Margarito Gets Texas License As Money Triumphs Over Ethics
Written By: Armando Paz
The state of Texas has a long standing reputation of being tough on crime. The state has executed more inmates on death row from 1976 until now, than the next 6 states combined. The lonestar state is known for traditional values and being “no nonsense” with crime. Yet the Texas State Athletic Commission has been one of the most liberal commissions in existence. Edwin Valero a fighter with serious head trauma; was denied a license to fight in New York after a MRI revealed a serious head injury due to motorcycle accident that happened in 2001, he was still allowed to fight in Texas. Evander Holyfied was given a license to fight in Texas after serving an administrative suspension in New York due to health issues.
Unsurprisingly, the Texas State Athletic Commission will give Antonio Margarito a chance to fight Manny Pacquiao for the vacant WBC Junior Middleweight title at a catchweight of 151 pounds or 10 stones 11 pounds on November 13. The decision is not a shock, it was fully expected. It is quite simple “Money Talks” as an old AC/DC tune states. Jerry Jones owner of the Dallas Cowboys and Bob Arum of Top Rank will bring great revenue to the state by having the fight in Cowboys Stadium. The arena can easily accommodate 50,000 people if needed for the fight as the football games can seat a capacity of over 80,000, not even counting standing room. The Pacquiao-Clottey gate took in over $6 million at the gate with an approximately 36,000 paying crowd and thousands more due to sponsors and ticket give aways. Margarito is expected to bring in a good number of Mexican fans who reside in Texas.
Critics will say big deal, as Mike Tyson was still allowed to fight after he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear on two occasions in one fight, so does that mean that two wrongs make a right? Margarito never bit an ear off, but he almost took Sebastian Andres Lujan ear off when they fought back in 2005. It was a horrid scene with the ear dangling for all to see. Of course, nobody can say if Margarito had any illegal handwraps in that fight or any other fight. But when a man gets caught cheating it brings suspicion to his past and we do know what happened before the Mosley fight.
Margarito a Californian by birth, was denied a boxing license by that very state due to having illegal inserts in his handwraps before a fight with Shane Mosley in January 2009. The Nevada State Athletic Commission had deferred ruling on the case until the CSAC would rule on that matter since it happened in their jurisdiction. That was reminiscent to Pontius Pilate telling Caiaphus to bring Jesus to King Herod since it was not under his jurisdiction. In this matter, the place would rule against the subject in a 5-1 vote. Texas as in both the Valero and Holyfield case overuled the prior athletic commission’s decision.
In 1983, Luis Resto would be caught with using the plaster of paris and loaded gloves against an undefeated rising star named Billy Collins Jr. Resto would be charged with criminal charges and serve over two years in jail. Both Resto and his trainer Panama Lewis would be banned from boxing for life. Lewis would be allowed to train but not in the corner or ringside. For those who say Margarito needs to make a living? How about a fighter who loses their livelihood due to being a victim of illegal handwraps? Billy Collins suffered a torn iris and visual complications and couldn’t fight again. The post fight pictures appear to show Collins almost like a corpse being autopsied. I prefer not to upload this pictures and advise viewer discretion if you want to see them. Collins would later die in a car accident in which many feel was a suicide due to losing his boxing career. The sport of boxing has seen tragic deaths as Bernie Paret and Duk Koo Kim to know how dangerous the sport is even without illegal handwraps or loaded gloves.
The fact that Margarito seems to show little remorse and made excuses that he was not aware of what was in the gloves also make it even more difficult to comprehend the decision. Morevoer, a catchweight for a vacant title only adds more question marks to the fight. I think the circumstances in this fight make the catchweight more glaring than the catchweights in Leonard-Lalonde, Hopkins-De La Hoya, or Whitaker-Chavez. None of those fighters were suspended and than rewarded with a shot at a vacant title. The WBC pretty much made Margarito their #1 ranked by giving him the WBC International title against an unknown Roberto Garcia.
I anticipate this will bring plenty of discussion in the sport. Many have argued for years regarding one universal body that can override state commissions to prevent fighters going to different jurisdictions to obtain licenses. In reality, the power is within the people. If the public gives the fight a huge gate and solid pay per view numbers than the public not the Texas State Athletic Commission, has effectively said “Cheating Pays.”
