Trainer says Margarito had eye surgery, denies handwrap charges
Trainer denies handwrap charges
According to Antonio Margarito's manager Sergio Diaz, Margarito had eye surgery just over a week before stepping into a boxing ring against Shane Mosley. Speaking after Maragarito's stoppage loss to Shane Mosley on Saturday night, Diaz was gracious and gave credit to Mosley for "fighting a hell of a fight and did not want to take anything away from the guy. It was not Tony's night and it definitely was Shane's." But Diaz went on to say that "Antonio had to have surgery on his eye a little over a week ago." When asked why couldn't it wait, Diaz said, "he had a problem with his eye and he had to have the surgery to fight. His retina could have become detatched if he fought without the surgery."
Diaz stressed again that he didn't want to take anything from Mosley. When asked about the growing controversy that Margarito was caught with an illegal hardening substance on his handwraps before the fight and was forced to put on clean wraps, Diaz said, "It got blown out of proportion. They checked Tony's hands. He had one hand wrapped and he was wrapping the other. They said his other hand was wrapped too high. Tony didn't want that to be an issue so he had me cut the wrap off his other hand and he wrapped them both to their satisfaction on the spot." When informed that some rumors had Margarito getting caught with plaster of paris or another foreign substance in his wraps, Diaz flatly denied it. "No. No way. They were just wrapped too high for their liking."
In the postfight press conference Mosley was asked what he knew about the controversy. Mosley said, "I was aware of it but I didn't let it bother me one way or another. I don't think that Margarito was trying to do something illegal. My trainer did his job and caught him and he had to wrap his hands the same way I wrapped mine. He probably wanted extra protection for his hands."
According to Antonio Margarito's manager Sergio Diaz, Margarito had eye surgery just over a week before stepping into a boxing ring against Shane Mosley. Speaking after Maragarito's stoppage loss to Shane Mosley on Saturday night, Diaz was gracious and gave credit to Mosley for "fighting a hell of a fight and did not want to take anything away from the guy. It was not Tony's night and it definitely was Shane's." But Diaz went on to say that "Antonio had to have surgery on his eye a little over a week ago." When asked why couldn't it wait, Diaz said, "he had a problem with his eye and he had to have the surgery to fight. His retina could have become detatched if he fought without the surgery."
Diaz stressed again that he didn't want to take anything from Mosley. When asked about the growing controversy that Margarito was caught with an illegal hardening substance on his handwraps before the fight and was forced to put on clean wraps, Diaz said, "It got blown out of proportion. They checked Tony's hands. He had one hand wrapped and he was wrapping the other. They said his other hand was wrapped too high. Tony didn't want that to be an issue so he had me cut the wrap off his other hand and he wrapped them both to their satisfaction on the spot." When informed that some rumors had Margarito getting caught with plaster of paris or another foreign substance in his wraps, Diaz flatly denied it. "No. No way. They were just wrapped too high for their liking."
In the postfight press conference Mosley was asked what he knew about the controversy. Mosley said, "I was aware of it but I didn't let it bother me one way or another. I don't think that Margarito was trying to do something illegal. My trainer did his job and caught him and he had to wrap his hands the same way I wrapped mine. He probably wanted extra protection for his hands."
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