The comeback continues for disgraced former Welterweight champion Antonio Margarito after he defeated journeyman Carson Jones via technical decision after a series of bizarre events in Mexico.
Cut in the second round over his surgically repaired and retirement-inducing right eye, it was beginning to look like a long night as Jones started battering Margarito from pillar to post with little resistance. At the end of the sixth round, the referee waved off the bout signaling that Margarito couldn’t see over his bad eye, but many were left stunned when what should have been a stoppage was sent to the scorecards. As if his guardian angel were ringside as well, Margarito dominated on two of the judges’ scorecards while scoring no worse than a draw on the third in a fight where he was getting viciously pummeled.
Jones, it would seem, never had a chance to win the cards to begin with but would have certainly stopped Margarito before they got there. The hideous turn of events reeks of all kinds of things, from shoddy officiating to overly favorable scorecards, and it really doesn’t benefit Margarito in the end outside of giving him a hollow win.
The 39-year-old has looked legitimately terrible since launching his comeback in 2016, struggling mightily with the likes of Jorge Paez Jr and Ramon Alvarez before getting bailed out against Jones. Margarito’s eye, destroyed by Manny Pacquiao in an epic 2011 beat down, is not holding up at all and despite his post-fight intentions of challenging Miguel Cotto to a trilogy bout at the end of the year, no state athletic commission in the United States will be doing Margarito any favors this time.
Margarito, now 41-8, still has a suspended license in California for elements of plaster being found in his wraps prior to his 2009 loss to Shane Mosley and is kidding only himself if he thinks he’ll be anything less than a punching bag to a competent fighter at this stage of his career. Jones falls on hard luck yet again as the tough brawler sees his three-fight win streak end, dropping now to 40-12-3
Nobody gets a fair shake in Mexico. You have to knock out your Mexican opponent to get the win.