Pacquiao: “He knew”

[lpinoy]

C/P
By;Ricardo Conde

Full Pacquiao-Margarito presser report

“I believe he knew,” WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao said today at the kickoff presser in Los Angeles for his November 13 bout with Antonio Margarito. “He’s the one who wraps his hands and he doesn’t know what’s in there?” Pacman called the “Tijuana Tornado’s” problem with illegal handwraps “a mistake.” Pacquiao said he took the fight because “I am a fighter and I am just doing my job.”

Margarito, making a triumphant return to California just two weeks after the State rejected him for a boxing license at a highly publicized hearing, made a point of thanking the State of Texas for granting him a boxing license. “Everything that happened in the past is over and now we are in the present,” he stated. “Forget about the past!”

Bob Arum – Top Rank
Manny Pacquiao who only knows a real fight will be back in action facing a guy who we’ve watched over these past number of years who always comes to fight, the congressman, Manny Pacquiao. So hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, the press conference for the Pacquiao-Margarito fight is now in session. We’re very pleased that this event which is yet untitled, but probably Pacquiao and Margarito is all title that it needs will be distributed in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico on Pay-Per-View by our good friends at HBO and this will be as Mark will tell you a full-blast effort from 24/7 to the whole arsenal that HBO possess. This will be a full-blast effort by HBO to bring the message of this fight to the public so its a pleasure for me to bring to the microphone the head of HBO PPV, Mark Taffet.

Mark Taffet – HBO PPV
Yup, it’s still morning, good morning everybody. What a phenomenal turn out, we’re thrilled that you’re hear today to join us for this big annoucement and we always appreciate your support. Back in March HBO PPV was very fortunate to be able to Manny’s fight with Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium and be there for the first ever boxing event at that beautiful new venue. 51,000 fans later and a few meetings between Bob Arum, Jerry Jones and the staff members at Top Rank and Cowboys Stadium, we stand here today to annouce that on November 13th live from Cowboys Stadium in Texas HBO PPV will be producing and bringing to the fans the Pay-Per-View telecast of Manny Pacquiao against Antonio Margarit. We are in the big event business make no mistake about when you have that power of that Pacquiao brand and the stature he’s achieved and you combine that with Bob Arum and Jerry Jones, the Cowboys and Top Rank you’ve got yourself a big event and we’ll be there on November 13th to make sure everbody sees it in high definition. Manny has fought twelve times on pay-per-view, generated 6.2 million buys, over $320 million dollars of per-per-view revenue and it’s been quite a journey. Just look at the fights he’s been involved in, that great trilogy with Erik Morales, two bouts with Marco Antonio Barrera, two legedary matches with Juan Manuel Marquez, his fight against Ricky Hatton and that unforgetable knockout victory and twice he’s broken the 1 million buy pay-per-view mark against Oscar De La Hoya and recently against Miguel Cotto. Manny began his hall of fame career back in 1995 at 108 pounds and just look where he’s come today. Not only has he withstood the test of time as 15 plus years will attest, but he’s won world titles in seven weight divisions and he’s now talked about one of the all time greats. He’s not just a boxing superstar but he’s an iconic figure in the Philipines and he’s trancended the sport. He’s become a news figure, an entertainment figure and now a world figure. Just look at some of the accolades he’s achieved, Times 100 most influential people, cover of Times magazine, Wall Street Journal pieces and soon to be featured on 60 Minutes, that’s quite an achievement, not only for a boxer but for anyone. And with his recent election to congress in the Philipines, Manny now will be fighting for his people, not just in the ring but outside the ring. We’re very, very proud to be associated with Manny, we’ve been there for everyone of his big pay-per-view fights and we’ll be there November 13th. As Bob said HBO Sports will be presenting another installment of 24/7, we’ll be talking more about that in New York on the next stop of our press tour. Come November 13th the PPV telecast will begin at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific, will be available in over 75 million closing in on 80 million pay-per-view homes throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and of course it will be available in high-definition which is now a very significant portion of the viewing presenting boxing like it’s never been presented before. I want to thank Top Rank, Jerry Jones, Cowboys Stadium for all the work they’ve done to put this event together and bring yet again another big fight to the sport, we appreciate it and we look forward to being there.

Bob Arum – Top Rank
Jerry Jones couldn’t join us today, the Cowboys are playing their final exhibition game on Thursday evening. Both fighters will appear at the game hopefully neither of them get pressed in to serve as cornerback. So Jerry will join us Friday at the press conference at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. The Cowboys are setting up the stadium to seat 70,000 people. If those tickets are sold and we believe they will be and maybe more it will be the biggest attendance at a live gate in recent times in the United States. The biggest crowd was 60 some thousand at the Super Dome for the Ali-Spinks fight and we believe this will set the record in modern times for a live attendance at event. Tickets will be priced from $50 to $700 and they will go on sale September 18. We’re also very pleased to announce today that this fight will be fought for the vacant WBC super welterweight championship. Manny Pacquio in seeking to win this fight will be going for an unheard of eight world title in eight different divisions, nobody in boxing history has even come close.

Mauricio Suliman – WBC
It is a real honor for me to represent my father here today as he’s recovering from knee surgery. He could not be here but he sends his best regards to all of you and specially to his very good friend Mr. Bob Arum and to his two great heros Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito. Bob Arum without a doubt is the greatest promoter in boxing today. We would like to thank everyone for always being so kind to the WBC and the boxing world. The WBC is very proud to be apart of this event, this fight will be the 1,820th world title fight in our history. This belt, the WBC super welterweight belt has been worn by great fighters like Nino Benvenuti, Benitez, Hearns, Terry Norris, Oscar De La Hoya, Shane Mosley, Mayweather and recently by Sergio Martinez who moved up in weight and that is the reason why this belt is vacant and will be contested on November 13th. The WBC is going to participate 100% to make this event great. We are very proud to see Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito fight for our title and we are going to put all our efforts to make this fight as big as possible. We are going to include this event as part of the bi-centennial celebrations of Mexico and United States. We have a special belt for this occasion first and only time that the Dallas Cowboys which is the stadium will be featured as well as Top Rank will be featured on the belt. The two pictures of Margarito and Pacquiao are on the belt and the winner on November 13th will bring home this one time edition of the WBC belt. I want to thank Mr. Bob Arum for this opportunity again and we’d like to wish the best of luck for Manny Pacquiao on his quest to conquer and make history for the eight division as well as to Antonio Margarito who has true Mexican pride and has paid his dues and he deserves to make a living for him and his family.

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Bob Arum – Top Rank
I’m very proud as I stand here today that this fight has come together because I was trained as a lawyer and I went to the best law school in the country and I graduated from law school in the 50′s and became part of the Justice Department of the United States and the President John F. Kennedy. The one thing I can’t tolerate is injustice particularly in this country becauses throughout this long ordeal certain things became evident, one Antonio Margarito did not know that those hand wraps were illegal and there was something bad in those wraps. Not one shred of proof, some writers talk about well he got off because there wasn’t clear and convincing evidence, bull****! There wasn’t one shred of evidence and at the hearing inspectors from the California Commission who have since been fired because they were willing to testify that he did not know and there were the writers not all of them but some of them they said he must have known. A careful writer like Tom Hauser who is also a law school graduate interviewed 5 trainers, 5 independent trainers, Freddie Roach, Emmanul Steward, Dan Burmingham, Pat Burns, Nassim Richardson, Mosley’s trainer. All of whom said we could put a bad pad in the hand wraps and the fighter would never know, ah ha said the writers, but an experienced fighter would know the hand wraps were bad, how. Maybe, I’m not a fighter, if they put gloves on and started hitting the pads you can see something was wrong but that didn’t happen in this case. These bad inserts were discovered while the wrapping was still going on so he had no opportunity to test them out. Look there is still justice in this country and I don’t care what minority you come from you’re entitled to the highest level of justice. Evidence is what convicts, lack of evidence means there shouldn’t have been any penalty in the first place, there was a revokation, he served his time and thank God the people in the Texas Boxing Commision who reviewed all the testimony and so forth came to the same conclusion because that’s America. Evidence determines guilt of innocence and there was not one shred of evidence that Antonio Margarito knew anything about the hand wraps so I am very pleased we waged this fight with you shoulder to shoulder because we finally brought about justice and you’ll fight on November 13th the fight of your life and I’m sure you’re going to come well prepared and give a great account of yourself because you’ve always done that in the years that we’ve promoted you, the former welterweight champion of the world, Antonio Margarito.

Antonio Margarito
First of all I’d like to thank Bob Arum for making this fight a reality, to everyone at Top Rank with all the help they gave me. Not much much to say, I’ve been asking for this fight for a long time. I’m very happy and motivated for this fight. I want to thank Manny for taking this fight. Everything that has happened is in the past and we’re now in the present. It’s time to show everyone that I’m still very good and no one should miss this fight, it’s going to be a great fight and now we’re in the present so lets forget about the past. I also want to the Texas Commision for re-licensing me and the WBC for santioning this fight and to all the fans, Viva Mexico!

Manny Pacquiao
Good afternoon everybody, thank you. I would like to thank everbody, all the press and media and to the fans in boxing. I want to say a couple words in Spanish, no era mi decision para encontrar otro peleador Mexicano pero asi pasan las cosas (translated: It wasn’t my decision to fight another Mexican fighter but that’s just how things happened.) I’m just a fighter doing my job and it’s going to be a very great fight and it’s one the fans want to see there’s going to be a lot of boxing in the ring. I know and I believe that Margarito has the capability to give a good show and he is a fighter that is very impressive and his talented and an aggresive fighter. He’s stronger and bigger than me so we both have to train hard to give a good show so both of us can give a good show on November 13th. All I can say is watch it and don’t miss it, it’s going to be a great fight on November 13th.