The former three time welterweight champion Antonio Margarito of Tijuana, MX, is in the final phase of training for his return on May 8th to the ring against Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia in the main event of “Latin Fury 14” taking place in Aguascalientes, MX.
The bout will mark his return after completing a twelve month sanction set by the California State Athletic Comission after they found illegal substances in his pre-fight hand wraps prior to his WBA champion fight with “Sugar” Shane Mosley in January of ’09.
“I am anxious to climb into the ring, for May 8th to be here,” Margarito stated to Notifight.com. “I want to give a good fight to the fans.
Margarito noted that his next opponent has the same name as his current trainer, Robert Garcia.
“Yes it is a coincidence but they are not the same. My opponent’s name is Roberto “La Amenaza” Garcia while my trainer is Robert “Granpa” Garcia,” Margarito stated. “My opponent is very strong and has only two losses. He has never been knocked out and the majority of his wins have been by knockout.”
After sixteen months of inactivity, many would think that it would be prudent to return with an easier opponent than Garcia, but the “Tijuana Tornado” didn’t think so.
“That is what a lot of people told me but I asked for a tough opponent,” he said after an extensive work out in Oxnard, CA. “I am glad they chose Roberto Garcia because I want opponents that I are going to push me and during my layoff I was still training.”
“While I was out of boxing, I kept working in Tijuana with sparring and I don’t think the inactivity is going to affect me much,” Margarito added.
Margarito mentioned that his return bout will be disputed at the super welterweight limit of 154 lbs. but he still plans to return to his original haunts of the 147 lbs. division.
“My goal is to return to 147 lbs., I have been promised a bout with Manny Pacquiao,” Margarito said. “He is fighting at welter and that is why I would have to go down if the fight with the Filipino gets made and I hope it does.”
Another possibility would be if Miguel Cotto beats Yuri Foreman in their up coming bout for a jr. middleweight title.
“I am interested in a bout with Cotto for another title, that is another possibility,” the Tijuana native said. “Many fans want to see Margarito against Cotto and I am ready for anybody, I am a proven fighter and I am ready.”
Although Margarito is over thirty years of age and has lot over a year and a half to inactivity, he does not believe he is in the sunset of his career.
“I don’t believe I am on the final stretch of my career, I think I still have some years left,” Margarito explained. “I do have to take adavantage of time and I feel in my prime. I want to fight the best.”
Even though Margarito has a set plan for the rest of his career, there is variables that need to come to fruition before he can take his next step.
“There is many different plans in case my next bout is not against Pacquaio or Cotto,” Margarito shared. “I don’t know if my next bout will be against an elite opponent or it might be another fight in Mexico. Carson Johnson is still being metioned, it all depends in how I look in my return, it depends on my promoter and if I get my license back in the United States.”
Margarito also took the opportunity to respond to some of the statements many of his past opponents have been saying regarding his issue with the hand wraps in his last bout, starting with Kermit Cintron who believes and has stated in the press that he believes that Margarito fought him with altered hand wraps.
“I didn’t cry like he did,” Margarito says with a chuckle. “Now everybody wants to justify their losses to me with the allegations that Mosley’s people made against me.”
I want to say to Cintron and all those who want to justify their losses against me, that I don’t need of altered hand wraps to beat them. If Kermit Cintron wants, I am here for whenever he wants and with the hand wraps of his choosing or no hand wraps at all and that goes for Miguel Cotto also because he wanted to justify the beating I gave him with the same and look what happened against Manny Pacquiao.”
“Imagine if I would have fought Cotto with altered hand wraps and with all the punches I landed on his face, I would have fractured it and besided I would have hurt my own hands. I would beat Cotto with hand wraps or no hand wraps. His father, rest in peace, said very bad things about me. I don’t want to disrespect him or his memory, I sent my condolesces to Miguel Cotto and let me repeat that I feel for Miguel and I hope he has resigned himself to his father’s passing but his father, who is in our Lord’s grace, said that it wasn’t normal how his son’s face ended up after fighting me. Maybe for him it wasn’t normal but his son had never fought somebody like me who hit him as many times as I did and that is why he ended up like he did.
“If Miguel Cotto wants the rematch, I will give it to him.”