The Super Welterweight WBA World Championship will take place on the 3rd of December 2011, at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto will fight each other for the second time in what is set to be an epic match. Margarito has only just got his license back, after having been banned for one year for using a plaster-like substance on his gloves in his match against Shane Mosley.
It has been officially confirmed that several substances were used on the bandages on both of his hands, and Margarito has not denied these claims. He has stated, however, that he was not aware that this was being applied and sacked those who were responsible for readying the bandages and putting them on. They, in turn, have also not denied that the substances were there, but that they were put on “accidentally”.
However, even on appeal, the one year ban remained in place and Margarito lost a lot of respect amongst other boxers and fans. In fact, some boxers, including Miguel Cotto, state that they have strong suspicions that this is not the first time that Margarito has done this, although they have been unable to prove any of these allegations.
Since this incident, all boxers fighting Margarito have requested someone to be present whilst his hand wraps are being put on. The state inspector – Che Guevara – who inspected the bandages after the fight against Mosley has stated that despite his many years of experience and many hand wrap inspections, he has never seen a case in which the intention was as clear as in this case, proving unequivocally that this was no accident. Whether or not Margarito was aware of what was happening can never be proven, but the state commission obviously felt that his involvement was sufficient to warrant a one year ban – with which he got off lightly.
You have to get the hold of a Cotto vs Margarito live stream this Saturday and see if Margarito can defeat Cotto in a clean fight.
