Famed attorney Petrocelli to represent Margarito

Boxer Antonio Margarito will be accompanied by famed attorney Daniel Petrocelli on Tuesday when the former world welterweight champion presents his case to the California State Athletic Commission trying to avoid a lengthy suspension.

Petrocelli (pictured above) represented Fred Goldman in his successful, high-profile wrongful death lawsuit against O.J. Simpson, and the attorney also represented Enron executive Jeffrey Skilling in his insider trading trial. Skilling was convicted and sentenced to federal prison.

Margarito and his trainer, Javier Capetillo, were temporarily suspended by the commission after authorities found a "foreign substance" on pads inside his hand wrappings before Margarito fought Shane Mosley on Jan. 24 at Staples Center. Mosley scored a ninth-round technical knockout of Margarito.

But Margarito's promoter, Bob Arum, is planning for his fighter to have a mid-June rematch against former welterweight champ Miguel Cotto, and an extended suspension would scrap those plans.

"They know if there's a suspension, he'll have to go somewhere else for Cotto, like [Word Boxing Council welterweight champion Andre] Berto," HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant told me this weekend. "You're seeing how important this defense is because he's defending a guy who's a big money-maker."

Sunday morning, Arum told me, "We're not fooling around. Petrocelli's the best."

Arum contends Margarito did not knowingly cheat, and speculated the "foreign substance" will be revealed as nothing as sinister as the "Plaster of Paris," or "gray, concrete-color" stuff that Mosley's camp has described it as.

Arum and Top Rank President Todd duBoef will attend the commission hearing Tuesday morning in Van Nuys.

"We know Tony's in good hands," Arum said.

-- Lance Pugmire

Photo credit: MK Productions

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