Manny Pacquiao will be in pursuit of his eighth crown in as many weight classes when he meets Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 at the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium.
Margarito, whose reputation was tarnished as a result of a hand wrapping scandal in January of 2009, will be in pursuit of redemption in the wake of ridicule during the darkest portion of his career.
For when Margarito throws his first punch against Pacquiao, it will also be the first time that he has done so on American soil since January of 2009, when he was dethroned as WBA welterweight (147 pounds) titlist following a ninth-round knockout loss to Shane Mosley at The Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Prior to the loss to Mosley, an illegal, plaster-like substance was discovered in Margarito's hand wraps, then removed and confiscated. Not only was Margarito's license to fight in the United States revoked a month later by the California State Athletic Commission, but the hard-punching fighter's life, image and ring mystique were severely damaged.
Against the 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts), the WBO welterweight king, the Mexican-born, 32-year-old Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) can gain some measure of respect by winning the vacant WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) title.
"I know how important this fight is to my career and to all of México," said Margarito. "That is why I will prepare like never before. I will defeat Manny Pacquiao, proving to everyone that I am one of the best fighters in the world."
Margarito's suspension officially ended on Feb. 11, but on Aug. 19, he was denied a license for the second time by the CSAC, even as he continued to blame then-trainer Javier Capetillo for the wraps and deny knowledge of the substance's presence.
Among the things pointed out during the nearly six-hour hearing in August was the fact that during Margarito's year-long suspension, he and trainer Robert Garcia unknowingly conducted illegal sparring sessions in Oxnard, Calif.
The workouts were in preparation to face Roberto Garcia in a bout that Margarito won by decision in May in Mexico, where he was licensed to fight.
Margarito has been licensed in Texas for the HBO-televised, Top Rank Promotions bout with Pacquiao, this, despite opposition and outrage from many in the sport, including Oscar De La Hoya, president of rival Golden Boy Promotions, who believes that Margarito should be "Banned for life."
"Anybody can have whatever opinion they want to have, but this is still the United States of America, and there's not one shred of evidence any place or anywhere that Antonio Margarito knew that those inserts were in his hand wraps. Now, it's one thing when they put the inserts in, and you're still being wrapped up. And it's another thing maybe when you're fighting," said Top Rank Promotions' CEO, Bob Arum.
"But these inserts were discovered while his hands were being wrapped, and five, top trainers said that they could put similar inserts into the hand wraps of fighters without the fighters knowing what was there. So at this point, there's no evidence whatsoever that Margarito knew anything about what was going on," said Arum.
"Is there any evidence that he didn't know? Well, the inspector said by that by Margarito's surprise reaction that he didn't know what was inserted in his hands," said Arum. "In order to take the position that lot of writers are taking, where's the evidence that he knew what was in the hand wraps? There is none."
Margarito's credibility has even been questioned even by Pacquiao, who made his assertions during a press conference last month in Los Angeles that was part of a three-city promotional tour that included New York and Dallas.
"I don't believe him [Margarito,]" said Pacquiao, who takes a 12-bout winning streak that includes eight knockouts against Margarito. "Of course he knows about that [illegal hand-wraps.] It's his hands, and he watches the taping."
Although blasted by some for taking the fight, Pacquiao has since said that he believes Margarito deserves a second chance.
"All of this stuff is in the past. And now, virtually everybody is talking about the fight, and whether it's going to be a great fight. They're talking about how good a fight it's going to be, how tough of a fight it's going to be for Manny," said Arum. "That's the discussion that every body is having. And people who still want to dwell on the hand wraps issue, they're entitled to that, but nobody is paying attention anymore."
Margarito has spent the past two weeks running the mountains of South El Monte, Calif., where the emphasis was on road work and a preliminary gym regimen under the guidance of Robert Garcia.
"We got a lot done in the first two weeks, and Tony looks great. I love his focus and intensity," said Garcia, a former IBF junior lightweight (130 pounds) titlist. "Our first phase of training camp was an eye-opener for him and me. The first two weeks have been really terrific and productive."
On Tuesday, Margarito's training camp relocated to Oxnard, Calif., where his initial training will include early morning runs in the mountains as well as on the beach and the track.
"The belt is very important to me, but the most important thing is to give the fans a great fight and one that they will remember for a long time," said Margarito. "I love to fight, and Manny has proven that he is a warrior. This fight is going to be a war."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
