High stakes for Pacquiao, Margarito -- ESPN

By Dan Rafael, ESPN.com

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Manny Pacquiao, the pound-pound-for-pound king, and the controversial Antonio Margarito are fighting for different stakes. One fights for history. One for redemption.

Pacquiao had hoped to be in the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr. defending his welterweight title, but Mayweather refused to fight him and is, as he says, "on vacation," while also now fighting a variety of criminal charges stemming from alleged domestic dispute in September.

So while Mayweather's next fight will be in the courtroom, Pacquiao has moved on with his career and is moving on up in weight yet again as he seeks a vacant junior middleweight belt when he and Margarito meet Saturday night (HBO PPV, 9 ET, $54.95) at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington in front of a crowd that could draw 70,000, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said at Wednesday's final news conference. That would be a record for an American indoor fight.

If Pacquiao wins, he would claim a title in a record-extending eighth weight class, which, even in this era of title proliferation, is still eye-catching.

"It would be an eighth title, which nobody else has ever done, but Manny Pacquiao is a different kind of athlete," said Arum, who also promotes Margarito. "He's very special and the type of accomplishments he has shouldn't really surprise anybody.

While Margarito, a former two-time welterweight titleholder, will also be looking to win a vacant junior middleweight belt, he will be seeking a measure of redemption following the well-publicized hand-wrap scandal he was at the center of when he attempted to enter the ring with loaded hand wraps before his welterweight title fight with Shane Mosley in Los Angeles in January 2009.

Margarito had his license revoked and his once-solid reputation went into the toilet. He was not allowed to fight in the United States and only after California rejected his plea for a return of his license did Texas regulators give him one in September. It was a controversial move, but it paved the way for his fight with Pacquiao, which will be contested at a contract limit of 150 pounds even though the limit for junior middleweights is 154 pounds.

"Antonio knows he needs to win the fight. He's hoping he's going to redeem himself with the victory," said Sergio Diaz, Margarito's co-manager. "But at the same time he says he doesn't really think he'll get the credit he had before [the scandal]. He thinks if he wins there will be people who will say, 'Well, he got lucky. Maybe it was the weight and Manny was too small and Margarito was too big.' I feel, and he feels, he will carry this scandal the rest of his life.

"But I do believe it's going to diminish and you'll hear about it here and there and every time he fights it's always going to be written about and spoken about. It's going to always be there. It's tough to accept it."

So while Margarito aims to resurrect his reputation as best as he can, Pacquiao goes for more history. He's used to it.

From flyweight to welterweight, where he currently holds an alphabet title, Pacquiao has roared up the weight classes like nobody in boxing history. He set the mark of winning titles in seven divisions when he knocked out Miguel Cotto in the 12th round last November to win a welterweight belt.

After one defense, a near shutout of Joshua Clottey at Jerry Jones' $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in March, Pacquiao is moving up in weight yet again to fight for the belt vacated earlier this year by Sergio Martinez, who went on to win the middleweight championship.

Pacquiao has never bragged about his run of titles. Instead, he has remained humble about his accomplishments and the possibility of adding another.

The Filipino icon -- elected to congress in his home country earlier this year -- showed little emotion when asked about the prospects of claiming another title.

"This is why I do my best in training this time," Pacquiao said. "This is going to be another record in boxing and I have to be in great condition to win. We consider this a very important fight in my whole career."

"All the people around him have made it into a big deal, but Manny has not," Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said. "[Trainer] Freddie [Roach] is excited. [Adviser] Michael Koncz is excited. All the other guys around him are excited about it. Manny never even mentions it except when he's asked."

Arum knows a thing or two about fighters moving up the scales to win titles in multiple divisions. Besides promoting Pacquiao, he promoted Oscar De La Hoya for most of his career, during which he won belts in six weight classes before Pacquiao pummeled him into retirement.

Arum also promoted such fighters as Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Alexis Arguello, who all won titles in multiple divisions.

He won't be surprised if Pacquiao gets No. 8.

"Who would believe that after the first fight with Erik Morales [Pacquiao's last defeat in 2005] that he would be here in this kind of fight and be a congressman in the Philippines," Arum said. "Who would believe that he would come to Nevada [on a last-minute campaign appearance] and help win an election for the majority leader [Harry Reid] of the United States Senate? If I said things like that before he really did them you'd have said it was just typical Arum bull----. So nothing he does surprises me, including if he wins an eighth title."

Roach, Pacquiao's longtime trainer, however, has no problem bragging about the fighter he hooked up with in 2001 and helped lead to six of his titles.

"Manny's a freak, let's face it," Roach said. "We're not going to see another Manny Pacquiao in our lifetime. He's a once in a lifetime deal. If you get four world titles it's a big deal. One is hard enough. To win eight is unheard of. He continues to amaze me."

Roach was a well-known trainer even before Pacquiao came into his Hollywood, Calif., gym for the first time but with Pacquiao has his star pupil, Roach has reached a new level of fame.

So, of course, he's excited about the opportunity to be part of an eighth title.

"I feel great about it," Roach said. "It's a record that will stand for a long, long time. He's the history books and he's changed my life. Having Manny in my life has made me better and made me a better life. One day he walks into my gym as a 122-pounder. He breaks [Lehlo] Ledwaba's nose in the first round and knocks him out [in the sixth round]. The rest is history. Who would think we'd be here going for an eighth title?"

Margarito is happy just to be getting a chance to fight a major fight, one for which he'll make at least $3 million, a figure likely to more than double if the pay-per-view performs well.

He has maintained all along that it was his former trainer, Javier Capetillo, who put the illegal pads in his hand wraps before they were discovered in the moments before he went to the ring for his knockout loss to Mosley.

After serving his year license revocation, Margarito did have a fight in Mexico in May under the guidance of new trainer Robert Garcia, a former junior lightweight titlist. Margarito did not look particularly good after such a long layoff as he outpointed the obscure Roberto Garcia [no relation to his trainer].

Then came the battle to get a license. Nevada tabled his request and told him to go to California first. California then denied him. Finally, Texas gave him one.

"I try not to dwell on the negative," Margarito said. "I know people will ask the questions and I have to answer the questions and I have no problem with them. To me, all I am concentrating right now is on the fight. I know it is going to be asked, but, for me, I have to concentrate on the fight. Everything is in the past and I can't wait until [Saturday].

"I thank God for getting this opportunity. Of course, Bob Arum has been behind me the whole time and I thank him too. I know it is a great opportunity and I'm going to take advantage of it. I know how hard it was to make the fight real and I'm very happy that it's finally here."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn.

Source: sports.espn.go.com

Javier Capetillo Breaks Silence on Antonio Margarito's Illegal Wraps -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

Trainer Javier Capetillo, who has been blamed for the hand wraps scandal that has haunted the career of Antonio Margarito since it happened prior to a loss to Shane Mosley in January 2009, broke his long silence during a recent interview with Doug Fischer, co-editor of RingTV.com.

Margarito has been boxing's biggest bad boy since the discovery was made by trainer Naazim Richardson of a plaster-like substance that was removed and confiscated prior to the fighter's ninth-round knockout loss to Mosley at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Since having his license revoked by the California State Athletic Commission in February of 2009, Margarito has claimed no knowledge of the illegal hand wrappings in his gloves that led to his being exiled from fighting until August, when Texas licensed him to face Pacquiao.

Margarito has blamed Capetillo, claiming that the trainer acted on his own.

Capetillo told Fischer that Margarito is telling the truth.

"I made a mistake. I wasn't trying to hide anything. I just screwed up, and I did it in front of Mosley's trainer and the commissioners. I was just under a lot of pressure because I knew we shouldn't have taken the fight," said Capetillo, adding that dramatic weight loss drained Margarito, and led to his loading the gloves.

"I knew Tony was in trouble and I knew that I had put him in that position. I wrapped Tony's hands four times in front of Mosley's trainer and the commissioners and two representatives from Golden Boy Promotions after they found the gauze. I admitted then that I made a mistake."

Capetillo's admission comes on the eve of perhaps the biggest fight in the career of Margarito (38-6, 27 knockouts), who faces Manny Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), the WBO welterweight (147 pounds) king, for the WBC's vacant junior middleweight (154 pounds) crown at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday night.

Pacquiao has a 12-fight winning streak that includes nine knockouts as he pursues his eighth title in as many different weight classes.

Since the Mosley fight, however, members of the boxing community and Roach and Pacquiao, in particular, have speculated that Capetillo may have tampered with Margarito's gloves in other fights.

In two of them, Margarito vanquished rivals Kermit Cintron and Miguel Cotto, both of whom were beaten savagely and bloodily before being knocked out.

Capetillo dismissed those assertions.

"They think Tony cheated to beat Kermit Cintron? Give me a break. All you have to do is mad dog and rush Cintron, and he gets scared. Tony beat him by being Tony," said Capetillo. "He beat Miguel Cotto because he has the style to beat Cotto. He'll wear Cotto down and stop him every time they fight."

But against Mosley, the story is different, said Capetillo.

"[Margarito's] weight was a problem for that entire camp. He put on a lot of weight, not just water pounds but muscle, after he beat Cotto. He had to chop 20 pounds before he left Mexico to begin his camp for Mosley, and then he dropped another 30 in camp. He kept dropping weight and dropping weight until he had nothing," said Capetillo, adding that Margarito also had back problems that caused him to miss crucial training days.

"Then he would gain back whatever weight he lost the previous week. He was 16 pounds over [the welterweight limit] one week before the fight, and the closer we got to the weight, the sicker he got from dehydration," said Capetillo. "Four or five days out from the fight it was like he had the flu. He was shrinking before our eyes."

Capetillo's concern, he said, led to his sudden decision to go with the illegal wraps, a move that he said was not planned far ahead of time.

"I started panicking the week of the fight. I knew we were in deep s**t, and we couldn't tell anyone. It was too late to pull out of the fight. But I want to make it clear that I did not plan what happened," said Capetillo. "Maybe I was feeling the pressure of the fight and not paying attention to what I was doing when I reached into my bag and grabbed the training gauze, but I didn't do it on purpose."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Manny Pacquiao says this won't be his last fight -- Los Angeles Times

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angles Times

There were a few minutes Wednesday when the future of boxing became a black hole.

Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach was asked what becomes of the Filipino superstar if he again fails to make a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. next year, and the candid, well-connected Roach said, "I think this could be it.

"Where else do we have to go? Without Mayweather, there's no challenge."

Stop the presses.

There are obvious problems with Mayweather, and let's skip any amateur psychological assessment for now.

First, he had his initial court appearance pushed to Jan. 24 on Tuesday in a Las Vegas criminal case that threatens to force him to prison. Pacquiao's promoters say they can't arrange anything until they know what's going to happen at that hearing.

"I can't put millions of dollars in the hands of a judge who may set a trial date in September," Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said.

Yet, a legal source in Clark County (Nev.) has told The Times it's possible a Mayweather trial for domestic violence won't even be conducted in 2011. That would allow a super-fight to proceed in the May-June window promoter Arum would like.

Pacquiao's business manager, Michael Koncz, said he and Pacquiao will not open negotiations this time.

"It's up to Mayweather," Koncz said. "He either wants the fight or not."

Koncz speculates an oft-suggested theory that the Mayweather interest will not come, because "his bragging rights about being unbeaten are more important than boxing. He wants to say he's the best because he's unbeaten. Twenty percent of people will believe him, and he's content with that.

"He's not going to take that fight until he sees a downside with Manny."

Arum said if Mayweather's disappearing act continues into 2011, he'll explore bouts against world welterweight champions Shane Mosley and Andre Berto or junior-welterweight champion Timothy Bradley if he wins a tough fight in January against Devon Alexander.

Roach scoffed at Mosley, saying the 39-year-old "needs to retire."

When asked about his future, Pacquiao, 31, maintained with little hesitation that "this is not my last fight." He said even if Mayweather stays in hiding or appears headed behind bars, Pacquiao has "two to three fights" left.

Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Pacquiao and Margarito take the stage; Sulaiman steals the show -- 15Rounds

By Bart Barry, 15Rounds.com

ARLINGTON, Tex. – Unless the weekend’s combatants come to blows on the dais itself, Wednesday press conferences usually are dull affairs. Television executives, beer sponsors, secondary and tertiary promoters, personal trainers, all, read rehearsed remarks to writers who patiently await lunch. Business as usual.

The president of a sanctioning body, though, can be a refreshingly different story – as the media learned at Cowboys Stadium.

Wednesday afternoon in the final pre-fight press conference Filipino Manny Pacquiao and Mexican Antonio Margarito will have to attend before their Friday weigh-in, the president of the World Boxing Council, Jose Sulaiman, made his way to the podium and stole the show. More about Mr. Sulaiman in a bit.

Pacquiao and Margarito and their entourages gathered in the “House that Jerry Built” – though the builder, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, was not present – to say one last time that they were ready for one another.

Pacquiao, introduced by promoter Bob Arum as “the greatest credit, in our era, to the history of boxing,” presented his customarily likable self, filled with a gracious smile, words of thanks for everyone gathered, and a becoming humility that has not changed one bit throughout his rise to international prominence.

His opponent in Saturday’s superfight, Antonio Margarito, cut a grimmer figure. Exonerated fully by his promoter, if no one else, for the illegal inserts found in his hand wraps before a 2009 fight with Shane Mosley, Margarito and his team have recently acted several times in questionable taste. There was the footage of Margarito wrapping a piece of concrete over his knuckles during the second episode of HBO’s “24/7” series. And now footage of several people, from Margarito’s camp, imitating the effects of Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach’s Parkinson’s disease has surfaced on YouTube.

Margarito trainer Robert Garcia spoke at the podium about this, Wednesday, saying that he had admonished his fighters about inappropriate behavior like that in his gym. He further explained that one of his fighters claimed not to know even that Roach has Parkinson’s disease. Garcia did not, however, simply turn a few degrees to his right and offer an apology to Roach.

Freddie Roach, for his part, did not address the Margarito camp at all, preferring to focus on Congressman Pacquiao’s initial distractions.

“Little bit of a different training camp this time,” Roach said from the podium. “Just a little bit mental at first. (Pacquiao) wasn’t 100 percent there.”

But things did apparently improve when the camp relocated from the Philippines to California, and Roach saw no reason for concern.

All of those statements, though, were preceded by Jose Sulaiman, president of the WBC. Dressed in a silver suit with a white shirt and blue tie, Sulaiman ambled to the podium, apologized for his English and then offered Wednesday’s most entertaining spectacle.

He asked who could have imagined, way back in a time of short pants, that his friend Bob Arum would grow to become boxing’s “greatest promoter.” When that title was inadequate, Sulaiman then announced the WBC’s annual convention had just voted, unanimously, to declare that “in the 300-year history of the WBC,” Arum was one of boxing’s “two greatest promoters.” And then Sulaiman presented to Arum a curious piece of hardware that appeared to be a gray figurine balanced on green felt.

Finding his stride, Sulaiman next explained the colors of his suit. In a nod to Cowboys Stadium, Sulaiman declared not just himself but also his family “Cowboys.” He raised his blue tie and waved it at the media for dramatic effect before proclaiming the depth of his clan’s loyalty to Dallas’ professional football team:

“We cry when they lose, and we get drunk when they win!”

Friday’s Pacquiao-Margarito weigh-in will take place at Cowboys Stadium at 5:00 PM local time and will be open to the public.

Source: 15rounds.com

Margarito mocks Pacquiao boxing trainer's disease -- AFP

By Greg Heakes, AFP

DALLAS, Texas — The build up to Manny Pacquiao's WBC world title fight took a sad and distasteful twist when a video surfaced showing Antonio Margarito mocking legendary boxing trainer Freddie Roach.

The video, which was shot several weeks ago and appeared Wednesday on YouTube, shows Margarito's camp making fun of Roach - who suffers from Parkinson's disease which causes him to shake uncontrollably at times.

Margarito is seen shaking his hands and speaking with a tremor. Boxer Brandon Rios, who is on the undercard of Saturday's World Boxing Council super welterweight title fight between Pacquiao and Margarito, is also shown shaking his body and making fun of Roach in the video.

Margarito's trainer, Robert Garcia, is seen pointing at Rios and saying "that's Freddie Roach right there."

With Roach and Pacquiao sitting just a few feet away, Garcia took the podium at Wednesday's news conference at Cowboys Stadium and issued a half-hearted apology saying that no one in the Margarito camp knew that Roach suffered from Parkinson's.

"This was nothing personal. Nothing to do with his disease," Garcia said. "I apologize for people who think we are making fun of people with that disease."

After the news conference ended Garcia admitted his fighters were mocking Roach.

"These guys were just going back at Freddie," Garcia said. "They were making fun of Freddie Roach but nothing to do with the disease."

Roach isn't buying the apology and has vowed to ban Garcia from his Wild Card gym in Hollywood.

"(Garcia) certainly didn't apologize." Roach said Wednesday. "There was no apology. It is unreal that they said they didn't know I have Parkinson's. Everyone in the world knows I have Parkinson's.

"He is trying to cover it up. I won't speak to him ever in my life."

Roach said Mexico's Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) and American Rios (25-0-1, 18 KOs) should watch what they say because he believes he got the disease as a result of his own boxing career.

"The thing is that this is something that boxers can obtain because it is trauma related," Roach said. "They (Margarito and Rios) are in the sport and they both don't have good defences. I just hope it doesn't happen to them the way I have to live my life.

"Even though they are just making fun. They think it is funny right now and so forth. Brandon Rios is like a 2-year-old kid. He is like a child. He has the mind of a baby. He is not even a world champion. Don't talk (expletive) until you can beat my guys."

The effects of the disease on Roach were evident Wednesday at Cowboys Stadium as he spoke with reporters. He said he "doubled up" on his medication Wednesday morning "so I wouldn't shake as much but it is not working."

"At one time I thought Margarito was a pretty good guy. I don't think he is a good guy. I do hate those guys," Roach said.

Garcia said he admires Roach's work as a trainer but with the fight so close he now considers Roach an "enemy".

Garcia said he didn't know about the Parkinson's disease until someone told him Wednesday. He added he won't apologize face-to-face until after Saturday's fight.

Told Roach has vowed to never speak to him again, Garcia said, "that is his business.

"I apologize for what my fighters did. After the fight I am going to do it. But right now we are enemies because we got two fighters and I want to win the fight and he wants to win.

"Win or lose I am going to go up to Freddie Roach and apologize.

"We been to his gym to spar and right away he has sparring partners lined up for us. I am always going to respect him. I admire the work he has done with Manny Pacquiao."

The mocking incident is another blow to Margarito's already tarnished reputation.

On Saturday, the former world champion will step into the ring for the first time in the United States since he was slapped with a one-year suspension for using illegal hand wraps against Shane Mosley.

Filipino superstar Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs) has asked officials to allow him to send an extra person from his camp into Margarito's dressing room prior to the Dallas fight to observe the taping.

Margarito did not refer to the mocking incident when he took the microphone Wednesday.

Pacquiao said Wednesday that he has not seen the video but found the idea of it distasteful.

"For me it is not good," Pacquiao said. "We have to respect people. I am kind of person that doesn't like people talking about the personal lives of others."

Roach, who has been known to go after other trainers during weigh-ins and news conferences said he didn't confront Garcia Wednesday for Pacquiao's sake.

"I am doing it (staying calm) for (Pacquiao)," Roach said. "We've got a big fight coming up and I can't get excited. He can't get excited."

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

Source: google.com

Antonio Margarito mocks Manny Pacquiao trainer in video -- Reuters

By Mark Lamport-Stokes, Reuters

Antonio Margarito's trainer Robert Garcia has apologized for an internet video in which two of his fighters appear to mock the Parkinson's disease suffered by Manny Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach.

Garcia's public apology, later described as a cover-up by Roach, overshadowed a news conference held jointly by Margarito and seven-times world champion Pacquiao on Wednesday in the build-up to their November 13 super welterweight bout.

After being introduced on a raised stage by promoter Bob Arum at Cowboys Stadium, the fight venue, Garcia said he wanted to clear something up "before it gets any bigger".

The trainer then added: "Earlier today there was a video posted up on YouTube about two of my fighters joking around making fun of Freddie Roach.

"This was nothing to do with the disease that Freddie Roach has. We know it's something that we don't wish on anybody. I would never allow (talk of) that in my gym."

The video, posted on several internet sites before being taken down, showed Margarito, Garcia and fighter Brandon Rios apparently making fun of Roach's Parkinson's disease symptoms.

Margarito aped Roach's involuntary twitches by shaking his arms and Rios stuttered the words "Manny Pacquiao" before Garcia said to Rios: "Hey, there's Freddie Roach".

While issuing his apology during Wednesday's pre-fight news conference, Garcia described the video antics as "something personal, something between Team Pacquiao and Team Margarito".

He added: "When I told Brandon Rios this morning that (the video) was out there, that everyone was thinking that we were making fun of people with that disease, he was surprised.

"And I said: 'Well, the disease that Freddie Roach has.' He didn't even know Freddie Roach had a disease."

APOLOGY REJECTED

Roach, who controls his symptoms through medication and by training with his boxers, rejected Garcia's apology.

"He doesn't I know I have Parkinson's and all of that?" Roach told reporters. "Please. It wasn't really an apology. It was just a cover-up."

Garcia said later he would personally apologize to Roach only after Saturday's fight.

"I apologize for what my fighters did but right now, I don't want to go to him (Roach) personally," Garcia told reporters. "Right now we are fighting against each other. Right now, we are enemies.

"I want to win the fight and he wants to win the fight. But right after the fight, win or lose, I am going to go up to Freddie Roach and I am going to apologize to him and ... give him all the respect that I've always given him."

The war of words between Garcia and Roach added unexpected spice to a news conference in which Pacquiao and Margarito were upbeat in a very measured way about Saturday's fight.

Filipino Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 KOs), who will be competing for an eighth world title in an unprecedented eighth weight class, said he expected a strong challenge from the much bigger Mexican.

"This is the fight I have been waiting for," said Pacquiao, who wore a black suit, a purple tie and a white shirt. "He is a very aggressive fighter and throws a lot of punches, and that is what I want in the fighter I am going to fight."

Three-times world champion Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs), casually dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt and blue jeans, said he had never been in better shape.

"This is my best camp ever," added the Mexican, who also wore sunglasses. "I want to show everyone that I am back and what I can do on Saturday night. The time is here ... you will have a new Mexican champion on the 13th."

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

Source: reuters.com

Margarito's trainer says his camp didn't know Roach had a disease -- Yahoo! Sports

By Steve Cofield, Yahoo! Sports

When it comes to Antonio Margarito's claim that he didn't know about the loaded hand wraps, who's buying the story? His new trainer Robert Garcia said he believes his fighter. His objectivity can be called into question and after Wednesday's prefight press conference, we're not sure we can believe anything Garcia says.

The Oxnard-based trainer, a former fighter himself, decided to address the brewing controversy caused by a YouTube video where it appears Margarito and his training partner Brandon Rios were mocking on the fact that Freddie Roach has Parkinson's disease (2:45 mark). Talking about Manny's Pacquiao trainer, they shook and froze up.

Wednesday afternoon, Garcia gave this explanation:

"We already talked about it and this has nothing to do with the disease Freddie Roach has," Garcia said. "I would never allow that in my gym. This is something personal between Team Pacquiao and Team Margarito."

Garcia then said his guys were unaware of the fact that Roach had the disease.

"When I told Brandon Rios this morning that [the video] was up and everybody was thinking that we were making fun of people with that disease ... he was surprised. He said 'what disease? I don't even know what disease you're talking about.' So it's nothing personal. It had nothing to do with his disease."

Roach has been around the business forever. He's been involved in countless huge promotions over the years. Is it believable that anyone in boxing could be unaware that he shakes and stutters because of the disease?

Just like Muhammad Ali, it's likely that Roach developed Parkinson's from his years in the ring. If anyone should be extra sensitive to his malady shouldn't it be other folks in the boxing world? Frankly, after seeing something like this video and Team Margarito constantly mocking on the hand-wrap allegations, could you blame anyone if they automatically characterized Margarito as someone who would cheat without a second of hesitation?

Source: sports.yahoo.com

Margarito makes fun of Pacquiao trainer in video -- NBC Sports

By STEPHEN HAWKINS, Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Texas - Antonio Margarito has repeatedly said he is sorry for a hand-wrapping scandal that almost ended his boxing career. Now his camp has had to apologize again, for something else only days before getting into the ring against Manny Pacquiao.

A video interview posted by Elie Seckbach of FanHouse recently raced across the Internet, in which Margarito and Brandon Rios — both of whom are trained by Robert Garcia — appear to mock the Parkinson's disease of Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach.

Before even talking about the junior middleweight title bout during a news conference Wednesday at Cowboys Stadium, Garcia first apologized for the video.

"This was nothing to do with the disease that Freddie Roach has. We know it's something that we don't wish nobody," Garcia said Wednesday. "It's something personal, something between Team Pacquiao and Team Margarito. I just wanted to make that clear."

When Roach was at the podium a few minutes later, he didn't acknowledge what Garcia said or even refer to the video. After the formal program was completed, though, Roach said he wasn't buying Garcia's apology.

In the video, Margarito makes a twisted face and raises a shaking hand for the camera before it pans to Rios, who also makes faces and stutters while saying Pacquiao's name.

The video has since been edited to remove Rios and make it appear as though Margarito is doing a scared impression of Roach, who has routinely questioned Margarito's integrity following the hand-wrapping scandal nearly two years ago.

Garcia also takes part in the mockery by holding up a thick chunk of metal and telling Roach he'd better watch as Margarito's hands are wrapped so that it doesn't end up under the tape.

"They're so disrespectful to me and the hand pad issues. ... It's like a slap in the face, like 'we got caught with something, but we're still here fighting. ' I think it shows his true character. I don't think they are a good group of people," Roach said. "I'm not going to bother Manny Pacquiao with that. Manny doesn't hate anybody and so forth, but I do hate those guys."

Pacquiao said he hadn't seen the video.

Roach does plan to make sure Margarito is being watched when his hands are wrapped before Saturday night's bout. That's not a joke.

"I will watch him. I asked the (Texas) commission to have a person from my camp in their training room from start to finish, and they can do the same with me," Roach said, adding that his request was approved. "I don't trust those guys. He'll do anything to win. He's done it before. He's a cheater."

The bout will be Pacquiao's second at Cowboys Stadium, where more than 50,000 fans are expected to attend along with an expected pay-per-view audience of 1 million or more.

In March at the $1.2 billion showplace, Pacquiao dominated Joshua Clottey from the opening bell to retain his welterweight title with an unanimous decision.

Pacquiao has since been elected a congressman in his native Philippines, a job that initially seemed to be affecting his training for this fight. He even missed a day of workouts.

"Everything is back to normal," Roach said, declaring Pacquiao ready for the fight. "It was never physical. It was all mental. His mental focus wasn't there."

Margarito, the former welterweight champion, was approved to fight in Texas after being denied a license in California and having another application in Nevada tabled.

Promoter Bob Arum again Wednesday applauded the decision by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and defended Margarito. Both Pacquiao and Margarito fight under Arum's Top Rank banner.

"When other people in boxing, some other commissions feasted on innuendoes, lies and smears, this commission read the record, read every scrap from the California hearing to the appeals," Arum said. "For 18 months (Margarito) has gone through hell, but he's taken it like a man, he's accepted it and believe me on Saturday night he will give you the fight of his life."

Margarito hasn't fought in the United States since January 2009, when a plaster-like substance was found in his hand wraps before a fight against Shane Mosley in Los Angeles.

Margarito's license along with that of his former trainer, Javier Capetillo, were revoked for at least one year by the California State Athletic Commission, a decision that was upheld by other states.

Margarito has repeatedly said he wasn't aware of the substance found in his hand wraps.

"I wrap guys every day," Roach said. "Believe me, if I put a rock in their hand, they would know it."

In his only fight since, Margarito won an unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in Mexico in May.

While Garcia acknowledged that they were making fun of Roach in the video, he insisted that Rios didn't even know about the Parkinson's disease that affects Pacquiao's trainer. Garcia said the video was made about five weeks ago.

"He didn't even know Freddie had a disease," Garcia said. "He thought it was from 13 losses that Freddie Roach had when he was a professional boxer."

Roach said Margarito and Garcia have been nice to him in the past.

"But they stooped kind of low this time," Roach said. "They showed their true colors."

___

AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in New York contributed to this report.


Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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THREE DAYS TIL FIGHT NIGHT: Not Manny-Money, But There Will Be Butterflies -- The Sweet Science

By Michael Woods, The Sweet Science

Three days til fight night. Three days until boxing's undisputed face, the keeper of the fistic flame, Saint Manny Pacquiao, will glove up, and gun for a title in an unprecedented eighth different weight class. For that reason, the air of excitement is crackling that much more.

We can debate whether that 8th crown would be asterisk free, with Team Pacquiao having secured a concession from foe Antonio Margarito, when he agreed to weigh 150 pounds, or less, at Friday's weigh in. But no one, save for a tiny pocket of Floyd Mayweather team-members, and Floyd himself, could argue that anyone other than Manny is the man who represents boxing today.

If this wasn't confirmed before last Sunday, the Bob Simon piece on "60 Minutes," which was intended to introduce the Filipino fighter/politician to people who don't follow the fight game, or perhaps have not since Ali, or Mike Tyson reigned, did so.

All of us hoped that this clash Saturday would pit Pacquiao against Mayweather, and we all hope that, for the good of the sport's profile, that will still happen next year. But that doesn't mean there won't be that touch of butterflies in the belly of fight fans come Saturday morning.

I see the Pacquiao-Margarito fight as a less lopsided version of the Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey "fight" in March, because Pacman's hand speed, and footwork, will outstrip any weight "advantage" the Mexican might have come fight night, after he re-hydrates to middleweight. But only a Pacmaniac drunk on the aura of Manny would argue that Margarito couldn't plausibly land that wrecking ball which sends the Filipino to the loss column for the first time since 2005 (a March UD12 loss to Erik Morales).

"Boxing is taking its proper place on the world's stage," Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said on Wednesday afternoon, at the final press conference before the Saturday tussle at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. I cannot deny my lack of objectivity, and my gratitude that Pacquiao has elevated himself to be the face of the sport, which too often is saddled with a seedy, or sociopathic, or inauthentic leader. His perseverance, and constant amiability, and entrance into public service, make him a solid role model, in a world sadly in need of them.

"The Congressman from the province of Sarangani, the fighter with the title of the best in the world, with the realization that he might be the greatest fighter of all time," said Arum, in his introduction of Pacquiao.

He thanked, with the skill of a vet pol, all the principals who helped put the bout together. He said he expects a good fight, because of Margarito's aggressive style. "There's no problem about my training camp," he said, for the 7,096th time. Early on in camp, he wasn't moving well, he said, because he was a few pounds too heavy, so he dropped down to 147, and maintained that weight channel. He then plugged his book, which comes out on November 19. "I hope you will buy it, there's my story, thank you," he said.

Arum said the California commission didn't "give him a fair shake. As far as the record is concerned, this man has done nothing wrong. Please welcome my friend, Antonio Margrito."

The fighter told the media and those watching the live stream that "there are no excuses. I'm ready for this fight, and I want to tell Jose Sulaiman he's got a new Mexican champion on the thirtheenth. This is our best camp, I want to thank God and I want to show everyone I'm back, and what I can do, on Saturday night."

"A man treated with the reverence which once went to his mentor, Eddie Futch," as Arum put it, also spoke. Freddie Roach said Pacman came to camp in a bit worse shape than usual, because he was concentrating on politics. "We know it's a tough fight, we're ready, don't miss it," he said.

Margarito's trainer, Robert Garcia, said a YouTube video showing two of his fighters making fun of Freddie Roach does not indicate any insensitivity regarding Roach's struggle with Parkinson's. One of the fighters, Brandon Rios, Garcia said, did not know that Roach suffers from the disorder.*

Alex Ariza spoke briefly, and said he assures all that Manny is in "100% condition."

SPEEDBAG Arum lauded the Texas commission for granting Margarito a license, and slammed the Cali commission for "smearing" the boxer.

---The promoter also welcomed "my friend," Jose Sulaiman, the WBC chie. He presented Arum with a statue-trophy for his success in keeping boxing afloat. "I believe this fight is going to be much better than what people say," Sulaiman said. "I believe in the heart of this guy," he said, pointing at Margarito. He then drew a laugh when he said he and his family are Cowboys fans. "We cry when they lose, and get drunk when they lose," he said.

--There will be a press conference for the undercard Thursday morning.

---The weigh in will be at 4:30 local time, on Friday.

*---Decide for yourself. It looks to me like Garcia is knee deep in the mockery, and it looks to me like Rios is mocking the facial expressions and tremors which stem from the Parkinson's. Does he get a pass because he says he didn't know the tremors result from the Parkinson's? www.badlefthook.com/2010/11/9/1804989/video-hype-antonio-margarito-and-brandon-rios-make-fun-of-parkinsons

Source: thesweetscience.com

Manny Pacquiao Having Doubts about Winning against Antonio Margarito -- Ringside Report

By “Bad” Brad Berkwitt, Ringside Report

RSR was just informed by a inside source very close to “Team Pacquiao” that contrary to reports that Manny is on track, he has behind closed doors expressed doubts that he can beat “Hands of Plaster” Antonio Margarito. The source went on to say, “Manny is concerned because he knows that his duties (Congress) have greatly affected this training camp and his mind is not even 75% into this fight.”

This sham of a fight may turn out to be the winning lottery ticket for Antonio Margarito if Manny is not up to the task. It has been reported that there is no rematch clause in the contract because the odds are so high against the Mexican fighter. Expect the odds to be heavily against him going into this fight, but with Pacquiao’s lack of focus, some gamblers may be cashing in on Saturday night.

Source: ringsidereport.com