Speaking to the press in several interviews recently, Shane Mosley was asked his thoughts on his previous opponent Antonio Margarito fighting again.
Margarito of course was banned for one year after his bout with Mosley for trying to use wraps loaded with a plaster like substance. He also plans to make his return on the under card of the of the Pacquiao vs. Clottey fight on March 13th. Through bad luck and timing, Mosley will actually be fighting again after Margarito.
The message he had for reporters though is that he doesn't harbor any ill feeling for Margarito and that he deserved to fight again. At first glance this is a somewhat odd opinion for Mosley to have given that Margarito was potentially endangering him
Then again, Mosley himself was caught as a steroid user with the Balco scandal, so doesn't have a lot of room to talk when it comes to cheats being allowed to compete again. Margarito also used the same defense as Mosley when it came to getting caught, claiming he didn't know anything about the wraps and that his trainer must have loaded them without him knowing. Mosley said more or less the same thing with his steroid use, claiming he took various substances but didn't know what they were.
Alex Winters, Canton Ohio: "All these cheaters in boxing claiming they know nothing about what they took or what their trainers are doing to them, makes me sick. What kind of idiot injects themselves or drinks a mystery substance without asking what it might be?" (I'm inclined to agree with Alex here, I for one tend to read labels before I take any kind of medication)
At the moment Margarito is being quietly ushered back into boxing under the watchful eye of Bob Arum on the undercard of the Pacquiao vs. Clottey card. Because of one thing or another, most of the attention is being shifted away from Margarito and his return. It looks like he's being built up for a fight against Pacquiao later in the year though, or at the very least a backup opponent if other fights can't be made.
The real test for Margarito will come when he does climb back into the ring as the main attraction, and the public decide whether or not they want to see him fight anymore. The chances are that all will be forgiven by most of the fans, after all it isn't like Margarito is alone with his indiscretions.
Rumors continue to swirl around Oscar De La Hoya, and there have been calls from members of the press to make his drug test results public. Similarly Mosley admitted to using steroids, and Floyd Mayweather is known to use the widely banned Xylocaine for his brittle hands. So it isn't even as if Margarito is the only welterweight out there with a less than clean background.
I've gotten too many comments about Margarito to print all at once, but here's a taste of the general sentiment:
Chris Norton, Chicago Illinois: "The bottom line is anyone who sells and makes money can fight no matter what they did. Mike Tyson is a convicted rapist and bit off Holyfield's ear, and he got fights again no problem. Margarito isn't as bad and people are calling for him to be banned for life"
Peter Romanov, Pittsburgh PA: "Margarito is a cheater sure, but so is the rest of the division. Mayweather and Xylocaine, Mosley and Steroids, Pacquiao, no one is sure. If they can all get away with it then Margarito should be allowed to come back into boxing"
Tony Wise, Pittsburgh PA: "Theres no way Margarito should ever step foot in a boxing ring again. Steroids are bad enough, but they only give you a little edge. Loaded gloves could kill people and do permanent damage. He's already ruined the careers of Cotto and Cintron"
Author: Scott Heritage
Source: Examiner.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment