Antonio "toney" margarito

So they caught him the one time they accidentally cheated? How convenient.

Its like PED cheats saying: "but I passed the previous tests!"
Honestly, I dont think we will ever know for sure. The evidence goes both ways, and there is not enough evidence to label Margarito 100% as a cheat.

Disagree. Cotto was in control for most of the fight, and he took a lot less punishment than in the first one. Margarito had a good 8th and 9th, but at this point in the first fight Cotto was already running for his life.

Timestamped the 9th rounds of both fights.

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I think its clear that Margarito was pretty much in control of the pace at this point in the first fight. And Cotto had to run for his life because he could not keep his back off of the ropes.
Margarito was beating him like a punching bag in the first fight, not so much in the rematch.
Emmanuel rightly pointed out that Cotto was starting to touch the ropes again like in the first fight, but Margarito could not land with the same volume and frequency as in the first fight.

Personally I think that Margarito would have closed the rematch strong, but he had too slow of a start, and Cotto was not drained at 154 the way he was at 147. Cotto was huge at 140 and even 147.

*Cotto actually improved after their first fight, Margarito not so much.

 

Pretty much this Margarito went from almost tearing a fighters ear off in Sebastian Lujan.

And I think prior to the Mosley fight Margarito had stopped 9 opponents in his last 12 fights.

After the Mosley fight ? 0 stoppages.

Yes I do believe Margarito was a cheat and I find it laughable there's still people who try and defend him.

 

maybe the accidentally is a good lie but I see no evidence he cheated his entire career.

I feel like if they had real evidence on him he would have been banned for life like Resto

When Resto was caught, he was caught in the ring shaking hands with Billy Collins Sr at the conclusion of the fight because he could see the tampering on the gloves. Margarito fought in numerous title fights in different commissions as the B side in some of the fights. I have a hard time believing no one ever noticed or caught him.

No one ever noticed hardened plaster wraps when shaking hands with him, no ref noticed it when raising his hand, no one noticed it when they embraced him after a fight.

Do numerous fighters get away with cheating wraps if it is so easy?

 

This is an interesting point. However after Cotto he fought the best string of opponents in his career in Mosley, Cotto and Pacquiao, three guys who don't get KO'd often

He also took a lot of punishment to beat Cotto and took a brutal KO to Mosley paired with a layoff and eye injury in his last two

Considering these factors it can explain why he did not score another stoppage

 

He also fought unremarkable opponents like Jorge Paez Jr who had 15 losses.

And Ramon Alvarez who Lara even stopped in 2 rounds who isn't a big puncher.

Margarito didn't make an impression on either of them.

The big bad Margarito who was stopping near enough every opponent he stepped in the ring with during his heyday can't make a single impression on any opponent after he got exposed.

 

true but that was also after a 4 year layoff

 

Well just look at the Cotto fights it's night/day difference.

Cotto in the 1st fight was getting broken up and beaten up fighting for his life against a fighter who looked like he was punishing Cotto with every punch he landed.

In the rematch ? Margarito's punches had no effect on Cotto who easily won every round and schooled Margarito.

 

I haven't watched the fight in a few years but I remember Cotto winning the early rounds before Margarito wore him down in the middle later rounds.

In the rematch Cotto fought a better fight against a Margarito who had been KO'd, suspended, beat up by Pacquiao and had an eye injury. If they had fought back to back a few months later the difference would be more suspicious

 

The thing is you're making excuses for all of Margarito's bad performances.

Prior to the Mosley fight Margarito had never lost convincingly in his entire career.

His loss to Daniel Santos was a back and forth close affair in which was stopped on a cut I believe after a headbutt ?

The loss to Paul Williams was very competitive even though Margarito clearly lost on points.

After Margarito gets exposed ?

Doesn't win a single round against a 38 year old Mosley in which he got brutally beaten up.

Doesn't win a single round vs Pacquiao in a brutal beating.

Gets comprehensively beaten by Cotto in a striking contrast compared to their 1st meeting.

Not to mention Margarito never scored a single knockdown or stoppage after getting exposed ?

You can make excuses about the lay off or the beatings Margarito had taken.

But I think it's alarming Margarito was never competitive with any world class fighter again. And never made any impression with his power after the controversy.

To me that speaks volumes.

 

When do you think he started cheating? Why did it take so long for him to be caught?

 

He was a cheat
He took the **** out of Freddie Roche disease
He was a slow plodding human punchbag
Karma came for him

 

It's all speculation no one knows.

I think personally Margarito's only stand out attribute was his chin.

Once the thudding power went away which I believe was enhanced by the wraps.

I think it showed Margarito was not anything special apart from being a durable plodding aggressive fighter with average power.

I don't think you realize how much hype Margarito had prior to being exposed. He was considered the bogeyman of the division and was stopping near enough every opponent he got into the ring with.

Even opponents who beat him had to fight for their lives like Williams did in the later rounds.

The striking contrast of Margarito before and after the Mosley fight its like a completely different fighter.

 

The big bad Margarito was a myth. For whatever reason(s) after the Mosley fight his power disappeared and so did just about everything else. Almost like was a robot who was short circuited and couldn't be fixed. We won't ever know the truth but I don't think its any coincidence of his decline after the Mosley fight. The jig was up.

 

Yeah, he really reached a pinnacle after the first Cotto fight. Paul Williams had a great breakout performance to beat Margarito. At the time the initial controversy happened and all the speculation began I figured that may have been when he started cheating. Over the years I have become more skeptical but I figure trying to regain his standing and reposition for a Floyd fight was the motivation to cheat if he did.

 

I mean look at this way for example.

I know there was a bit of controversy about Tito's wraps in the Hopkins fight.

But he still scored 2 solid stoppages after despite that not being that active. And Mayorga at that time was considered to have an iron chin and Tito brutally beat him up.

Yeah Tito got schooled by Wright but Tito couldn't land any punches on him due to his stonewall high guard defence. That wasn't Tito's power being exposed it was just a horrible stylistic match up.

Mosley isn't a great technical boxer nor does he have a great defence despite having other very good attributes. But he stood right infront of Margarito and Margarito made 0 impression on him.

And again as I've already said about the rematch with Cotto the punches were not having the same effect on Cotto. Margarito had some success against Cotto in the later rounds but still Cotto was in control of the fight and it didn't have anywhere near the same feel as the 1st fight.

To me it's too much of difference in regards to the power before and after the Mosley fight for me not to think that Margarito didn't cheat.