Oh No, Say It Isn’t So! More Margarito…

Oh No, Say It Isn’t So! More Margarito – Earlier this week, an announcement from sources in Mexico confirmed veteran former world champion Antonio Margarito will be fighting Ramon Alvarez on August 13th in Rosarito, Mexico.

Ramon Alvarez is 29 years old and he has a record of 23-4-2. What is more important for fans to know is that he is the older brother of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Ramon Alvarez is 9-0 in his last ten fights with one no contest, so he has been active. Margarito, of course, has made no secret that he is back in boxing to make money, and “Canelo” Alvarez has been one of the fights Margarito has talked about. Of course, “Canelo” is booked to fight Liam Smith on September 17th and he generally has shown little interest in a Margarito fight. Perhaps Margarito feels “Canelo” will be more interested if he starts off by beating up members of his family.

Read “Questions no one is asking about Margarito’s Comeback” 

Oh No, Say It Isn’t So! More Margarito…

When last we saw Margarito, it was March 5th and he won a sluggish unanimous decision over Jorge Paez Jr. That fight was fought in Mexico City, and it was the first time Margarito had fought in four years.

Margarito’s retirement of four years was mainly due to health problems surrounding his eye. Margarito received a brutal beating at the hands of Manny Pacquiao back in November of 2010, emerging from that fight with a broken eye socket. From that fight, it was more than one year before Margarito fought again. In that follow-up bout, a rematch with Miguel Cotto, Margarito again sustained damage to the eye and many thought Margarito was finished.

Last year reports surfaced that Margarito was serious about returning. Margarito was formerly represented by Top Rank, and Bob Arum did express some interest in a return for the former welterweight world champion. In the end, the deal was not made because Margarito asked for too much money and Margarito moved on to negotiate with other promoters. Little mention was made of Margarito’s eye by Top Rank, however Margarito did face questions over whether his eye could pass the exams required to be issued a license to fight in the United States.

By fighting in Mexico, Margarito may be skirting the issue. He reportedly has a doctor who says his eye is fine, and he came through the Paez Jr fight this last March without any problems, so he will likely continue to take fights in the hunt for that one big payday. But the question of whether he is risking his eye and potentially his vision by fighting doesn’t even seem important anymore.

Antonio Margarito versus Ramon Alvarez is set to air on Azteca TV in Mexico.

Oh No, Say It Isn’t So! More Margarito