When Margarito suffered a very heavy knock down in the 8th the outcome of the fight had become a simple formality. Up to that point Margarito had not won one single round, and was lucky to make it to the bell. The fight came to a fitting end 43 seconds into the 9th round. Margarito found himself trapped on the ropes, almost out on his feet, and with virtually no defence. Mosley pounded him with lefts and rights, until Margarito inevitably crumbled. While some say that referee Raul Caiz Sr. gave Margarito a champion`s chance, I prefer to think that he was just as outraged as all true boxing fan were by Margarito`s conduct, and thought that a little extra punishment was merited. I love the final punch. Margarito`s corner had thrown in the towel, Caiz was stepping in to put an end to it, when Mosley swung another crushing right hook which sent Margarito to the canvas. One name comes to mind every time I see that last blow; Miguel Angel Cotto. While it has never been proven, no one will ever make me believe that Margarito did not use the same illegal hand wraps when he fought Cotto. Every shred of evidence points that way. If Margarito tried to cheat against Mosley, why would he not use the same tactic when faced with the undefeated Cotto? Cotto himself admitted that his team did not check Margarito`s wraps or gloves. The timing of Margarito`s `miracle` comeback after having been so far behind after the first 6 rounds corresponds with the hardening of plaster wraps. The force of his punches and the damage they inflicted from the 7th round on is `extraordinary` to say the least. I find it very disturbing to watch the Cotto-Margarito fight. Every time I see the state of Cotto`s face it makes me feel physically ill. The thought that a noble, huge-hearted warrior and a true gentleman such a Miguel Cotto was driven to his knees by a common cheat is unbearable. Again, we cannot prove that Margarito used illegal wraps in the Cotto fight, but for argument`s sake let us say that he did, and examine the consequences. At the time of their fight Cotto was undefeated, was considered by many to be the top welterweight in the division, and was close to the top of the list of pound for pound fights. After the fight he had lost all three of the above, along with his champion`s belt. Many consider that Cotto was never again the same because of the loss to Margarito. If Cotto had faced Pacquiao with an unblemished record we would have witnessed a different fighter stepping into the ring that night. We would have seen a more confident Cotto, a man who never had to deal with defeat in his professional career. Might that have been enough to give him the edge over Pacquiao? It is not unreasonable to think that the fight would have gone Cotto`s way. If that were the case Miguel Cotto would now have a boxing record to rival Mayweather`s. He would still be the welterweight champion. Today he would be the number 1 pound for pound boxer in the world. His possible earnings would far exceed anything he can possibly expect to make at present. If Margarito did cheat when he fought Cotto, he cheated him of his legacy, his future, his finances, his self esteem, some of his fans, and much more. Even if the only time Margarito ever cheated was against Mosley, I believe he should count himself lucky that he did not find himself in jail for attempted, premeditated murder. With loaded gloves he could so easily have put an end to Mosley`s career, even his life. He could have destroyed Mosley`s health. He could have sent Mosley into retirement, stolen from him any possible future fight earnings. This is why I am totally outraged when I hear people say that Margarito has paid his dues, served his time, and should now be given a second chance. Such a statement can only be made by someone who has never fully considered the full implications of what such a cowardly act as Margarito`s cheating could and does entail. If Margarito did cheat when he fought Cotto a two fight ban is next to nothing compared to the damage he has done to Cotto. Perhaps that beat down by Mosley is the only compensation Cotto will ever get. I would go as far as to say that anyone who wants to see Margarito back in the ring, Bob Arum included, is quite simply no fan of boxing. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dezzie Lightbulb.  |
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