By Mark Vester
Miguel Cotto is getting more and more vocal about Top Rank's plan to bring back Antonio Margarito in June/July for a show in Mexico. This past Tuesday, Margarito had his boxing license revoked by the California State Athletic Commission. The punishment stems from the foreign substance that was found in Margarito's wraps about thirty minutes prior to the January 24 bout with Shane Mosley.
Margarito is unable to fight in the United States for a year. To work around the restriction, Top Rank's Bob Arum wants to bring Margarito back in the summer in Mexico, where several cities have expressed interest in providing Margarito with a license to box. A few days ago, Cotto expressed his thoughts on Margarito's return in Mexico. He said Margarito should be banned everywhere, not just the United States. He feels that Margarito should sit out for the year instead of trying to work around the ban. Arum, who also promotes Cotto, said the Puerto Rican star is entitled to his own opinion on the matter.
During a recent workout in Puerto Rico, Cotto once again made his feelings known and said he was upset with Top Rank's push for an early Margarito return.
"It seems like Top Rank is not thinking about the welfare of a human being and is only concerned with money. They (Top Rank) know that Margarito and his team knew what they were putting on his hands. As boxers we rise to the ring to show our skill and physical abilities and this is a lack of consideration by playing with the health of another [fighter]," Cotto told Primera Hora .
Margarito's trainer Javier Capetillo, who also had his license revoked, tried taking the full blame for the mishap with the hand wraps. He told CSAC members that Margarito knew nothing about it, which Margarito backed. Cotto doesn't believe Margarito.
"Margarito should comply with his punishment. To tell people that know about boxing, that he didn't know what they were putting on his hands is hard to believe. Everyone in his group was conscious of what was being done for the fight with Mosley," Cotto said. "Luckily everything is fine me, but there is the possibility that Margarito could have done damage to another [fighter].
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