By Mark Vester
Top Rank's Bob Arum is already considering opponents for Antonio Margarito's next fight, which may take place around June or July in Mexico. Arum mentioned former welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir as a possible opponent. This past Tuesday, Margarito had his boxing license revoked for at least one-year by the California State Athletic Commission over a foreign substance that was found in his hand wraps prior to the fight with Shane Mosley on January 24.
Although the ban by California will likely prevent him from fighting anywhere in the United States, several cities in Mexico are willing to license Margarito as soon as possible. Arum said the CSAC made a wrong ruling and said Margarito's trainer, Javier Capetillo, who also had his license revoked for one-year, should take the full weight of the blame.
"I think it was unfair. He's definitely going to fight in Mexico. What Capetillo did was outrageous and he should be punished, but they punished him on the grounds that he's the captain, he's the boxer, and if anybody on his team does anything wrong he's responsible. That's not the law and that's wrong. That is absolutely wrong," Arum told Reuters.
Arum said they may try to overturn the decision by the CSAC. He is seriously taking a look at staging an event with Margarito headlining in his backyard of Tijuana, Mexico.
"One is to go into Superior Court in California and get a ruling to overturn the revocation, and the other is to go before the Association of Boxing Commissions and ask for them to rule that it have effect in other states," Arum said to Reuters. "We don't know if we're going to go in that direction or both. They want him to fight in Mexico. We're pursuing that."
Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingvester@gmail.com
