A lot of people are asking about it, a lot of people are talking about it. If you saw last night's incredible episode of "24/7," you probably noticed the close-up HBO got of Antonio Margarito's eyes as he worked out in Mexico. From the recap of the show:
HBO gets an incredible close-up on Margarito's eyes, which look like they came from two different bodies. "Things are perfect in my eye," he offers.
"He's actually looking better than before," says trainer Robert Garcia. "So should I say he's healthy? Yes, he's healthy."
If you did not watch last night, I cannot recommend the episode more. It's the best in the history of the series, in my opinion. Here's the close-up from the show:
[ Related: Cotto vs Margarito 24/7 Recap: Heroes and Villains ]
For a larger version, click here.
I'm no doctor so I can't say for sure, but the fact is that based on this snap of Margarito, you'd be hard-pressed, I believe, to blame the notoriously strict New York commission for having serious questions about his condition and whether or not he is fit, by their standards, to box. The PR people can hem and haw all they want, but it would probably be better if more commissions were closer to the medical standards of New York than the medical standards of some other states.
The recent comparison that comes up is Israel Vazquez, who looked plain messed up after eye surgery going into his fourth fight with Rafael Marquez (and his tune-up fight before that). Vazquez was clearly not even close to the same fighter, but he fought twice in California with that eye, and there was no to-do about the condition of it or any issue, that we heard of, with his receiving a license in California. That may speak more ill of the California commission than the New York commission.
[ Related: Alternate Venues for Cotto vs Margarito ]
Margarito and Cotto will fight on December 3. Whether that's at Madison Square Garden or somewhere in Texas, Mississippi, Arizona or Colorado remains to be seen. There are plans for moving the fight if it comes to that. It was first assumed that New York would make an announcement on Monday, but there has been difficulty getting a doctor, and the whole thing is just becoming a bigger headache by the day. An announcement is expected, last I read, on Tuesday -- a whole 11 days before the fight is scheduled to take place.