Antonio Margarito's 4-Step Plan For Redemption

12:06 AM // 0 comments // Ian Purugganan // Category: Margarito //

With THE EVENT Manny Pacquiao Versus Antonio Margarito just around the corner, Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports lists 4 steps how Margarito could, if not fully rehabilitate his reputation, lessen the damage caused by his previous fight scandal.

1. Apologize and plead for mercy

Margarito never publicly has apologized to the fans, Mosley and promoter Bob Arum for what occurred that night. He can’t apologize for something he didn’t do, but he did hire Capetillo. While there is at least some doubt Margarito is complicit, there is zero question Capetillo is culpable.

Margarito is the man who hired Capetillo, and Margarito is in charge of his team. If a member of his team makes a mistake, responsibility for it falls on Margarito’s shoulders.

In 2002, the Nevada Athletic Commission fined Fernando Vargas a staggering $100,000 and suspended him for nine months after stanozolol, an anabolic steroid, was discovered in his system following a loss to Oscar De La Hoya. Vargas said that his nutritionist, Maz Ali, gave it to him without his consent.

But Vargas accepted the penalty because Ali worked for him and he had hired Ali.

“I don’t place blame on anyone except myself,” Vargas said following the Nov. 20, 2002, hearing in Las Vegas. “At the end of the day, I’m the captain of my ship.” Capetillo has accepted responsibility. Because Margarito was the boss and the one who hired Capetillo, he needs to apologize and admit responsibility, even if it occurred without his knowledge.

2. Have the wrappings of his hands videotaped every time

When Robert Garcia wraps Margarito’s hands on Saturday, it will be the most scrutinized hand wrapping in history. HBO cameras will be in the locker room to document it.

But Margarito presumably is going to continue to fight after the Pacquiao bout, win or lose. He needs to routinely arrange to have himself videotaped getting his hands wrapped every time he fights to prove he’s on the up and up.

The person wrapping Margarito’s hands should show his hands to the camera before beginning the wrapping to prove he’s not cupping anything illegal in some kind of sleight-of-hand attempt.

3. Remove the wrappings in the ring, in public view

He must allow a neutral party to cut the tape off his hands at the end of every fight and in view of the public. That person needs to deliver the wraps to the relevant authorities for them to inspect.

4. Have the wrapping material purchased and delivered by a third party

As one final layer of transparency, neither Margarito nor anyone in his employ should have the authority to buy the gauze and the tape used to wrap his hands. Having a neutral third party do it would remove any lingering doubts.

Margarito never is going to be boxing’s most beloved figure. He probably never will be so much as well-liked. But at least if he can follow those four simple steps for the remainder of his career, he’ll give the impression that he wants to do the right thing and that he grasps the gravity of the situation.

If he eschews transparency, he’ll be telling us all we need to know about his knowledge of the events of Jan. 24, 2009.