Brick City Boxing

By: Saul Lelchuk

Brickcityboxing.com’s Saul Lelchuk’s response to:
Margarito’s actions could have been fatal
By Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports Feb 10, 8:19 pm EST http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news;_ylt=Ao2gKVK9NWNIBaxHDcj4A5SUxLYF?slug=ki-suspension021009&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I wholeheartedly agree with the Kevin Iole “Margarito’s Actions Could Have Been Fatal” column where he points to the difference between cheating in boxing and any other sport. And given the inherent differences between boxing and other sports, and the potential increased danger that boxing presents, I fully agree with his assertion that such matters be handled with utmost seriousness to ensure they do not happen again.

But I did wonder about certain phrases that were used in the article. Suggesting that Margarito’s action had “no other explanation… other than a cold-blooded attempt to maim” Mosley seems unfair. Even if, at worst, Margarito did know about the wraps (a fact on which I will not speculate), his desire to win a fight by landing more damaging punches and by extension hurting his opponent seems, to me, a far cry from a desire to maim. To maim means to “injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration or mutilation.” Was this really what Margarito and his trainer wanted to do?

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Also, has Margarito truly ruined “whatever reputation he had?” Yes, the outcomes of his previous signature victories can now be questioned, and his reputation is weakened as a result. But is it gone entirely? Are we to throw away his reputation as an incredibly tough and courageous fighter who was willing to work harder in the gym than almost anyone else to achieve what he did? As a man who rigidly controlled his lifestyle in order to maximize his abilities? As a warrior who was always willing to take the best his opponent could throw at him, and who never stopped coming forward? As a fighter who was always exciting within the ring, who always gave his best, whose willpower and heart shined out indefatigably, and whose sincere dedication to his craft was indisputable? I cannot agree that, due to this suspension, “his accomplishments can never be taken seriously.”

This “Wrapgate” was an unfortunate event, both for the sport, and for those involved. And had Naazim Richardson been less attentive, there could have been grave consequences. Punishing those responsible is a given, and I do not mean to say otherwise. But at the same time, I believe that to suggest Margarito has, at one stroke, negated his entire 15-year career is unfair to the man, and unfair to the fighter.