The Way I See It: 09.02.10: The Last Margarito-Pacquiao Discussion

Posted by Joe Roche on 09.02.2010

This week our own Joe Roche begins talking about Margarito-Pacquiao and vows to never speak of it again.

In light of the week long love public relations blitz being carried out by Top Rank for their November 13th sham of a super welterweight title fight I thought this week would be the perfect opportunity to ask a very real question…

Am I supposed to simply ignore Pacquiao-Margarito?

My reason for asking this question stems in large part from Twitter activity that began sometime around the initial Pacquiao-Margarito Beverly Hills press conference and went right through the week (or at least right through the New York leg of the trip). The entire episode began when Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports asked his twitter followers (of which I am one) whether or not they thought Margarito knew about the hand wraps, and whether or not his followers would purchase the Pacquiao-Margarito fight (HBO Sports has confirmed a $54.95 SD price tag)?

Iole and I have had pretty lengthy discussions in the past as it pertains to the Margarito issue but on the issue of Margarito and Pacquiao we both seem to be in agreement (and Kevin please correct me if I'm wrong) – this fight is a disgrace.

Here is where things get interesting (that might not be true) as certain members of the twitter boxing community started asking this question – "will you stand by your convictions and refuse to cover the fight?"

Personally I find this question to be ludicrous – the idea of not covering an event simply because I disagree with the principles is the complete antithesis of journalism. If I only covered issues that I agreed with this column would be a relatively boring one – you'd click on a link and the text would read "everything in boxing is perfect" the end, every week.

However, while the question is ridiculous the idea isn't…I'm opposed to everything that has surrounded Margarito – Pacquiao. I think it's disgraceful that Texas has allowed Margarito the opportunity to fight in Texas while California has refused to license the fighter, I think it's disgraceful that Top Rank has so boastfully ignored the rules, laws, and procedures of professional boxing throughout this charade of an apology tour, I think it's disgraceful that Top Rank has ignored the better options available to them for their star pupil (Freddie Roach has said he lobbied for a Marquez rematch), and I think it's a disgrace that Top Rank has found it appropriate to reward a KNOWN cheater with a career making payday and a spotlight bout against the biggest draw in boxing.



With all of that said – the following paragraphs of this column will be the ONLY text that I write about Margarito-Pacquiao for 411mania.com. I am removing myself from all fight coverage, all news coverage, all press releases, all press conferences, all fight hype – I will not be a party to this bullshit.

The Way I See It: Top Rank has played us all like fools. The boxing media, the boxing fans, the general fans, the sports fans, the general population – everyone and anyone who pays attention to sports, or hell news in general should be ashamed at how Top Rank has behaved throughout this charade.

Antonio Margarito broke the rules.

Period, end of story.

As a fighter you are not only responsible for yourself, but you are responsible for your employees.

But as an employer, you are responsible for your employee's actions as well – it's call respondeat superior, and as a result of that do you know who really should feel the brunt of the Margarito failings? Top Rank and Bob Arum.



If Margarito should know what his trainer is doing, Top Rank should sure as shit know what their fighters and fight teams are doing. Arum was just as much at fault for the Margarito situation as Margarito – there should have been someone with Top Rank who knew what was happening in that dressing room, and once again I reiterate that but for Naazim Richardson we would be talking about a much different story today.

So Top Rank and Margarito get caught. Margarito fires his trainer and disappears for a little while. He can't fight in the US so he takes a stay busy fight in Mexico. Except that he trains in Oxnard, California – even though he wasn't licensed to box in California, which means he wasn't able to fight in California under --- you know --- the LAW. For the second time Margarito and Top Rank broke the rules (this time the California State Laws). Of course you also have to take into consideration that Margarito (and by association Top Rank) brought in a new trainer …in California…in direct conflict with the established law of the State. So Margarito trains in California (illegal) with a trainer who is a licensed trainer in California (illegal) all in an effort to prove that he's reformed (bullshit).



Margarito wins his stay busy fight in Mexico at 154 pounds though he looks lousy and the fight is not seen by anyone of any repute because it's on Top Rank pay per view with very little advertising budget. Margarito applies for his licensed in Nevada who essentially tells him to go screw because California took his license and he should re-apply their first…not a direct violation of any rules but once again Top Rank and Margarito are showing a severely poor lack of judgment.

Margarito goes back to California and are denied by a vote of 5-1. Luckily for Margarito the U.S. has one of the most corrupt athletic associations in the country in Texas and they will gladly license him to fight even though two previous states rejected his application and he's been flaunting his arrogance across the country for the better part of a year.

Let me remind you once again – had Naazim Richardson not been around, we'd be having a VERY different conversation right now.

So Top Rank and Margarito essentially avoid a Billy Collins like situation because the opponent's trainer had a watchful eye on the hand wraps, but instead of showing any contrition they spend two years essentially thumbing their nose at everyone in any position of power because they KNOW that they have Texas to fall back on.



And you're wondering why I will not write a single word about this fight after this column?

Antonio Margarito doesn't deserve this fight for two reasons, the first should be obvious – his behavior since the Shane Mosley locker room incident has been deplorable at best, illegal at worst. But moreso then that, he's fought once at 154 pounds, he is 1-0, and his 1 win was against a relative nobody and he looked poor to boot.

Top Rank also deserves some blame here and it's clear that their sole motivation for giving Margarito this fight is so they can retain the entire purse for their own greedy hands. No Marquez fight because that would mean Golden Boy gets a piece, and the list of "unworthy" contenders reads like a who's who list of outside Top Rank promoters and you can give me all the "business decision" bullshit that you want but nobody knew Joshua Clottey and they still made that fight, a Timothy Bradley fight would be just as profitable (and a better fight).

Top Rank has proven from the beginning of this saga that there is only one thing that they care about…Top Rank. They don't care about the health or well-being of fighters that aren't TR guys; they don't care about the viability of the sport, or giving people what they want. They'll put their cash cow against any fighter in their stable no matter how unworthy just so they can keep the full purse and fatten their own wallets.



So there it is folks – the only thing I will say about this fight or these fighters until after November 13th. I'm sure there are plenty of guys on the 411Boxing Staff who will talk at length about Pacquiao-Margarito but I won't be one of them.