Top Rank promoter, Bob Arum, told FanHouse he will not be able to return Mexico's Antonio Margarito to the March 13 undercard of a WBO welterweight (147 pounds) title defense by seven-division champion, Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines against Joshua Clottey at The Dallas Cowboys' Stadium.
Suspended for at least a year by the California State Athletic Commission after being dethroned as WBA super world welterweight (147 pounds) king following his ninth-round knockout loss to 38-year-old Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 KOs) on Jan. 24 of 2009, Margarito attempted, unsuccessfully, last week to re-apply for a license with the CSAC.
Arum said that while Magarito's application still is under review by Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, "It was just taking too long in Texas," adding, "and we couldn't wait any longer."
In the meantime, Arum said that he will "Absolutely" look to return Margarito to action on the undercard of a May 8 card in Aguascalientes, Mex., against Oklahoma City's Carson Jones, the opponent he was originally hopeful of facing in a 155-pound contest on March 13.
"We decided that rather than go to a hearing, which [Texas' Athletic Commission] looked like they were going to require, that we would, when we had more time, go back another day," said Arum. "We want to put Carson Jones back in. We want to propose that he fight in Aguascalientes against Margarito."
During the review, however, the CSAC is unlikely to activate Margarito, meaning he would remain limited, if not effectively banned, from competition in America.
A good example of this is the case of WBA lightweight (135 pounds) champion, Edwin Valero, of Venzuela, who is also promoted by Arum.
Valero (27-0, 27 KOs) has been unable to escape the stigma from brain surgery he received as the result of a 2001 motorcycle accident that caused a blood clot later revealed during an MRI.
Although cleared to fight by a Venezuelan doctor following successful surgery that removed the clot, Valero was placed on indefinite medical suspension by the New York State Athletic and subsequently banned by most athletic associations which supported the NYSAC's move.
Valero then fought 14 opponents over the ensuing six years, in Venezuela, Argentina, Panama, Japan, France and Mexico, before finally being sanctioned to fight in Austin, Texas. There, in April of 2009, Valero earned his current title belt by stopping Antonio Pitalua.
Margarito could be forced to follow a similar route until otherwise notified.
It was prior to their meeting of a year ago that Mosley's trainer, Nazim Richardson, first discovered the fact that the hard-punching Mexican's wrappings on his fists included a plaster-like substance.
Richardson told FanHouse that, upon his inspection, a square-shaped block had slipped out from beneath Margarito's hand tape of his gloves.
The blocks, Richardson believed, had been meant, over the course of the fight, to harden while also molding themselves to the shape of Margarito's fists -- much as a cast does in support of an injured arm, leg or limb.
Richardson had made a similar discovery against Felix Trinidad while working as an assistant trainer for Bernard Hopkins' 2001 fight against the Puerto Rican superstar.
Trinidad was forced to re-wrap his hands, and was subsequently stopped in the 12th round by Hopkins, who handed Trinidad his first career loss. Margarito's trainer, Javier Capetillo, was similarly forced to re-wrap the fighters' gloves.
But the 31-year-old Margarito (37-6. 27 knockouts) already had stopped Golden Johnson, Kermit Cintron, and, Miguel Cotto, in succession, in one, six, and, 11 rounds, before facing Mosley.
During his July, 2008 loss to Margarito, the 29-year-old Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) was both stopped and beaten for the first time in his career, suffering a broken nose, dripping blood from his face, being knocked down once, taking a knee once, and bleediing from a deep gash over his left eye.
Like Cintron, who was knocked out in five rounds by Margarito in April of 2005, there are many boxing observers who believe that Cotto was not the same following his loss to Margarito even as no one is sure whether or not Margarito was dirty when he faced Cotto.
"That was a very sad night for me. Miguel wasn't crying tears. The tears coming out of Miguel's eyes that night weren't normal. They were tears of blood. You had to see it," Cotto's father, the late, Miguel Cotto Sr., was quoted on HBO's 24/7 documentary.
"Bleeding out of his nose, bleeding out of his ears. You had to see how deep his wounds were," said Miguel Cotto Sr. "It's impossible to explain. I couldn't explain how someone with gloves could do that."
Following his loss to Margarito, Cotto stopped Michael Jennings in five rounds in February of 2009. But Cotto again bled profusely throughout his June, 2009 successful, 12-round title defense against Joshua Clottey, this, following a third-round, accidental clash of heads that re-opened a cavernouse gash over one of his eyes.
Cotto was battered, yet again, during his Nov. 2009 bout with the 31-year-old Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs), who lifted from Cotto, the WBO's welterweight (147 pounds) belt.
In the 23-year-old Jones (25-7-1, 15 KOs), of Oklahoma City, Margarito would face an opponent who is coming off of a unanimous decision over Eloy Suarez on Jan. 28.
Fighting primarily as a junior middleweight (154 pounds) and middleweight (160 pounds), Jones is riding a streak of 7-0 with one no-decision that includes five knockouts -- all since a 10-round unanimous decision to Jesus Soto Karass on Feb. 6 of 2009.
Jones' most notable victory was December's third-round knockout of Philadelphia's previously unbeaten Tyrone Brunson (21-1-1, 20 KOs) in a Showtime-televised, clash.
Brunson had entered with an incredible 20 knockouts, the first 19 of which he had accomplished in the first round. Brunson was 19-0, all knockouts until August of 2008, when he Antonio Soriano battled him to a six-round draw.
Brunson was the ninth fight of the year for Jones, who floored Brunson with a right-hand, left-hook combination in the third round. When Brunson rose to his feet, Jones nailed him with several unanswered blows before referee James Jen-Kin stopped the fight.
After falling to Soto Karass, Jones scored second-, and fourth-round knockouts of Mike McGuire and Dan Wallace in March, Then, in succession, Jones scored May's 10th-round knockout of Michi Munoz, July's third-round stoppage of Steve Walker in July, battled to a no-decision against Eloy Suarez in August, and won an eight-round, unanimous decision over Jose Adelaydo Gonzalez in October.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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