Freddie Roach: Antonio Margarito Should Be Banned for Life

Freddie Roach: Antonio Margarito Should Be Banned for Life Posted Feb 4th 2009 9:50PM by Michael David Smith (author feed) Filed Under: WBA The great boxing trainer Freddie Roach made strong comments Wednesday about the controversy surrounding boxer Antonio Margarito, who is accused of attempting to sneak plaster into his hand wraps before he fought Shane Mosley on January 24. On The Brian Kenny Show on ESPN Radio, host Brian Kenny asked Roach what should happen to Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, if they're found to have attempted to use plaster to make Margarito's fists into hardened casts. Roach didn't hold back in his answer. "They should be banned from boxing for life," Roach said. "We don't need those types of people in boxing." Margarito and Capetillo are temporarily suspended while the California State Athletic Commission investigates the case, which began when Mosley's camp complained about Margarito's hand wraps prior to their fight. Mosley ended up dominating Margarito in a major upset, which has boxing observers wondering whether cheating has propelled the hard-hitting Margarito for his entire boxing career. Roach also spoke to Kenny about his star pupil Manny Pacquiao, the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Roach said he expects Pacquiao's next opponent, Ricky Hatton, to give him a tough, exciting fight, and that if Pacquiao beats Hatton, Mosley would be a likely future opponent for Pacquiao. Pacquiao was the fighter of the year in 2008; impressive wins over Hatton and Mosley could make him the fighter of the year in 2009 as well. http://boxing.fanhouse.com/2009/02/04/freddie-roach-antonio-margarito-should-be-banned-for-life/