By Jhonny Gonzalez
The trainer of Antonio Margarito, Robert Garcia, is very confident about a repeat victory over Miguel Cotto in 2011. Margarito stopped Cotto in eleven rounds to capture the welterweight crown in 2008. Since that win, Margarito was caught with handwraps containing a plaster-like substance. The incident took place before the knockout loss to Shane Mosley in January 2009.
Because of the controversy with his handwraps, many of Margarito's victories were being questioned, but the brutal stoppage of Cotto continues to come up. There are many who question whether Margarito's gloves were loaded that night.
Garcia feels that a repeat win over Cotto will prove to the public that Margarito is not a dirty fighter and his gloves were clean during the first victory. The mutual promoter of both boxers, Top Rank, is very interested in matching them up in May or June of next year.
"That's always going to come up [whether he beat Cotto clean]. I think a victory over Cotto would be a good way to convince everyone that Margarito has done nothing illegal to win his fights. At least since he's working with me, I know that Tony is a very humble person, very honest, and wouldn't dare do something illegal," Garcia said to Pepe Aguilar.
