Pacquiao's foe Margarito denied of boxing license

Manny Pacquiao’s title showdown with Antonio Margarito suffered yet another stumbling block when the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) denied the request of the Mexican for a new boxing license with barely less than three months before his Nov. 13 fight with the Filipino ring icon.

A 5-1 vote decided the fate of the 32-year old Margarito to get his license back that was revoked by the same California boxing body for having caught the Tijuana native carrying a plaster-like substance in his hand wraps prior to his 2009 encounter with Sugar Shane Mosley at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The verdict was another damaging blow in Margarito’s bid to earn back the respectability he lost following that embarrassing incident in January of last year, which culminated in a ninth round technical knockout loss to Mosley and yielded the World Boxing Association (WBA) super-welterweight title.

Following the ruling of the CSAC, Las Vegas, Nevada is also scraped out of the list as possible site for the Pacquiao-Margarito bout.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission earlier turned down a similar application by Margarito behind a 4-1 vote, insisting the 5-foot-11 Mexican boxer should apply a license first in California before the body could grant him one.

All states in the U.S. typically abide by rulings from other states, although they are not obligated to do so.

Turned down twice, Margarito’s team is now headed for Texas, hoping to finally get one there and make the Pacquiao fight happen at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.

The $1.3 billion state-of-the-art playing arena was host to Pacquiao’s March 13 fight against Joshua Clottey, whom the Filipino ring superstar dominated in a 12-round unanimous decision to retain his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title.

Top Rank Promotions chairman Bob Arum admitted Margarito has already applied for a Texas license and is confident of being given one.

So does Margarito’s lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli.

“I can’t see any other commission not finding Tony totally worthy of a license, whether it’s Texas, Nevada or any other state," said the high-profiled lawyer.

In the event Margarito fails to secure a license in the U.S, a best possible alternative is Mexico, a place Pacquiao hasn’t fought in and wouldn’t mind having the bout being held there.

A long shot site is Abu Dhabi.

In his testimony before the CSAC, Margarito insisted the way he did in the past that he wasn’t aware about his hand wraps being loaded and blamed the incident on his trainer, Javier Capetillo.

Robert Garcia has since replaced Capetillo, whom Margarito fired in the aftermath of the controversy.

But in its decision, the CSAC through commission member Steve Alexander stressed, `you can delegate authority, but not responsibility.

source: gmanews.tv

Bob Arum, Jerry Jones meet to discuss bringing Pacquiao-Margarito bout to Cowboys Stadium

Manny Pacquiao Fights Floy Mayweather Jr. News:

Bob Arum, Jerry Jones meet to discuss bringing Pacquiao-Margarito bout to Cowboys Stadium
By BARRY HORN / The Dallas Morning News

Arum - Pacquiao-Mayweather fight will be in May 2011?

Top Rank's CEO Bob Arum believes that the fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather will be open again for negotiation in 2011. He has a strong feelings because of the rumors circling around the industry that Mayweather and Don King have been spending a lot of time together in the last two weeks.

Bob Arum mentioned that hed rather deal with DOn King than the Golden Boy Promotions, who is the current partner of Maywetaher in his last four fights.

Pacquiao to fight Margarito for junior middleweight championship

LAS VEGAS -- Manny Pacquiao will face Antonio Margarito for the vacant WBC junior middleweight championship on Nov. 13, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum  confirmed to SI.com. The fight will take place in Las Vegas if Margarito, whose license was suspended last year, can get reinstated. If he can't, Arum plans to hold the fight in Monterrey, Mexico.

The decision for Pacquiao to face Margarito ends any possibility of a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight in 2010.

Yahoo Sports first reported the Pacquiao-Margarito agreement.

Pacquiao last fought in March when he won a lopsided decision over Miguel Cotto. Margarito, who was suspended for one year after officials found a plaster-like substance in his hand wraps before his January 2009 loss to Shane Mosley, returned to the ring in May when he won a lackluster decision over Robert Garcia.

By fighting at 154-pounds, Pacquiao has the opportunity to win a world title in his seventh weight class.

Expectations were high for a Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown after Mayweather won a decisive victory over Mosley last May. However, negotiations took a bizarre twist last week. During a conference call with reporters last Friday, Arum detailed the negotiations that he claimed were conducted between Top Rank and Mayweather's advisor, Al Haymon, with HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg acting as an intermediary. According to Arum, terms of the deal -- which were believed to include a 50-50 split and some form of random drug testing -- were agreed to.

Three days later, another Mayweather advisor, Leonard Ellerbe, issued a statement saying no negotiations with Mayweather had taken place.

Multiple sources confirmed to SI.com that some form of negotiations did take place, all of which were facilitated by Greenburg. Last month, Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions, the company that represents Mayweather, reportedly told Univision that they were "very close" to an agreement.

"Them saying there were no negotiations is absolutely preposterous," Arum told SI.com. "All I can say is seven weeks ago Ross came to me, (and) said let's do it this way, this way the fight has a chance to be made. We spent the whole day going over details. He reported to me on meetings that he had and what Haymon was saying. Again. I have never said I talked to Haymon. Ross felt that we could get the deal done in that way. He was very optimistic. Two nights before (the) Yuri Foreman-Miguel Cotto fight [in June], when Pacquiao was in town, we had dinner. Ross said I think I am getting this thing done. He told it to Manny."

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/mma/07/24/pacquiao.margarito/#ixzz0uasJAWDa

It's Pacquiao's pick: Cotto or Margarito

MANILA, Philippines - Unless Floyd Mayweather Jr. interferes, Manny Pacquiao
will soon have to choose between Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito

“I have to discuss with Manny who he prefers then get everything put together,” said Top Rank chief Bob Arum during Friday’s teleconference, portions of which were relayed to The STAR by top-shelf publicist Fred Sternburg.

Arum said it’s all up to Pacquiao whether he wants to face Cotto a second time or take on Antonio Margarito for the first time. Either way, he gets a crack at an eighth world title in eight different weight divisions.

“It will be Manny’s decision.I do not have a preference.I do not want to prejudice the situation.I want Manny to decide,” said Arum, adding that a deal with either Cotto or Margarito could be made in 10 days.

But Arum made it clear that in that short period, Mayweather can still come up and say he wants the Super Fight with Pacquiao. But that’s as long as Arum can wait because there are certain time limitations to consider.

“He (Pacquiao) is a very intelligent guy and knows what the considerations are and whomever he selects is who we will go after and make the fight,” said Arum, generous enough to give Mayweather until last Friday to decide.

“Because I am dealing with another situation.I am representing a fighter who is also a congressman.He has legislative duties and commitments in the Philippines and I have really short windows to do various aspects of the promotion,” said the legendary promoter.

Read more at: philstar.com

Pacquiao may opt to fight Antonio Margarito outside US

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by JOSEF T. RAMOS

FILIPINO boxer Manny Pacquiao, a seven-weight-division winner, is willing to fight former world champion Antonio Margarito outside the United States if his mega bout against unbeaten American Floyd Mayweather, Jr. would not go on. Pacquiao’s adviser Mike Koncz divulged to boxing.funhouse.com that Pacquiao (51-3-2 win-loss-draw with 38 knockouts) could also possibly hold a rematch against Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto (35-2 with 28 KOs).
Pacquiao seized Cotto’s World Boxing Organization’s welterweight belt in 2009.

For Margarito, he can’t fight Pacquiao in the US soil since his boxing license was revoked by the California State Athletic Commission after an illegal hand-wrapping scandal in January 2009 when he beat Cotto.

“We are looking at a venue outside of the US, and it doesn’t make a difference whether it’s Antonio Margarito or Miguel Cotto. It’s not Mexico, but until I have a concrete deal in place, I don’t want to divulge what country that is,” said Koncz.

Margarito (38-6 with 27 Kos) is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision last May against Roberto Garcia in a junior middleweight clash that was fought in Mexico, which licensed him for the bout.
Margarito could not still apply a license in Nevada last week.

“But it doesn’t eliminate a possible fight against Manny. If Manny decides to fight Margarito, just because he got denied in Nevada—that’s not going to squash the fight,” he added.

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