KIDWCKED
04-06-2010, 08:38 PM
c/p
BY Mitch Abramson
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Tuesday, April 6th 2010, 4:00 AM
Antonio Margarito's name began in earnest on Monday with a conference call between his promoter, Bob Arum, and Margarito's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli.
More than a year after Margarito's boxing license was revoked by the California State Athletic Commission for the boxer having doctored hand wraps, his handlers were prepping the media in advance of his return to the ring on May 8 against Roberto Garcia in Mexico.
"I have been distressed by the amounts of misinformation that's been out there," Arum said. "People want to sentence this guy to purgatory and that's just shameful and sad."
The wraps, which were reportedly laminated with a plaster-like substance, were removed before Margarito's bout with Shane Mosley in January 2009 in L.A. after a cornerman discovered the discrepancy in the dressing room; Margarito was viciously stopped by Mosley in nine rounds.
Petrocelli noted that his client was absolved of any wrongdoing during the hearing and that he was the victim in the whole episode. The blame was put squarely on the shoulders of Margarito's trainer, Javier Capetillo, who was found to have inserted illegal pads into his gloves before the bout.
Petrocelli said he's appealed the commission's ruling to revoke Margarito's license. The case is currently pending in the California Court of Appeals.
Capetillo, who is no longer working with Margarito, had his license revoked by the California supervisory body. Margarito, a former welterweight champion, is currently being trained by Robert Garcia, no relation to his opponent.
Still, rumors abound that Margarito, who was eligible to reapply for a license in February, doctored his wraps in other bouts prior to his fight with Mosley.
Petrocelli made clear he disagreed.
A Justice Dept. test found that the inserts discovered in Margarito's wraps included basic components of plaster. But on Monday, Petrocelli argued that the wraps weren't coated with a "hard or concrete-like substance" but were simply constructed of gauze and a knuckle pad that were "a little worn." The pads were also found to have nothing more than traces of "calcium and sulfur" commonly found "in hand creams," Petrocelli said.
BY Mitch Abramson
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Tuesday, April 6th 2010, 4:00 AM
Antonio Margarito's name began in earnest on Monday with a conference call between his promoter, Bob Arum, and Margarito's attorney, Daniel Petrocelli.
More than a year after Margarito's boxing license was revoked by the California State Athletic Commission for the boxer having doctored hand wraps, his handlers were prepping the media in advance of his return to the ring on May 8 against Roberto Garcia in Mexico.
"I have been distressed by the amounts of misinformation that's been out there," Arum said. "People want to sentence this guy to purgatory and that's just shameful and sad."
The wraps, which were reportedly laminated with a plaster-like substance, were removed before Margarito's bout with Shane Mosley in January 2009 in L.A. after a cornerman discovered the discrepancy in the dressing room; Margarito was viciously stopped by Mosley in nine rounds.
Petrocelli noted that his client was absolved of any wrongdoing during the hearing and that he was the victim in the whole episode. The blame was put squarely on the shoulders of Margarito's trainer, Javier Capetillo, who was found to have inserted illegal pads into his gloves before the bout.
Petrocelli said he's appealed the commission's ruling to revoke Margarito's license. The case is currently pending in the California Court of Appeals.
Capetillo, who is no longer working with Margarito, had his license revoked by the California supervisory body. Margarito, a former welterweight champion, is currently being trained by Robert Garcia, no relation to his opponent.
Still, rumors abound that Margarito, who was eligible to reapply for a license in February, doctored his wraps in other bouts prior to his fight with Mosley.
Petrocelli made clear he disagreed.
A Justice Dept. test found that the inserts discovered in Margarito's wraps included basic components of plaster. But on Monday, Petrocelli argued that the wraps weren't coated with a "hard or concrete-like substance" but were simply constructed of gauze and a knuckle pad that were "a little worn." The pads were also found to have nothing more than traces of "calcium and sulfur" commonly found "in hand creams," Petrocelli said.