Antonio Margarito’s Fate Now Sealed?

Exclusive report and photos from the fighter and trainer’s hearing

“Soiled, dirty, with a little spot on it” is how the illegal hand wraps were described at Tuesday’s disciplinary hearing at the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) meeting held in Van Nuys. Perhaps this also describes the now-tainted careers of boxer Antonio Margarito and his trainer Javier Capetillo as the two received a minimum one-year revocation of their licenses to fight in California (all other states are expected to honor this decision as well).

After the January 24 bout against Shane Mosley (which Margarito lost in a ninth round TKO) both had received a temporary suspension after the finding of an illegal hand wrap. During over five hours of testimony the former welterweight champion and his trainer listened as witnesses recounted what took place in the dressing room before the fight, how the wraps and the knuckle pad were confiscated, and the chain of custody that followed. Placed in a sealed clear bag is that now-hardened insert which was held up, displayed and inspected throughout the proceedings.

Attorney Daniel Petrocelli, who shot to high-profile status when he represented Fred Goldman in the lawsuit against O.J. Simpson, defended Margarito at the hearing. The mood in the room was somber and serious; Margarito at times seemed both cautious and optimistic as he awaited his fate. During breaks in the hearing, the boxer looked appreciative and relieved when a few fighters and friends approached him to shake his hand or give him some show of support.

Seen in the standing-room only crowd of onlookers and participants were some heavy hitters in the sport: Margarito’s promoter Bob Arum, Hall of Fame publicist Bill Caplan, promoter Dan Goossen, Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer and Eric Gomez, Don and Lorraine Chargin and many ring officials including Raul Caiz Sr. (who was the referee in the Margarito-Mosley bout), Marty Denkin, Jack Reiss and Gwen Adair.

State Inspector Che Guevara provided the lengthiest testimony at the disciplinary hearing as Lead Supervising Deputy Attorney General Karen Chappelle (representing the CSAC) questioned him and presented a demonstration of the legal way to wrap a fighter’s hands. Cutman “Indian” Willie Schunke was asked to wrap the hands of Nick Franco, younger brother of fighter Michael “Lil Warrior” Franco, in direct view of the commission, attorneys and audience members. Later the Riverside resident told me, “I got the call to demonstrate the correct way to wrap hands and it’s an honor to assist in any way.”

Guevara said he has worked in over 150 bouts and when asked if he had ever had to remove any hand wrap considered illegal he answered, “Never.” Describing what happened in the dressing room when Mosley’s trainer Naazim Richardson first noticed the illegal wrapping, he said “Right away Naazim was concerned. I touched it and it wasn’t consistent with pure gauze. It was actually clean new bandage wraps but in the inner layers was another thinner layer–not hard as a rock–but firm and hard and it looked like old blood was on it. He (Capetillo) was asked to make new pad with a roll of gauze since it was not consistent with the rules.”

The commission had already approved the right hand but the left hand was not approved, “If it’s on the left hand than most likely it will be on the right hand too.” At that point they instructed Capetillo to cut the right hand wrap off.

Upon questioning the inspector was asked the demeanor of Capetillo and he described him as “aggressive and agitated.” Guevara also said Margarito was very bothered and agitated and said in English, ‘There’s nothing in it–go ahead, touch it!” But he later also said the fighter was “not complaining and focused on the task at hand” during the 30 minutes that it took the camp to complete the final hand wrapping process.

During this time “there was a lot of bickering with Naazim” and Chief Inspector Dean Lohuis was then called in as Richardson and others watched Margarito’s hands being wrapped a second time, then a third time as Mosley’s trainer objected to the amount of tape and the actual placement of the tape. Guevara said, “At the third application Dean Lohuis put his finger on it until we were satisfied.”

License inspector Mike Bray was called to testify and to reiterate what was found on the hand wraps–which he said looked “moist and dirty looking.” Recalling what he saw when summoned to the dressing room and first seeing the wrap, “I immediately retrieved it. I believe it was an illegal pad–it needed to be confiscated. I observed what appeared to be a bloodstain. It was not new and their was a white substance smeared across the knuckles. It was hard to the touch–like Plaster of Paris.”

The attorneys then showed him photos (magnified six times larger) as Bray pointed out the bloodstain on the top left corner and showed the substance smeared in the middle of the wrap. The left hand wrap–described as “soiled, dirty with a little spot on it”–remains in the lab for seven to eight weeks before results are in.

When questioned about Margarito and Capetillo’s demeanor through this inspection Bray stated, “Mr. Capetillo was very upset. The more comments that Naazim made, Mr. Capetillo was getting more agitated as time went on.” He continued that as the rewrapping continued, “They showed no remorse. They were just calm and quiet” by that point. Bray later was the one who went to the Mosley camp to inform them about the illegal hand wrap, “I walked in, told them to turn off the radio, to be quiet and I explained what happened. I assured Mr. Mosley that the hand wraps he (Margarito) had on were legal.”

Bray kept the hand wraps in a sealed box the rest of the night saying, “They never left my sight.” Questioned by Margarito’s attorney Petrocelli, he was asked, “When you said Margarito showed no remorse you weren’t saying that he knew about the pad?” Bray concurred that he didn’t know either way if Margarito was or wasn’t aware of the pad, saying, “He showed no emotion.”

In later testimony Lohuis recalled a rules meeting with both camps on January 23, the day before the fight, in which the ABC rules and guidelines strictly prohibited were read, “We went over the championship rules, the use of bandages and hand wraps. The use of water is strictly prohibited in Rule #11.”

It was stated that there was more arguing from Capetillo and Richardson in the dressing room. When Lohuis walked in he saw the tape was too far back on the wrists and told them take it off and in both English and Spanish, trying to calm them down as the wraps were removed again. Having over 25 years experience he said he’s supervised over 20,000 fights. When questioned if he still believed the hand wraps were indeed illegal he stated firmly, “No doubt then, no doubt now. The wraps I found had the knuckle pad altered in some form. They were hard. I didn’t think twice when I pulled them out as illegal.”

Describing the Capetillo’s reaction, Lohuis said, “There was some resistance in the beginning.” And of Margarito’s reaction? “He offered no resistance or tried to hide anything.”

Lohuis stated that he has known Margarito for years and maintained a professional relationship with the boxer. When the hand wraps were called into question, Lohuis said he leaned over to Margarito and said in his ear, “Don’t worry, Tony. Focus on the fight.” In regards to not holding the purse that night, he explained, “I said we’ll handle this later since the maximum penalty is $2,500 and this is a million dollar fight.” Asked why the hand wraps were confiscated, “It was a gross violation of the rules.”

As Margarito’s attorney Petrocelli questioned Capetillo, the trainer said over and over that the use of the illegal hand wraps was an innocent mistake. He implored to the commission that he wanted to take full responsibility for inadvertently using the wrong wraps and did not want his fighter to be punished in any way.

Capetillo explained that he left the Montebello gym and went straight to the Staples Center the day of the fight and that the pad was probably just thrown in his gym bag by one of the boxers at the gym who may have used it on the heavy bag. “It came from a boxer in the gym. They just throw them in my bag; they grab scissors and just throw them in there. I reached in and grabbed the wrong pad,” he said during the testimony. “I really did not realize it. That’s how it happened. I pulled out the wrong one that’s used to hit the heavy bags. I’m sorry. I’m human.”
When asked by a commission member if he was just a “sacrificial lamb” who was “falling on the sword” to save his fighter who is like a son to him, Capetillo again insisted on taking complete responsibility for his actions, “No, it’s my responsibility. It was an innocent mistake. It was just a mistake. It’s the truth!”

The trainer, who received $200,000 for the fight, repeated why there was an illegal substance concealed in the white gauze, “When I arrived at the arena, I put my hand in my bag to pull out the little pads and as a mistake, I put them on without realizing it. I grabbed the wrong thing. It was something innocent. It was a big mistake…So much pressure, screams and yells, so much chaos. I didn’t realize it. I am prepared here for any responsibility. I committed a big mistake–I acknowledge it!”

Capetillo’s voice rose as pleaded for leniency for Margarito, “I don’t want this young man to pay. He did not realize I made this mistake. I feel bad because of Margarito. He did not know anything that was going on! It was not ill-attended. I did NOT cheat–it was a mistake! I did not cheat anywhere.”

Manager Francisco Espinosa also was called up as a witness and seemed visibly shaken and upset for his boxer.
Margarito took the stand and, through an interpreter, calmly answered questions with short, clear replies. Asked how a suspension would affect him, he said he was the sole financial supporter for his wife, three of her brothers and his parents and at age 30 feels that he still has years ahead of him to fight.

The fighter also explained that he didn’t know what happened with the hand wraps but “I know there’s something wrong and that’s why I’m here. I’ve never been in a situation like this before.” Under testimony, he said that he didn’t feel or see anything different with the wraps and that he did hold his right hand out telling them, “Check it, feel it!” Asked about his poor performance in the title fight, Margarito said that his weight loss may have been the reason for his lack of punching power.

There was even a lighthearted moment that occurred during his testimony. Since the purse wasn’t held after the fight, Margarito said he received 2.3 million dollars for the Mosley bout. When asked if and when he cashed the check, the fighter replied “yesterday” as light chuckles broke up the serious tone of the hearing for a brief moment.

In closing arguments Petrocelli said, in defense of Margarito, “He would have no reason to cheat, no motive, no evidence! He didn’t blame anyone. He lost every round and got beat. He is the last person to discredit the sport.” He then urged the commission to terminate the suspension.

Some personal statements were made by a few of the commission members in regards that this finding added another black eye to the sport of boxing and that boxing itself is on trial before it was recommended that Capetillo and Margarito’s licenses be revoked for one year. As CSAC Chairman Timothy Noonan supervised the tally, hands went up in a unanimous decision of 7-0 first for the trainer, then once again a 7-0 vote for the boxer.
After the penalty was handed down, an angry Arum went to console Margarito saying to the fighter, “We’ll fight in Mexico!” Publicist Caplan also went over to the disappointed fighter who tried to remain stoic.

Boxer Ruben Castillo quickly went over to Margarito to offer some solace from a fellow fighter. And while the former featherweight feels for Margarito, he also takes a tough stance that as a former boxer himself, “I fought for over 30 years–I know what goes on my hands! I think the world of Margarito but it was a mistake and I think they knew about it. How can you say you don’t know? They contradicted themselves today. I like to call them like I see them. What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong.”

On the flip side to that, Castillo also told me in regards to Margarito’s future, “I told Tony to stay in shape. He’s a good kid. If he stays in shape, maybe he can come back someday.”

In a day of up-and-down emotions, Margarito appeared to handle the decision well considering the ramifications of this decision. Looking stricken as the decision was made, he kept his chin up as supporters stepped in one by one to console him, then gamely smiling as he was besieged by fans while he made his way out toward the outdoor patio.

As the “Tijuana Tornado” continued to make his exit out of the hearing, supportive fans lingered outside in support of their beloved but fallen hero. Margarito kept a stiff upper lip and seemed buoyed by his fans’ support, even posing for photos and signing autographs while the crowd surrounded him. He looked grateful as they embraced him. I asked him if he had a message for his fans and he told me, “Thank you to the fans who have supported me–I appreciate it!”

While everyone congregated in the lobby area, there was a mixed reaction from the people in attendance. A lot of people thought and hoped that Margarito would be cleared and the suspension lifted, believing that the boxer would not be held liable for what his trainer did. Some thought the decision was too light, some thought it was too harsh, and then there was Bob Arum. The promoter had been hoping for a Margarito-Miguel Cotto rematch that was obviously derailed with the license revocation.

Holding court outside, Arum was extremely upset about the ruling. After unleashing a few expletives, the Top Rank President said to some of us outside, “I’m totally offended. If there was some evidence, that’s different. The only evidence is of his INNOCENCE. It’s horrendous–I’m flabbergasted! There will be a lawsuit over this!” Convinced of Margarito’s innocence, the veteran promoter was clearly livid over the ruling and continued to make his case heard in the patio courtyard.

So what do you think about this latest controversy in boxing?

Do you think the ruling was too harsh? Too light? Should their licenses be reinstated after the one year ban in the U.S.?

In a year Margarito and Capetillo can go before the commission to reapply for their licenses.

Until then we will all be waiting and watching to see what happens.

Photos by Michele Chong: Margarito and Capetillo await their fates; Tony offers an optimistic smile, a weary smile from his trainer; Cutman “Indian” Willie and Nick Franco after their hand wrap demo; The testimony and the vote amidst the throng of media; Right after the decision: Publicist Caplan consoles Tony; Fighter Ruben Castillo with the fighter and his trainer; Attorney Petrocelli after the hearing; Bob Arum is upset with the decision; Fans circle around their favorite fighter and bring a smile to Margarito