Margarito, Forgiven?

by Paul Magno

If you look around cyberspace these days, there has been a subtle shift in the public wind as it pertains to Antonio Margarito and his indefinite suspension from boxing. Margarito's attempted use of illegal hand wraps for his January, 2009 contest with Shane Mosley seems a distant memory to some and, shockingly, a flat-out falsehood to more than a few.

A year ago, there was outrage and indignation in the public discourse. Now, articles are popping up in support of the return of Margarito's license and all sorts of conspiracy theories are springing up that would have one re-think their stance on "The Tijuana Tornado."

But, before we forgive and forget, let's take a look at the night Antonio Margarito wanted on January 24th, 2009.

If Margarito had his way, he would've been leaping for joy over a fallen Hall of Famer in Shane Mosley and his post-fight interview would've consisted of smug grins as he gave special thanks to God and all Mexicans everywhere. It was his intention to climb the ranks to mega-star status by battering Mosley to an ugly, bloody pulp, as he did against Miguel Cotto about six months earlier. And he would've done it with the full knowledge that he was sporting doctored, illegal hand wraps.

And please spare me the fantasy that Margarito had no idea that his trainer, Javier Capetillo, was loading him up with a "plaster-like" substance.

To think that a fighter would have no idea that two wet, cement knuckle pads were inserted into his hand wraps is silly. To buy into the fairytale of some sort of conspiracy against Margarito is patently ridiculous.

What would the California State Athletic Commission stand to gain from banning a popular Mexican fighter from their state? Why would a commission, with no vested interest, choose to outlaw the guy who just sold out the Staples Center? The fact of the matter is that the wraps confiscated on January 24th were personally reviewed by the commission members and even checked by an independent laboratory.

Even Capetillo, himself, when faced with the evidence, basically confessed and offered himself as a sacrifice. Yeah, I'll say it again for those who have come to doubt the evidence: Capetillo confessed to inserting illegal knuckle pads into his fighter's wraps, thus completely shooting down the recent claims regarding some sort of controversy as to whether the gauze was ever truly as illegal as initially reported.

Now, a little over a year later, Margarito happily prepares himself for a May 8th return in Mexico while talking about the eight figure November date with Manny Pacquiao promised to him by Top Rank's Bob Arum.

Other than an extended vacation from the sport and some early negative press, nothing really happened to him as a result of his infraction. He thumbed his nose at the authorities and at boxing itself and is almost guaranteed to fight again in The United States before the end of the year.

But before our sympathies and/or indifference get the best of us, remember this: Margarito was fine with putting the life of another fighter at stake...as long as it propelled him to where he wanted to go. That's the Antonio Margarito we need to remember...

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Pacquiao Outclasses Cotto In Massacre

Manny Pacquiao TKO 12 Miguel Cotto

Manny Pacquiao lined up the shot with the cunning of a pool shark, and when his right hand flashed out and drilled Miguel Cotto on the chin in the third round, the Puerto Rican suddenly found himself on his back. A gasp went up in the pro-Cotto side of the MGM Grand, and it looked momentarily like boxing’s proudest fighter was on his way to retirement.

Going into the WBO welterweight title fight between both elite fighters Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas, there was a lot of discussion in the boxing community about the manner in which the fight was going to be won and lost. To say the undercard was shabby would be an understatement, but the main event was something to treasure forever.

Cotto’s best moment came in the opening round, and although he kept it close in the first half of the fight, he never had Pacquiao in serious trouble. And as the rounds went by, Cotto’s irreversible slide just got steeper.

The fight plan that Cotto had drawn up, along with his new trainer Joe Santiago, was to establish a potent jab and to force the Filipino backwards. However, in retrospect, it might have been better if Cotto had immediately jumped on Pacquiao and gone all-out for the kayo. But he was morphed into a prudent tactician on the night, and a quick blitz was not part of the blueprint. That blueprint was out of the window in the 4^th round, after Pacquiao landed a sharp left uppercut that saw Cotto fall to the canvas for the second time in the fight.

After five rounds, Cotto had won 2, but should have won 4, had he been born with a bit more awareness. Instead of being 49-46 up, he was 48-45 down. By the seventh round, Cotto’s gas tank was perilously close to empty, but Pacquiao gave him no favours, backing him up into the ropes on every opportunity.

From then on it was brutal. Referee Bayless had more than enough opportunities to stop the contest, but failed to act until the final round. Cotto bravely fought on with a cut over his right eye, and deep swelling covering his eyes and making him look like a panda. Cotto’s wife Melissa had seen enough, and walked out after the tenth round.

Pacquiao was again at his sublime best, but the lack of authority to force the stoppage by Cotto’s corner and on the referee’s behalf, tarnished his amazing achievement. A bout with Mayweather is a must for Team Pacquiao as he reaches the bracket of All Time Greatness.

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Pacquiao and Cotto Weigh-In: Fireworks Await

WBO welterweight champ Miguel Cotto and people’s champ Manny Pacquiao both weighed in under their contracted weight of 145 pounds, in front of a massive crowd at the famed MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao (49-3-2, 37 KOs), tipped the scales at 144 pounds.

Miguel Cotto (34-1, 27 KOs), weighed in bang on the contacted catchweight of 145 pounds, ahead of his seconds defence of his WBO belt. Freddie Roach and Joe Santiago had a minor kerfuffle, but nothing severe, enough to catch the eye of many fans and adding more spice to the November 14’s fight.

The 12-round bout is the main event of the “Firepower” pay-per-view event, and will be broadcasted live on HBO PPV.

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Firepower: The BTBC Suggested Retail Price

Firepower:

Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto
Daniel Santos vs. Yuri Foreman
Jesus Soto Karass vs. Alfonso Gomez
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Troy Rowland

Before each major pay per view the members of the Boxing Tribune Blue Corner will make a bid on what they'd be willing to pay to see the event. The numbers will then be tabulated and the real value of the event will be established.

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Pacquiao-Cotto Does Not Benefit The Welterweight Division

by Dafs117

When two superstars of today are matched-up together, I don’t often complain, especially if it’s in the talent-rich welterweight division. But, I’m struggling to see how the marquee division will enhance its reputation after Saturday’s superfight.

Manny Pacquiao is the welterweight problem child. When a fighter jumps weight classes, it’s hard to be realistic with his possible opponents and marketing strategies. Is he a lightweight, light welterweight or a welterweight? You tell me.

If Pacquiao wins Firepower, he could keep on jumping divisions, confusing many casual fans and leave us hardcore supporters baffled. If he convincingly defeats Miguel Cotto and moves down in weight, Cotto will be dropped out of the elite class. That leaves us with only two elite welterweights, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Shane Mosley, as Pacquiao is defending his 140 pound Ring belt.

A Miguel Cotto defeat can also be seen as a positive move for the weight class, as we would move a step closer to the key of the welterweight matrix. Cotto would be immediately dropped from the chasing pack, and leave the other upcoming fighters, to scamper for his position.

Because the rich men are all at welterweight, you would expect Pacquiao to remain at welterweight if he defeats Cotto on November 14.

If Cotto wins, he would remain as the prime contender for the position of welterweight king. But we would be no closer in cutting down the challengers. You’d still have Floyd Mayweather Jr. Shane Mosley and Miguel Cotto, all unwilling to fight each other. When will logic overpower politics?

That would leave Pacquiao as a fringe contender at welterweight, and an easy target for Floyd Mayweather. He would still be unpredictable and amazingly talented, but as he’s not considered as a legit welterweight by Roach, he could well end up fighting Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time, or face knockout freak Edwin Valero.

Cotto would hunt down Mayweather, and probably be unsuccessful in his attempt. He will face the second best thing, Shane Mosley, in a rematch of their competitive first fight.

The event of the year, could well end up being dilemma of the year, as we keep trying to solve the mystery of the welterweights. Cotto-Pacquiao solves nothing, and just adds even more overpriced fuel, to the fire of boxing clichés.

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Bayless Will Ref Pacquiao-Cotto

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has chosen Kenny Bayless as referee for the upcoming November 14th battle between Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao.

Bayless is a well-regarded official who is no stranger to mega-fights. His resume includes: Pacquiao-Hatton, Hatton-Malignaggi, Cotto-Margarito, Pacquiao-Marquez II and Mayweather-De la Hoya.

The judges assigned to the bout are veteran names: Adalaide Byrd, Duane Ford and Dave Moretti.

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The Best of the BTBC Fan Forum

Here is a List of the Current Hot Topics on the BTBC:

* Pacquiao-Cotto is on for Nov. 14th

* Floyd Mayweather Jr. "MMA is for Beer Drinkers"

* Which boxing organization is most corrupt?!

* Is Juanma Ducking Caballero?

* Kelly Pavlik Blasts Super Middleweight Tourney

* Cotto Signs 2-Year Extension With Top Rank

* Top Rank Signs Samuel Peter

* Amir Khan: The New Face of Golden Boy?

Stop on by The BTBC Boxing Forum for all these topics and much, much more.

We also have "Anything but Boxing" and "Mythical Matchups" sections as well as Free Classifieds, The TV Boxing Schedule, A Predictor League, The BTBC Arcade, The BTBC Theater and The BTBC World Rankings:

The BTBC: Pound-for-Pound Boxing's Best Fan Forum

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Cotto vs. Pacquiao: It's Official!

The announcement was made today that the long-rumored bout between Pound-for-Pound #1, Manny Pacquiao, and the Puerto Rican Welterweight King, Miguel Cotto is definitely going to happen.

CEO of Top Rank, Bob Arum, announced that the bout is signed for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on November 14th and it will be broadcast on HBO PPV.

Although the buzz is that Cotto gained a moral victory by insisting the fight be made at 145 lbs., no details have been released regarding the agreement between both camps.

The official media campaign will kick off Labor Day with a multi-city, multi-country press tour.

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Discuss this Topic: Cotto vs. Pacquiao

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Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto: Meaningless

There, I said it. Pacquiao vs. Cotto is meaningless.

Now, before the loyal Pacquiao and Cotto fans, boxing's most bullishly loyal fans ever, begin to throw garbage at the screen, let me clarify a few things.

There's no doubt in my mind that this encounter will be exciting beyond belief, almost a sure candidate for Fight of the Year. Even the lead-in, with both fan bases going at it, will be amusing.

However, what purpose does this fight serve? Team Pacquiao has already said that they have no intention of campaigning at Welterweight and Cotto, should he win, will still have just a couple of decent fights available to him.

Nobody, other than the fighters' bank accounts and those of their management, stand to really gain much from this showdown of two indisputably talented warriors and pound-for-pound stars.

But, after the dust settles on this contest, the biggest loser will be boxing itself as we will be trading in one exciting hour of Cotto vs. Pacquiao for the short-term well-being of two absolutely stacked divisions.

For Cotto, fighting Pacquiao may be a nice injection of cash into the wallet, but it really stops his ultimate goal of Welterweight dominance in its tracks.

Should Cotto win, he would get a boost in publicity but there will still be only two fights that would make sense before he retires: Cotto-Mosley 2 and Cotto-Mayweather. So, ultimately, other than a few headlines and a payday, he gets nothing from fighting Pacquiao.

But should Cotto lose, he would lose everything. His career would effectively be over as it would no longer make good business sense for either Mosley or Mayweather to fight him. He'd be clear second-tier fodder...and that's if he even remained active.

Now, switching things up and looking at Manny, a win for him would be another notch on his belt and another huge payday, but it really earns him nothing else. He has no intention of campaigning as a Welterweight and a win would either force him into fighting foes with whom his team isn't a hundred percent sure, like Mayweather and Mosley or into retirement.

On the other hand, a loss would take him out of the Celebrity Boxing circuit and force him into tougher bouts for less pay, which may be a good thing since the Jr. Welterweight division is starting to heat up with the rise of Victor Ortiz and bouts like Timothy Bradley-Nate Campbell, Junior Witter-Devon Alexander and Andreas Kotelnik-Amir Khan on the horizon. These rising stars need their lineal champion to take on the best amongst them and not to be looking for genetically engineered celebrity exhibitions.

Sports have to maintain a narrative voice in order to be truly special. The big contests have to mean something and, more importantly, they have to follow through on a story; They have to bring closure to a long series of battles.

The LA Lakers could've had a more exciting, more profitable series against the Boston Celtics, but they had to beat the Magic to be crowned champions. Anything else would've been false and anti-climatic.

Boxing also has its own narrative and should follow through on its own story lines if it wants to stay long-term relevant in a sporting world that is continually marginalizing it.

To go the "Celebrity Boxing" route, as Nate Campbell called it, is a disservice to the sport and it's future. It shows a complete disdain for the natural order of things and it creates a permanent upper class where a handful of big names fight one another for big bucks while freezing the rest of the fighters out and refusing to allow any torches to get passed to the younger fighters.

Freddie Roach expressed this point of view in a recent interview from maxboxing: "Titles don’t really matter anymore. Its match-ups."

And that's fine and dandy for the one percent of fighters who can be considered "big enough" to sell a million PPVs, but what about the young prospects and the prime boxers still looking to grow? Unless a guy like Pacquiao or Mayweather is willing to fight once every three weeks to appease the fans, they are essentially creating a sport outside of the mainstream structure of the actual sport and further removing the fans from the game.

Boxing needs its biggest stars and it needs them to take an active part within their own divisions. It needs these stars to dominate in their prime, go to war when they're slightly past their prime and to pass the torch when they simply can't go on. That's the natural order of things in boxing and that's how the future stars of the sport are made.

Divvying up mega-paydays among a small group of fighters in cherry-picked contests and retiring when no more cash fits into your Brinks truck, is not in the best interest of the sport.

Pacquiao vs. Cotto may be a quick fix to some of boxing's short-term needs, but a meaningless fight only inspires more meaningless fights..and that can only be bad for boxing.

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