Promoters easily can push their respective agendas at a moment’s notice.
The fallout from the California Athletic Commission’s decision to uphold the revocation of Antonio Margarito’s boxing license underscores how promoters use media outlets for their benefit.
Oscar De La Hoya, president of Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions, was ready with a response on the Margarito ruling. In a meeting last Wednesday, the California commission determined that Margarito has not served a sufficient suspension for the illegal padding found in his hand wraps before his first fight against Shane Mosley in 2009.
Although the California commission only denied Margarito from resuming boxing activities in the near future, De La Hoya chimed in with a more severe suggestion. De La Hoya said Thursday that Margarito should be banned for life.
The De La Hoya spin removes Margarito as Manny Pacquiao’s opponent in their announced Nov. 13 bout. With Margarito out of the picture, De La Hoya pushed the merits of a third bout between Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Surprise! Marquez is represented by Golden Boy Promotions.
Margarito promoter Bob Arum, who also promotes Pacquiao, continues to hold hope that Margarito-Pacquiao will happen in another state on the announced date. Although other states often comply with one state’s ruling, Margarito plans to appeal before the Texas commission to allow his return to the sport.
Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was listed as one of the sites to host the fight.
Arum considered Margarito as a Pacquiao opponent only after the Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. megafight fell through. And, like De La Hoya, Arum benefited from media attention with a quick reaction on the unsuccessful negotiations.
Arum established a midnight deadline on July 17 on exclusive negotiations for a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight Nov. 13. The moment the negotiating window expired, Arum hosted a midnight Las Vegas time (3 a.m. Eastern) conference call and planted the seeds of Pacquiao’s alternate opponents, including Margarito.
Now that the Margarito appeal process heads to Texas, anticipate additional promoter sound bites, reactions and statements, all with the ingredients to further hype their respective agendas.
SOLOMON ON RISE
Energized by his recent victory over previously unbeaten Kenny Galarza on national TV, Brad Solomon looks to further improve his stock in the welterweight division Tuesday night. Solomon (12-0, 4 KOs) will face Puerto Rico’s Wilfredo Negron in the co-main event of a card at the Hard Rock Live Arena.
Solomon, of Lafayette, La., won a convincing decision over Galarza on June 4 at the Tamiami Fairgrounds in West Miami-Dade. Galarza had knocked out all 13 of his previous opponents before facing Solomon in their fight on ESPN2.
Tuesday’s card also will feature Hallandale Beach resident Timur Ibragimov and India’s Gurcharan Singh for a regional heavyweight title.
ADAMEK IMPRESSIVE
Although still relatively new to the division, Tomasz Adamek (42-1) continues to score impressive victories. Adamek won his fourth consecutive fight since moving to the heavyweight class with a unanimous decision over former contender Michael Grant on Saturday night in Newark, N.J. All three judges scored the bout for Adamek 117-111, 118-110 and 118-111.
On the same card, Miami junior middleweight Joel Julio won a unanimous decision over Jamaal Davis. . . .
Miami resident and two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux (6-0, 5 KOs) returned to the ring after a six-month absence and stopped Jose Beranza in the sixth round of their junior-featherweight bout Saturday in Tijuana, Mexico.
