By Jake Donovan
In the very near future (perhaps even by the time this article is published), former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito will learn whether or not the boxing world will give him a second chance.
It’s been just over a year since he was caught with illegal hand wraps prior to his one-sided 9th round knockout loss to Shane Mosley last January. The career-worst beatdown was followed up by a one-year suspension handed down by the California State Athletic Commission.
The industry-wide belief is that he shouldn’t be licensed anywhere else in the U.S. without first being cleared by the very commission who issued the original punishment. Such line of thinking explains why news of his applying for a license in the state of Texas has been met with harsh criticism.
However, such a move is hardly unprecedented. Nor should it be up to anyone in the industry other than the members of any given commission to decide a fighter’s fate in that capacity.
That’s not to say that anyone else isn’t entitled to an opinion on this situation; if anything, Shane Mosley should at least be afforded his input. He was the one nearly at risk, if not for the swift work of head trainer Brother Naziim Richardson.
There’s also the potential comeback opponent of choice, should Margarito be given a second chance sooner rather than later. If fighters were as vehement as many in the media in their disgust of what Margarito attempted to do, then he wouldn’t have anyone to fight, which of course would defeat the purpose of reissuing a license.
But the fact of the matter is that there are fighters still willing to face him. One in particular even gave up a televised fight for the opportunity to be first in line to welcome back Margarito to the sport.
The fight on which he passed is perhaps the second greatest reason why Carson Jones and his team hopes the Texas Boxing and Wrestling Commission ignores the pleas of those in the media, and affords the Mexican the opportunity to fight again.
“We had another offer to fight Freddy Hernandez on Showtime which would be a rematch of a split decision loss Carson had against him in his hometown a few years ago,” explains Bobby Dobbs, who took over as Jones’ manager two years ago and has been instrumental in his transformation from journeyman to potential junior middleweight contender. “He needs another win like the Brunson fight to prove himself as a legitimate contender.”
Rejecting Margarito’s application for reinstatement leaves Jones with few options beyond the stay-busy fight he won on Thursday against Eloy Suarez in his hometown of Oklahoma City. It was a fight to which he was already committed before he received the call to face Margarito on the March 13 undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Joshua Clottey pay-per-view event in Dallas.
With a huge fight looming merely six weeks away, most fighters would pull out of such a fight and head straight to training camp.
Instead, Jones proved to be a man of his word, though vowing that Thursday’s bout will mark the last time he will ever be seen on the club circuit.
“When I beat Margarito, I’m done with the club show. I’m past that level. We’re aiming for a world title shot.”
Without the chance to face Margarito, that opportunity may not come, at least not anytime soon.
Jones is coming off of a major upset knockout win over Tyrone Brunson last month – his ninth fight of 2009. But due to poor management and being a victim of the game at a young age, he still hovers around the gatekeeper level with a not-so-glossy record of 24-7-1 (15KO).
The past two years have been a far greater indicator of his career potential than is his overall record. He is 12-2-1NC (8KO) over that stretch, including upset wins over Brunson and Jose Gonzalez and a spirited effort in defeat against then-streaking welterweight Jesus Soto Karass.
It is that last fight for which Jones believes he received this particular phone call.
“Soto Karass is in Margarito’s camp; they saw how I fought against him,” theorizes Jones. “They believe that since I lost to Margarito Jr, that I can’t do anything with the real thing.”
He won’t be able to do anything with the real thing if the Texas Commission sides with popular opinion and rejects Margarito’s application for renewal.
To his credit, Jones is able to look past what he personally stands to gain and understands why many would be against Margarito’s return to the sport. Nor is he waving a campaign sign for his potential future opponent, or even downplaying what took place last year.
“I want Margarito to get a second chance for my benefit but it’s not my place to say; it’s up to whatever boxing commission he stands in front of.”
Should an approval come, industry-wide backlash will surely follow. Jones understands this, but offers an alternative to the threat of a boycott.
“To all of the boxing fans who don’t want him to fight, let me deal with handing out the punishment. Don’t think of it as supporting him. Support me. They want to call this his comeback fight; I will do everything in my power to make sure it’s also his retirement fight.”
An upset on that level would fully complete the career revival Jones has enjoyed over the past two years, not to mention lead to bigger and better things.
It will also allow him to take a much-needed breather. This Thursday will mark Jones’ 16th fight in a span of 55 weeks. A win over Margarito would be the first step towards replacing quantity with quality.
“A win here and we would definitely slow the pace of his fights down,” explains Dobbs of Jones’ potential future. “Last year was a breakout year for Carson starting with the Michi Munoz fight. He needed to get in some ring time with his new trainer and get the confidence he now has that gave him the audacity to do what he did against Brunson.”
From zero to hero in 24 months. Everyone loves rooting for the underdog, which is why Jones hopes will view things from his perspective rather than concern over whether or not the punishment has fit the crime for Margarito.
“(Denying him a license) takes away a chance for the payday and to show the world that (I am) the real deal. People are saying he’s not the beast without the hand wraps; let me prove that.”
Something else to consider is the belief that there’s no way Margarito and his team would ever again attempt such a stunt. Even if they dare think about it, all eyes will literally be on him – and more specifically his hands – from the moment the first roll of gauze tape is opened.
“Of course we will be watching in the dressing room when his hands are wrapped,” Dobbs boldly states. “I have full confidence that the Texas Commission will make sure that everything is proper. I cannot for one second imagine anyone in Margarito’s camp would be dumb enough to try that again.”
Or are they?
“He could be dumb enough to do it again given the way he lost,” theorizes Jones, though hardly concerned about an uneven playing field. “My team will be watching him.”
What he ultimately hopes is that he will have a platform on which to be watched on March 13. There’s no stage bigger at the moment for a fighter in his position than on the televised undercard of a Manny Pacquiao event. The spending limit on that celebrity credit card greatly increases if the night ends with his hand raised and Margarito tasting defeat for the second straight time.
“A win puts me up there with the top contenders. I just want the chance to prove that I can cash any check that I write. Let me be judge and jury for Margarito.”
Sounds like a more satisfying alternative to hanging him in the court of public opinion.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
