Did Antonio Margarito Cheat?
On the 3rd of December 2011, Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto will meet for the Super Welterweight WBA World Championship at New York’s Madison Square Garden. This match has been shrouded in controversy due to the lifting of Antonio Margarito’s ban in which he was banned for one year after it had been discovered that he used plaster like substances on his hand wraps in his match against Shane Mosley.
The previous encounter between Margarito and Cotto resulted in Cotto being left battered, bruised and bleeding profusely and he claims to this day that Margarito also used plaster of Paris on his bandages in that match. Cotto claims that he saw the bandages being cracked.
Many Margarito opponents have come up with a number of reasons to prove that he did in fact cheat against Cotto the previous time they met. These reasons include:
- Cotto’s injuries were very uncharacteristic for him, he normally doesn’t swell up that much or bleed that much.
- Plaster of Paris takes a while to dry. If it was applied just before the match, it would have taken until around round 6 to dry and cause damage. It was in round 6 that Cotto started to suffer physically.
These are the two main reasons, but speculations are rife. Unfortunately, people love a good conspiracy theory but Margarito has only been found guilty on one count of cheating. And considering his ban was only for one year, it would suggest that even the inspection commission had some doubts on his own involvement in this whole situation. Of course, those who want to see the bad in him come up with a range of reasons, including behaviors that supposedly prove his guilt. He has served out his ban and is happy to allow people to witness his hand wraps being put on, so maybe we should let sleeping dogs lie?
Pick a boxing live stream and watch this bout. It is very interesting to see if Margarito can produce the same outcome!