Legendary trainer Freddie Roach says Antonio Margarito got off lightly with a one-year suspension and suspects the Mexican boxer may have used loaded hand wraps against other opponents besides Shane Mosley.
Roach, the trainer for Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao, said he has studied the tapes of Margarito’s fights in 2008 and 2009 and sees things he doesn’t like.
“I wasn’t there, but when he fought (Kermit) Cintron the second time and when he fought (Miguel) Cotto something to me was different with the way he threw his punches,” Roach said Wednesday at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
Margarito was slapped with a one-year ban after being caught with a plaster-like substance in his gloves prior to a 2009 fight against Mosley. Margarito says his then trainer, Javier Capetillo, put the illegal substance in his gloves without his knowledge.
“After a fight what is the first thing a fighter wants to do? It is get the (expletive) gloves off as quickly as possible,” Roach said.
“Against Cintron he kept the gloves on the whole time didn’t take his gloves off until he got to the dressing room. So it makes me wonder.”
Roach said he “likes Margarito as a person” and has no hard evidence but he has his doubts when Margarito says he didn’t know that his trainer was slipping a hardened plaster-like substance into his boxing gloves.
“I was sadly surprised,” Roach said. “I studied his fight films for the last six or seven fights and seeing the difference in his actions it is evident he was loaded in some fights.” Margarito beat the favoured Cotto in 11 rounds in July 2008 just three months after knocking out Cintron in round six.
Roach said Wednesday that Margarito should have been given a lifetime ban.
“I feel the suspension for a year was a slap in the wrist and he should be suspended for life,” Roach said. “They gave him a year and he did it. It is like they put you in jail for a year and you are a free man. So you got to give him the opportunity.”
Margarito will step into the ring for the first time in the USA since he was caught using illegal hand wraps when he takes on Pacquiao November 13 at Cowboys Stadium.
Pacquiao (51-3-2, 38KOs) has asked officials to allow them to send an extra person from his camp into Margarito’s dressing room prior to the Dallas fight to observe the taping.
P.S. dont forget to Watch Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito on Nov 13, 2010 ;)
