Filed under: WBC, WBO, Golden Boy Promotions, Boxing Rumors, HBO, Top Rank Promotions
Manny Pacquiao will be in pursuit of his eighth crown in as many weight classes when he meets Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 at the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium.
Margarito, whose reputation was tarnished as a result of a hand wrapping scandal in January of 2009, will be in pursuit of redemption in the wake of ridicule during the darkest portion of his career.
For when Margarito throws his first punch against Pacquiao, it will also be the first time that he has done so on American soil since January of 2009, when he was dethroned as WBA welterweight (147 pounds) titlist following a ninth-round knockout loss to Shane Mosley at The Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Prior to the loss to Mosley, an illegal, plaster-like substance was discovered in Margarito's hand wraps, then removed and confiscated. Not only was Margarito's license to fight in the United States revoked a month later by the California State Athletic Commission, but the hard-punching fighter's life, image and ring mystique were severely damaged.
Against the 31-year-old Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38 knockouts), the WBO welterweight king, the Mexican-born, 32-year-old Margarito (38-6, 27 KOs) can gain some measure of respect by winning the vacant WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) title.
"I know how important this fight is to my career and to all of México," said Margarito. "That is why I will prepare like never before. I will defeat Manny Pacquiao, proving to everyone that I am one of the best fighters in the world."
Margarito's suspension officially ended on Feb. 11, but on Aug. 19, he was denied a license for the second time by the CSAC, even as he continued to blame then-trainer Javier Capetillo for the wraps and deny knowledge of the substance's presence.
Among the things pointed out during the nearly six-hour hearing in August was the fact that during Margarito's year-long suspension, he and trainer Robert Garcia unknowingly conducted illegal sparring sessions in Oxnard, Calif.
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