Report: California Suspends Margarito Until Hand Wraps Tested

Apparently I just needed to wait a few days until the controversy over the "plaster-like substance" found and removed from Antonio Margarito's gloves before his fight with Shane Mosley took off.

ESPN boxing guru Dan Rafael is reporting that the California State Athletic Commission has suspended Margarito and trainer Javier Capetillo until the substance found in the wraps can be fully analyzed. Hey, I hear Gil Grissom is available!

All joking aside, I raised the issue of whether or not Miguel Cotto's camp would wonder whether Margarito and Capetillo did something similar before their fight. In the same vein, Rafael notes that people representing Kermit Cintron and Joshua Clottey - two relatively recent Margarito victims - are watching the developments in the hand wrap saga carefully.

And while Yahoo's Steve Cofield may be overstating things (no surprise there) when he wonders if this may spell doom for Margarito's career, it's more understandable to read that Mosley trainer Nazim Richardson is outraged - both for the potential danger posed to his man and the pall it could cast over the sport if it's decided that Margarito and company were knowingly cheating.

Boxing fans don't agree on much, but I think most would concur that there is a portion of the media and the sports-watching public just waiting for any opportunity to pile on boxing. Here's hoping this gets resolved quickly and decisively.