Antonio Margarito Granted Fight in Texas Despite Handwrap Controversy

As the Pacquiao-Margarito fight has been finalized with the approval of Margarito's license to fight in the state of Texas, now is perhaps the most appropriate time to revisit the events and circumstances that made Antonio Margarito the most hated boxer in this generation.

It all started when Shane Mosley fought Margarito almost two years ago at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Shane Mosley could have been badly injured or killed if his trainer and an Inspector of the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) failed to discover a substance that was inserted inside Margarito's gloves minutes before he climbed in the ring to face Mosley in January 2009.

The substance, it turned out, was Plaster of Paris inserted inside Margarito's right hand glove. The substance turns into a hard cast once it gets exposed. It becomes harder than rock and could definitely kill, especially when used with the boxer's awesome power.

From Philboxing.com: "Hadn't those 'rocks' been detected and removed, Margarito could have fought Mosley with actual 'rocks in his gloves.' He could have turned Mosley’s face into bloody mess. After some rounds of pounding, Mosley’s body would have refused to take anymore of it, forcing him to kneel on one knee and 'plead' for a merciful halt to those sledge hammer digs to his ribs.

"Whether or not Margarito has 'rocks in his gloves' in his previous fights, like the ones he had with Kermit Cintron and Miguel Cotto, we don’t know. We may no longer know."

After the fight in which Mosley won, Margarito was confronted with the hard evidence, but he denied any knowledge of the illegal hand wraps and instead pointed to his trainer Jose Capetillo as the culprit.

Capetillo admitted he placed the illegal substance inside the Mexican boxer's gloves, and Margarito has denied and continues to deny any knowledge of the illegal hand wraps.

In the meantime, Capetillo has been banned from boxing for life in the US.

Margarito's denial has enraged boxing fans from around the world as they found it hard to believe that he did not know what Capetillo inserted in his right hand glove.

And now, after almost two years, Margarito is free to practice his profession in the state of Texas and soon in other states of the US.

Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports says, "Because it couldn’t be proven conclusively that he knew, there are no legal reasons to deny him. But ethically, morally and in the best interests of boxing, Texas’ decision to grant Margarito a license is a farce and an affront to every tenet of fair play known to man".

After Thursday's announcement of Magarito's license approval by Texas boxing regulators, the tri-media—including the Internet—have been filled with mostly hate articles and commentaries on Margarito's return to boxing.

Boxing fans say the Pacquiao-Margarito fight is now the most hated match in boxing history.

In contrast, Bob Arum says he expects at least 70,000 people to watch the fight at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Arum believes the Pacquiao-Margarito match will be a blockbuster and box office hit despite the negative publicity it has been getting, especially after the announcement of  Margarito's boxing license approval by the Texas licensing authorities.

If it is the most hated fight in boxing history as boxing fans say, how can it become a hit and a blockbuster by expecting at least 70,000 warm audience?