The rumor swirling around Tijuana, MX, is that the former three time welterweight champion and SDFights.com #1 ranked Antonio “Tijuana Tornado” Margarito will be fighting in his hometown as soon as July of this year.
As we all know, Margarito along with his trainer and father figure Javier Capetillo are suspended by the California State Atlethic Commission and subsequently by every other state in the union for illegal hand wraps that were discovered prior to his loss of the WBA welterweight title at the fists of “Sugar” Shane Mosley last January.
“Yes, there is talks of me fighting here in Tijuana in the summer. They have said that it might be against Carlos Baldomir or a Russian,” Margarito said to me in passing a week and a half ago at “Tijuana Thunder”. “They want me to get ranked by the WBC so I can go after Andre Berto.”
The “they” mentioned could only be his promoters Top Rank and in the Mexico fight, Zanfer Promotions, the Mexican faction of the Arum empire.
As far as the Russian mentioned by the “Tijuana Tornado”, it might be WBC #9 ranked Ivan “The Terrible” Kirpa (23-1, 15KO). Baldomir is not currently ranked by the WBC as one of their top ten welterweights but at one point the Gaucho fighter was the WBC welterweight champion before being dethroned by Floyd Mayweather Jr.
It has been confirmed to exclusively to SDFights.com by an official of the Tijuana Boxing Comission that Zanfer Promotions does in fact have a date reserved for the summer.
After Margarito’s trainer Javier Capetillo worked the corner of “Panchito” Arce, Jorge “Travieso” Arce’s brother, earlier this year it has been said in the corridors of the state capitol that his license will not be reinstated by the CSAC in January of 2010 when his suspension is over.
The CSAS considers it a slap in the face for Capetillo to work a corner after he was suspended.
You can only speculate that the CSAC would feel the same way about Margarito fighting in July a mere ten minutes from the border that Mexico shares with the state that suspended him.
According to Bob Arum, Top Rank will not hold a promotion in the state of California as long as the comission up holds the suspension of the former champion.
I for one, would like to see Margarito fight again. Whether its in Tijuana or north of the border, that is a choice he and his team have to make. It is obvious that Margarito’s purse would be much higher in the United States and I find it hard to understand why Margarito would jeopardize higher pay in the future for the opportunity to fight in Tijuana.
He must have much to prove.
Sounds like you are making a lot of sense, Jon. Good for the sport and the well being of the athletes (who too often get the short end). A darn shame we can’t make it happen.
I especially like the idea of a committee of past greats (they would have to be disinterested, so the Golden Boy partners would be out) who certainly wouldn’t want to tarnish the sport they love, as a sort of “Board of Directors”/oversight body. It strikes me that rather than a Cali Commission populated by lawyer types and bureaucrats, it would be far preferable that any decision on Margarito ultimately be rendered by such a body of past greats– which would obviously have a bit more clout/credibility, as well as better positioned to sniff out any of the BS which I suspect we have thus far heard. And I suspect that any discipline they would mete out (if they indeed found the TT’s claims/explanations to be dubious and found a violation) would be far more punitive than the “apply for reinstatement after a 1 year suspension” now on the books. But this is just wishful thinking on my part.
linusvp,
I totally agree about a National commission not being a panacea, but nothing is a panacea and it could greatly improve the sport. What we have now is chaos, greed and brutality.
The things that go on with Boxing don’t occur with Baseball, Tennis, Basketball, Golfing, Football and Hockey.
Here are just a few items:
1. Most state commissions (if they have one), have rules about not allowing a boxer back in the ring after being knocked out for a given amount of time.
In the harsh world of boxing that is not on “pay for view”, etc, there are boxers who get knocked out, then go for another payday elsewhere under a different name, just to be battered again and get knocked out by the local here.
2. Promoters having to pay a certain amount into a fund to go to medical care and pensions for retired boxers. Regular workers at least have social security.
3. Standards on medical care.
4. A registry of referees and judges. Currently, the referees and judges are hired by the promoters.
5. No more contracts where to get a fight, a fighter gets forced to them become an exclusive with a promoter. I don’t know how many know that in order for Evander Holyfield to fight Mike Tyson, he had to sign a contract that made Evander’s future fights exclusive property of Don King.
6. Remove the alphabet soup organizations altogether. The reason they exist is because of the crooks involved with them get sanctioning fees for title fights. It would be great if those fees would go into a fund for retired boxers.
I could go on and on.
I think it would be something that while wouldn’t be a panacea, would be a start and could evolve over time. I personally would like to see it run by people like Teddy Atlas, Angelo Dundee, Calzaghe, O’Grady, Mancini, Hopkins, Foreman, etc.
No politicians, agents or promoters and without conflicts of interest. However, there might need to be some politician involved to assign initial leadership of what would be “trusted servants” , involved with this.
Jon
I know a National Commission is often cited and would most definately be an improvement on the choatic structure currently in place; but I’m not entirely sure its a panacea which will cure all the ills in the sport that it is often portrayed to be. it would have to be organizationally pervasive and have a regulatory structure which makes sense (not always a given in government), have real enforcement powers and be staffed with competant folks who genuinely have the best interest of the sport at heart– not just a nice paying patronage job for a campaign contributor (like “heckuva job Brownie”). That’s a pretty tall order, and with all that is currently going on the country right now, I don’t see it happening any time soon. And take a look at the recent reforms enacted (the Ali act?)— have they truly been effective or did they leave the job half done and, even worse, lead to unintended adverse consequences? If not done right, in the worse case scenario, a National Commission would simply at a 51st bureaucratic agency to the chaos which presently exists.
Unfortunately, for the forseeable future, it seems boxers will continue to be at the mercy of the alphabet soup organizations, the promoters and even the networks– whom, though not all bad, in the final analysis, simply don’t have the fiduciary obligation to be looking out for the fighter’s best interest at all times (unless by chance it overlaps with their own self-interest; perhaps best illustrated by the the inherent conflict of interest with Top Rank and the Margarito/Cotto situation.). An athlete’s only recourse is to surround themselves with good people with integrity to confront this headwind they face. (I would include family as well, but the recent Cotto news throws a bit of cold water on that).
I whole heartedly agree that anything which ensures the safety of these athletes, (especially their long term well being), and provides them with sound guidance as to handling their finances and retirement planning would be a great thing. I just saw where the NFL and the Wharton School (at the U of Penn– my alma mater) just put on a program for current and retired NFL players on how to handle their financial planning long after their careers have finished. After reading about Tommy Hearns joining a long line of ex-fighters in dire straits, wouldn’t it be great for the boxing industry to do something similar?
linusvp,
Excellent comments.
One of the most frustrating things about boxing, something that Teddy Atlas talks a lot about, is that there isn’t a National Boxing commission.
It is all up to individual states and countries.
I would be certain that the corrupt, alphabet soup boxing associations would hate the prospect of a National Boxing commission.
For the physical and financial health of boxers it would be a great thing.
Jon
I have to disagree Felipe that “its a choice for him to make”. I think its up to the appropriate boxing authorities/powers that be to take the decision out of the TT’s hands and assure make sure that he has no choice to fight anywhere until he and his team comes clean and serves the appropriate punishment/discipline–whatever that ultimately turns out to be (and that largely depends on the TT stepping up in the final analysis).
And make no mistake, if the WBC cooperates and actively works to allow Tony to evade and avoid the appropriate consequences for his and/or his team’s conduct by allowing him to fight ANYWHERE during the time his license is suspended, they are nothing more than enablers who only bring additional shame and dishonor to this otherwise great sport. This incident couldn’t get any sadder or turn into an even bigger spectacle, could it?
Who cars, I am sorry for the wasted space about Margarito, who should more accurately nicknamed the “Tijuana Cheat”.
Instead of thinking about making some big bucks, he should be sitting in a jail cell for assault after getting caught using hard plaster under his gloves as a weapon in a boxing match that could have permanently damaged another man.
This was done with pre-thought, malice and greed. The coward Margarito’s willingness to use a hidden weapon in the ring to get richer at the expense of another man’s health and welfare.
Just think about hitting an innocent man with plaster under gloves, when the other man assumes that fists are being used.
We need to put this in proper perspective.
He has no shame or humility from this. He just hides cowardly behind Bob Arum and his paid attorneys and spokesmen looking to make more money.
Cowards and cheats aren’t macho.
Jon
Comments are closed.