Earlier this year veteran corner man Miguel Diaz and I talked in depth about his times with superstar Miguel Cotto. Working for Top Rank as a chief trainer at the time, Diaz was introduced to Cotto early into his career and the two men spent countless days together on the island of Puerto Rico as the Boricua fighter honed his skills and prepared for his ascension towards greatness.
As our conversation got in depth Diaz and I discussed several facets of his working relationship with Cotto as well as many key fights in Miguel’s career. Of all the encounters we discussed it was Miguel’s first loss, a savage 11th round stoppage to Antonio Margarito in July of 2008, which seemed to resinate the most.
The Cotto-Margarito affair took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and saw Miguel put his undefeated record on the line against the Tijuana brawler’s aggression and iron will. Despite starting fast Cotto would fade over the second half of the fight and eventually succumb after suffering two knockdowns late in the bout. Looking back on that summer night, Diaz recalls when he first saw the fight slipping away.
“By the seventh or eighth round when Miguel started moving backwards and Margarito started connecting those uppercuts and going to the body,” Diaz stated. “Miguel was allowing him to hit him along the ropes and we were screaming for him to get out of the ropes. He didn’t realize that Margarito was dishing up the same medicine that he had done to all of the fighters in his career. The body shots. The fighters don’t really feel the body shots in the beginning but by the time the fight started going on we realized that his legs weren’t there."
Following the win Margarito’s career was at an all-time high but he would soon see his world come crashing down just six months later. Prior to his loss to Shane Mosley in January of 2009 Margarito was found to have elements of plaster of paris in his hand wraps and would subsequently be suspended by the California State Athletic Commission after his disastrous defeat to the Pomona, California fighter.
Margarito’s stock definitely took a hit and the validity of his prior contests were also called into question, with the Cotto fight in particular generating several question marks as to whether or not something happened behind closed doors. Reflecting on the situation, Diaz claims that he will never know what was going on with Team Margarito because of his involvement with another fight on the undercard.
“I was confident in that particular fight,” Diaz said while speaking from the Palms Casino this past weekend. “When the things happened I had no idea. In that fight I was supposed to be the one who checked the other corner’s wraps. But in that particular fight I had Canchila fighting Giovanni Segura and then I didn’t have the chance to do it and what happened, happened. But I was confident that Miguel was going to beat him. I wasn’t even there. When the thing happened I said ‘Where was I for that particular fight and why didn’t I see it?’. But that got me thinking.”
Margarito has been scathed by the boxing world for the past year and half but he has taken everything in stride and remains standing. His upcoming November 13th clash with Manny Pacquiao at Cowboys Stadium is the exact kind of high-profile affair he is in need of and Diaz insists that the contest is worth more of a look than people are giving it credit for.
“It’s a good fight,” he continued. “Pacquiao of course has his situation in Manila, he is now the representative of his congress. Both got their own way, let’s put it that way, and they are coming in with the same kind of attitude; like it’s a comeback. I think it’s a great, great fight for both of them. Especially for Margarito after the heat he got for the wraps from the Mosley fight. He has to show the people that he really is a hard puncher without the help. And what can you say about Pacquiao? He’s a tremendous fighter, great conditioned fighter. He’s on top of his game right now. The weight actually won’t make a difference because he’s already fought big guys. It’s going to be a great fight.”
Diaz should be one to give an accurate assessment of Pacquiao considering he has been working the Filipino fighter’s corner as a cut man for his past four fights. Asked if the trio of Vanes Martirosyan, Rashad Holloway and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will be suitable enough to help Pacquiao prepare for a fighter as dangerous as Margarito, Diaz confirms as much.
“Of course,” Diaz claimed. “No question about it. Those are the type of fighters who are going to give him work because they are tall, they are active. They are all coming in fighters. Especially Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Martirosyan is not really the style of Margarito but also Margarito is a little better than just attacking. Especially with Roberto Garcia, he will take his punches a little bit better than what they used to be before.”
In a strange turn of events it would be revealed hours after I spoke with Diaz that Chavez Jr. will likely not be making the trek overseas to be a part of Pacquiao’s camp because of a conflict of interest as to his own personal training for a December 4th clash with Cotto himself. Despite some uncertainty lingering around his career recent reports have said that Cotto-Chavez Jr. still may come to fruition and if it does Diaz has to side with the Sinaloa, Mexico native.
“I give Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. the edge of youth, speed and pressure. I think he’s going to be the winner.”
http://www.examiner.com/boxing-in-las-vegas/miguel-diaz-says-he-missed-a-chance-to-check-antonio-margarito-s-hand-wraps-prior-to-cotto-fight?cid=examiner-email
You Ricans never give up do you?? :rofl:
like your ****** ass isn't always in threads like these defending margarito like you're getting dicked by him.
1 question if Margarito got away with wrapping his hands this way his entire career then how can we trust any fighter is clean especially smaller fights because if your telling me some of the top commisioners in the world couldnt catch something as physically obvious as plaster of paris but that this was a one off situation then your stupid
My thing is how did this get pass the athletic commission?
They sign off on all the wraps before a fighter puts there gloves on and they didn't notice this?
Persuading the eye. Old Trainer know their **** like Magicians
Cotto lost because he ate too many punches, he was wore down during the fight, I dont think margarito was wrapped but even if he was its not like it makes a night and day diffirence. Is there scientific studies that show power increase with the type of plaster found? I would think it would hurt margoritos hand in the long run since its padded by the gloves anyway so he would hurt his hand more than Cotto.
Can someone put up a study done with the exact stuff found in margaritos wraps? His wraps werent pure rock hard they just had trace elements. I think people are making a big deal out of this, dont think he wanted to load up and it couldve been a case of using old wraps with water or something else that got into them and caused them to stiffen up. Hand Wraps are checked every fight by the commision and the other corners trainer so if he had plaster like wraps he wouldve been caught with them on. Im not a big Margarito fan but I dont know why everyone is going crazy. Sounds to me like either water or something else came in contact with the wraps and it hardened a little bit. If it was pure plaster the plaster would break on the first punch and would do more dmg to Margorito than the opponent unless it was a fight without gloves.
margarito and segura had the same trainer!!! why would capetillo just cement margaritos gloves and not seguras too....miguel diaz checked seguras wraps = clean.....so margaritos wraps were clean too!
give margarito credit and watch that fight again....youll see cotto is constant backpedaling and eating punches on the ropes and you cant win vs a pressure fighter for 12 rounds doin that....
tell me you are not serious?
Ricky Mota Sr wraps Segura's hands and has since Segura went pro
Capetillo has never wrapped Gio's hands
margarito and segura had the same trainer!!! why would capetillo just cement margaritos gloves and not seguras too....miguel diaz checked seguras wraps = clean.....so margaritos wraps were clean too!
give margarito credit and watch that fight again....youll see cotto is constant backpedaling and eating punches on the ropes and you cant win vs a pressure fighter for 12 rounds doin that....
NO NO NO, Capetillo wasn't Segura's trainer when he fought Canchila the first time.
My only question is that
If Margarito claimed he did not know anything about the wraps. How does he claimed that he was clean for any other fights.
Also, they stated that they have been wrapping his hands the same way for all his fights. So, if that is true. Then, he has been cheating all along.
You are not allowed to reason with margaCHEATo supporters because they do not like it. Point out the obvious and you are derided for your inability to understand how obviously persecuted and framed this poor, beleaguered soul has been.
margaCHEATo walked 10 miles to school, uphill both ways.
Cotto has lost to a definte cheater and maybe to a second. Only time will tell.
I got much respect for cotto though. If only he had a promoter who looked after his best interest all the time instead of when it was advantageous to his promoter.
who cares what he says, it was Cotto's uncle that went into the dressing room and saw margaritos hand wrapped. Whats next are they going to say Cotto's mom should have been checking the wraps, but failed to do so. They need to admit they got beat that night, not only because of the power which may have been tampered, but Cotto could not hurt Margarito with any of the combinations he tossed at him.
segura wasn't fighting the biggest fight of his career against a dangerous opponent who destroyed most of the opponents he fought before. margarito was so he needed the edge, thats why capetillo put bricks in his wraps.
If Calderon isn't the biggest fight and win of Segura career thus far then who is?
margarito and segura had the same trainer!!! why would capetillo just cement margaritos gloves and not seguras too....miguel diaz checked seguras wraps = clean.....so margaritos wraps were clean too!
give margarito credit and watch that fight again....youll see cotto is constant backpedaling and eating punches on the ropes and you cant win vs a pressure fighter for 12 rounds doin that....
Didn't Segura said that Capetillo does not wrap his hand
margarito and segura had the same trainer!!! why would capetillo just cement margaritos gloves and not seguras too....miguel diaz checked seguras wraps = clean.....so margaritos wraps were clean too!
give margarito credit and watch that fight again....youll see cotto is constant backpedaling and eating punches on the ropes and you cant win vs a pressure fighter for 12 rounds doin that....
segura wasn't fighting the biggest fight of his career against a dangerous opponent who destroyed most of the opponents he fought before. margarito was so he needed the edge, thats why capetillo put bricks in his wraps.
Cotto's first loss came from a cheater.
HAHAHA, that part is so freaking Hilarious. Chavez Jr. beat no one except John Duddy! :rofl:
Cotto has all that amateur background and he has wins over Torres, Judah, Clottey and Mosley. Not only that but Cotto has one of the best jabs in the business and he still has great body-shots.
it was also funny thinking buster douglas might be able to beat mike tyson.
My thing is how did this get pass the athletic commission?
They sign off on all the wraps before a fighter puts there gloves on and they didn't notice this?
My only question is that
If Margarito claimed he did not know anything about the wraps. How does he claimed that he was clean for any other fights.
Also, they stated that they have been wrapping his hands the same way for all his fights. So, if that is true. Then, he has been cheating all along.