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Sept 3, 2010
World boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and Former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito
DALLAS, Texas – Former welterweight champion Antonio Margarito has secured the go signal to return to the boxing ring, paving the way for his match with Filipino world boxing icon Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 13. Margarito got his clearance from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Pacquiao will fight for his eighth belt in the junior middleweight bout against Margarito. “I want to thank the state of Texas for granting me a boxing license, which enables me to continue my passion for the sport of boxing in the United States,” Margarito said. “I have dedicated my life to giving the fans of the sport entertainment and excitement. On Nov. 13, this great opportunity will ultimately be fulfilled,” Margarito said in a Manila Bulletin report. Margarito has been tapped by Top Rank Promotions chief Bob Arum, who also has Pacquiao in his stable, as a replacement after negotiations for the Pacquiao’s proposed megafight with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. was derailed due to disagreements in the American’s random drug testing demands. Margarito’s license, along with his trainer Javier Capetillo, was revoked by the California Athletic State Commission after he was found to have embedded a plaster-like substance in his hand wraps prior to facing Shane Mosley in January 2009. The reinstatement was made days after his application to fight anew faced uncertainties in California and Nevada.
“After a thorough review of his application it was determined Mr. Margarito met the requirements of the Texas Combative Sports Act and Rules,” Executive Director William Kuntz said in a statement posted on the department’s website. “Based on the review of the above information, I have authorized the issuance of a license to Mr. Margarito,” it added. The November 13 bout is expected to be held at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, where Pacquiao previously scored a unanimous decision against Ghanaian Joshua Clottey last March.