Margarito Questions De La Hoya's Machismo

By the grace of God it doesn't appear that Oscar de la Hoya and Manny Pacquiao will be able to settle on financial terms for a proposed fight. This means that the door has re-opened (albeit by a crack) for the possibility of a real farewell fight against Antonio Margartio. Of course it should come as no surprise that the sport's biggest draw has little interest in stepping in the ring with the man who is arguably boxing's most dangerous man. So how can Margarito get Oscar to agree to a fight? Why just question his juevos through the media of course!

"Now I know why [trainer] Freddie [Roach] said Oscar can't pull the trigger. He really can't pull the trigger. Now he's getting brave with a 135-pound fighter and is trying to convince everyone that is a tough fight. He's getting brave with a great fighter, but a fighter who fights at 135-pounds. He wants to show the world that he can pull the trigger against a 135-pounder! What a man! What a hero! What a businessman! Go ahead Oscar, show the world you can still pull that trigger," Margarito said.

Granted, it may not be the most sophisticated method of matchmaking, but if you're a Mexican fighter who desperately wants a fight date with the overly image conscious Mexican-American your best bet is to question his manhood. Hey, at least he didn't bring up the infamous fishnet pictures like his manager, Sergio Diaz. Come on Sergio, didn't you hear those pictures were "fake"? It still appears that Oscar is more likely to sign the perfectly safe fight with Sergio Mora while Margarito is left to fight Joshua Clottey for far less money. Of course if the new welterweight champ keeps talking, Oscar will need a better response than he's been giving. Remember Oscar, you're not Paul Williams' promoter, you're still an actual boxer. • This won't help DC's boxing reputation. The other news in the world of boxing comes from last night's episode of ESPN2's Friday Night Fights in Washington DC, which featured Anthony "The Messenger" Thompson's return to the ring. The former light middleweight prospect took on Ishmail Arvin in his first action in over a year since losing a split decision to the undefeated Yuri Foreman at Madison Square Garden. Thompson looked pretty solid considering his time off, and he was having his way with the over-matched Arvin before a clash of heads created a nasty cut over Thompson's left eye in the third round. He continued to batter Arvin, but eventually the fight was correctly stopped before further damage was inflicted on the rather grotesque injury. The problem was that the referee never saw the headbutt. Instead Malik Waleed ruled the cut the result of a punch, so instead of going to the cards - which would presumably give Thompson the much needed win - the fight was ruled a TKO victory for Arvin. At one point the referee was even watching the replay on the ringside monitors courtesy of ESPN's confounded broadcasting team of Joe Tessitore and Shannon Briggs. Then Jason Turner, the head of the DC Boxing Commission, got in the ring and he took a closer look at the replay before somebody remembered that there is no instant replay in boxing. Because the referee ruled the cut as the result of punch they ruled it a TKO, but perhaps the better decision would have been to rule the fight a no contest after all of that post-fight consternation. Margarito Swings Back at De La Hoya, Answers Williams via Bad Left Hook Margarito Lobbies Venemously For De La Hoya, While Oscar Turns To Mora