Did Margarito ruin Cotto's career through cheating?

I will reserve judgement for now.

Personally I have always felt Cotto was overrated, but if Margo did indeed cheat, it is obviously not acceptable and he should receive a lifetime ban..... even a prison sentence.

 

If he did it. And, I'll keep it at an 'if' for now despite how bad things look. Then yes he probably did. Smashing someone to bits with illegal handwraps is hugely detremental, mentally as much as physically.

It does go to show that Cotto is a tough ****er if he stood there and took it for 11 rounds with someone bouncing plaster off his head. However, he will do well to get back anywhere near the level he was.

To keep it really basic. That kind of **** has to make you shy about getting hit even on a subconscious level. This would make you shy about going forward. That changes your whole style of fighting etc... etc... etc... His punch resistance might never be the same too

 

In reference to Cintron....

Margarito was not only by far the best fighter he has faced, but the one most capable of taking his shots and being able to fire off his own.

The others obviously need to be looked at further, but something like this would be damn impossible to prove - other than checking wraps post fight.

 

If all the **** Ive read about last night is true and it is proven that Margarito attempted to cheat then he should be banned from the sport.

We will never know what happened in his other fights but if last night story is true then it will cast doubt over his previous wins.

 

I don't think that is the case. I'd be as much a fan of Margo as I would of Cotto or any of the boys around that division. I don't really have favourites I've just enjoyed some of the quality fights over the years. But intial reports coming out of the states look pretty damning and its a horrible thing to think that 1) someone would do something so ****ing dangerous and 2) so many fights would then have a big ? hanging over them if its true.

We'll have to wait and see. I think there is reasonable call for mandatory inspection of handwraps in the ring after fights. I mean the people from the commission are already there. It wouldn't take that long. Wraps would be much easier to inspect coming off that going on. All hand wraps to be removed by board/state/commision sanctioned officials after ever fight? Sounds like a plan to me because its easy to implement

 

They didn't find plaster in his glove. They found wet gauze. The gauze was powdered at the time and the implication is that when the gauze dries it turns to plaster. That was the last I heard anyway. It looks like the worst is probably true though

 

If true, this puts a massive cloud over Margarito's career.

Apparently the plaster like substance on his gloves was meant to go harder as the fight wore on. I may be reading to much into all this but this may explain how he ****ed up Cotto as the fight wore on. The first half of the fight Cotto was alright and IIRC had nothing more than a nose bleed after 6 rounds, then by round 11 his face was a bloody mess.

I agree with TFFP here, if his meant to load his gloves last night, in a fight in which he was the overwhelming favourite, then surely he must have done the same against Cotto-the biggest fight of his life to ensure he won.

On the other hand, I may just be looking to much into all this.

We'll find out more once the California boxing commission inspect the substance found on his gloves.

 

http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=11677&cat=boxer

Margarito's career.

It would be difficult to draw a point where his competition level increased sharply together with an increase in late stoppages.....

So if true, it is likely to be a recent innovation (if you can call it that). If it is indeed the case, a lifetime ban for fighter and trainer, perhaps with a prison sentence.

Trainers of his previous opposition need to look in the mirror themselves too.

 

Mosley is a seperate issue to this but, yeah, he should be banned. He admitted to cheating but gave some pathetic 6 year olds excuse of 'I didn't know it was a banned substance' to the grand jury.

Unfortunately Miguel is right to some degree. Boxing has never clamped down on cheats the way it should. Whether it be corner men, cutmen, boxers, promoters or whoever.

 

Well first of all I want to applaud Nazim Richardson for being so attentive and looking out for his fighter. If he hadn't spotted this the truth may never have come out. It does make you wonder why no other cornermen ever noticed being placed on the wraps.

I tend to agree with TFFP's points but, as he said, it's going to be almost impossible to prove. That said, there is irrefutable evidence that he was prepared to use illegal wraps against one man so that alone should amount to a lengthy ban and fine.

If this has had a long term, negative effect on Cotto then it's a terrible shame for boxing. I guess we'll have to wait and see on that count but, regardless of that, it's certainly a black cloud over Margarito that will take sometime to pass.