When Antonio Margarito goes before the California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday with his trainer Javier Capetillo, Top Rank chief Bob Arum and right-hand man Todd duBoef won't be the only two in his corner.
Daniel Petrocelli, who represented Fred Goldman in his successful wrongful death suit against O.J. Simpson and also represented convicted Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling, will be Margarito's lawyer.
Said Arum, "We're not fooling around. Petrocelli's the best." He also noted that they have full confidence that Margarito did not "knowingly cheat," and that the foreign substance was not plaster of Paris or anything like it.
If Margarito and Capetillo are found guilty of that, though, both face long-term and potentially lifetime bans from the sport. A lot rides on the outcome of the investigation, the biggest of which is Margarito's reputation, the least of which at this point is a June rematch with Miguel Cotto, which is a guaranteed money-maker for Top Rank.
We will be here on Tuesday with as up-to-the-minute news as is possible on Margarito's hearing. I'm hoping ESPNews will be there so we can watch it live, because right now, this is the biggest issue in boxing.