Several boxing greats have hung up their gloves this week. Following the retirement announcements of 40-year-old fighters Winky Wright and "Sugar" Shane Mosley, Mexican boxer Antonio Margarito follows suit, also announcing that it is time for him to walk away from the sport as well.
The 34-year-old, former welterweight champ revealed the news via a statement on Thursday (June 7), which he addresses to "family, friends and fans."
"After 22 years of full dedication to the profession I love, I have made the decision to announce my retirement from boxing," Margarito said.
"After much thought and extended conversations with my family and team, we have all agreed that the time to hang up my gloves and begin a new chapter in life has arrived," he continued. "I always told my family and team that I would walk away from boxing when I felt I could no longer compete at the level I believed I needed to be, in order to be successful. Although the passion and drive are still there, I have to accept that my time to walk away has arrived."
According to ESPN.com, Margarito (also known as "The Tijuana Tornado") retired because his "body was breaking down."
He last fought in December 2011, losing to Miguel Cotto in a 10th-round knockout, and took a severe beating in the process. He was scheduled to fight in a middleweight bout against Abel Perry in late May, but withdrew due to an Achilles injury. Although Margarito was hoping to be healed and ready by July, he opted to walk away instead.
The Mexican boxing great leaves the sport with a record of 38-8-1 (27 KOs). During his career, he held three welterweight world titles, and was best known for his relentless pressure style.
However, his legacy in boxing is forever tainted, due to his highly publicized hand-wrap scandal in 2009, which resulted in his boxing license being stripped and tarnishing his image. It also raised concerns among fans and sports critics, who questioned whether he fought with loaded wraps regularly.
Margarito denied any such notion, claiming he had no idea of anything illegal hand-wraps, blaming his trainer Javier Capetillo, who said he had accidentally placed the wrong pads in Margarito's wraps.
He lost to Shane Mosley in 2009, and then served a 16-month suspension before returning to fight in May 2010 in Mexico, fighting Roberto Garcia and earning a unanimous decision victory. It was be his last win, if his retirement sticks.
The boxer would go on to lose a unanimous decision to Manny Pacquiao in November 2010, and then a TKO loss to Cotto in December.
Margarito tells ESPN that he plans to stay involved in boxing, but didn't specify how exactly.
No comments:
Post a Comment