Before the January 24, 2009 Antonio Margarito vs Shane Moseley fight. Shane Mosley and his trainer Nazim Richardson noticed a white plaster hidden in the wrapped hands of Margarito. Richardson insists that Margarito’s hands needs to be checked. California State Inspector Dean Lohuis called for Margarito's hands to be rewrapped. According to Judd Burstein, the attorney for Mosley, Margarito had wet pads in the wrapping. Mosley's doctor, Robert Olvera, likened the material to the type of plaster used to make casts. Burstein said he seized the pad removed from the wrapping and another pad found in Margarito's dressing room. Both were placed in a sealed box that was given to Lohuis for further study.
The California Department of Justice laboratory later confirmed the substance to be similar in nature to plaster of Paris.
On January 28, 2009 California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) temporarily suspended licenses of Antonio Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, until the outcome of an investigation.
On February 11, 2009 the CSAC revoked their licenses. That means neither Margarito nor Capetillo could participate in boxing in the United States for at least one year. Because state boxing commissions generally honor suspensions imposed in other states, this action effectively banned Margarito from boxing in the United States. After a year, both could reapply for their licenses in California, where they would have to go through another hearing. There would be no guarantee either would be relicensed.
"The conduct of both Mr. Margarito and Mr. Capetillo was unacceptable and threatened the health and safety of another licensee," Carrie Lopez, the director of the state's Department of Consumer Affairs, which licenses fighters, told The Associated Press. "Today's action shows that both the Department of Consumer Affairs and the California State Athletic Commission take the issue of boxer safety very seriously, and will move quickly when a licensee's actions threaten the safety of others."
During the five hours hearing in Van Nuys. Margarito claimed he didn't know what was in the wraps. The panel rejected Margarito's plea of ignorance, he told the panel that “he just held up his hands to be wrapped” while Capetillo admitted to making "a big mistake" by placing the wrong inserts into Margarito's hand wraps. Then Margarito took the line that as head of the team, he was responsible for Capetillo's actions.
Che Guevara, the inspector responsible for supervising Margarito's hand wrapping, testified that he had never seen that sort of pad used before, apparently missing it being slipped into the initial wrap before Richardson's objections.
Another inspector, Mike Bray, said during questioning that he had seen the pads and that they were "moist and dirty looking with a white substance smeared across the pad, like a cast plaster."
A Department of Justice senior criminalist who inspected the wrappings under stereomicroscope and X-ray flourescence spectrometer reported calcium and sulfur were discovered, noting the elements make plaster of Paris with the addition of oxygen. The report was dated March 19. "The commission's decision appears to be supported by that report," said Karen Chappelle, the state supervising deputy attorney general for licensing who urged the California commission to revoke the fighter and trainer's licenses. "The only things that are allowed in hand wraps are gauze and tape and those items aren't gauze and tape."
On November 2009, it emerged that the red stains on the hand wraps of Antonio Margarito used in his fight with Miguel Cotto were similar to the stains on the inserts seized before the Antonio Margarito vs Shane Mosley fight. Both were plaster of Paris. This has raised suspicions that Margarito's gloves were loaded for that fight, and possibly others as well.
What is plaster of Paris?
The term plaster can refer to gypsum plaster (also known as plaster of Paris), it is a type of building material based on calcium sulphate hemihydrate, it is created by heating gypsum. It is also used in making casts.
A large gypsum deposit at Montmartre in Paris is the source of the name. When the dry plaster powder is mixed with water, it re-forms into gypsum. Plaster is used as a building material similar to mortar or cement. Like those materials plaster starts as a dry powder that is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting, and can be easily manipulated with metal tools or even sandpaper. These characteristics make plaster suitable for a finishing, rather than a load-bearing material.
One of the skills used in movie and theatrical sets is that of "plasterer", gypsum plaster often being used to simulate the appearance of surfaces of wood, stone, or metal. Nowadays, plasterers are just as likely to use expanded polystyrene, although the job title remains unchanged.
It is illegal when you use it in boxing. Remember the only allowed items that you can use for wrapping a boxer’s hands are gauze and tape. If you use plaster of Paris it is just like putting a cast on your knuckles that is lightweight but it is harder than gauze or tape.
Related Topics
Antonio Margarito Vs Miguel Cotto Controversy Antonio Margarito Vs Shane Mosley Controversy Antonio Margarito’s Biography Antonio Margarito's List Of Fights Miguel Cotto Vs Antonio Margarito Stats Compared Other Topics Boxing Information And Fundamentals Boxing Abbreviations Boxing Stance Boxing Titles Boxing Weight Divisions |
Sources:
http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=11677&cat=boxer
http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/File:CSACphoto.jpg
http://boxrec.com/media/index.php?title=Human:11677
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Margarito
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaster_of_Paris#Gypsum_plaster