By Mark Vester
Former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito and his team are confident of being vindicated on February 10, when they go before the California State Athletic Commission for a hearing in connection to the recent hand wraps controversy. Prior to the fight with Shane Mosley from last Saturday, a foreign substance was discovered in the hand wraps of Margarito. A hard block of gauze with a "plaster-like" material was taken from each wrap and bagged up for review by an inspector for the CSAC. On Thursday, the CSAC announced that Margarito and trainer Javier Capetillo were temporarily suspended until the commission finished up their investigation and the two men appeared for the February hearing.
"It hurts me, because this is pure gossip. I have earned my fights," Margarito was quoted by El Nuevo Dia.
Francisco Espinoza, Margarito's co-manager, is not worried about the investigation and is confident that Margarito's name will be cleared before the commission. Margarito has hired a top lawyer for the hearing.
"They (the CSAC) know what they are doing. We are going to appear and to answer all the questions to clarify to them that there are errors in everything that people are saying. Margarito has acted cleanly and fought cleanly, as he has done it in all of his fights. Margarito has committed no crime. We expect that this time justice is going to succeed," Espinoza said.
Margarito has a planned rematch with Miguel Cotto on June 13.
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