Antonio Margarito Bio: Career, Controversy & Net Worth

You see the patched face, smashed punches, aggression, thick stamina, and relentless grudge.

What’s more? How about his all-action, fan-friendly style, and eyes with no fear? Let us plunge deeper into Antonio Margarito’s life and gameplay.

As a fun fact, Margarito has been in the professional boxing arena since age 15.

Additionally, he has evolved his way through the Welterweight World Championship. He bagged the WBO title from 2002 to 2007, the IBF title in 2008, and the WBA (Super) title from 2008 to 2009.

He held a power-packed performance with a fiery attitude when he last let go in 2012. However, he didn’t fail to perform again between 2016 and 2017.

“I am ready to die in the ring. And I have said it before; I will die in the ring.”
-Antonio Margarito

Quick Facts

Antonio Margarito | Age, Height, and Body Measurements

The boxer was born on March 18, 1978. Hence, his age is 45 Years Old as of 2024.

Besides that, Antonio Margarito is a built athletic man standing at 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) while weighing 68 kg (144 pounds).

Additionally, he is packed with muscles and portrays a wrist of 7 and a half inches. As for his appearance, he has tan skin with black eyes and hair.

Not to mention his rigorous training to achieve a fitted body. Margarito hits the gym a few days a week, and before any game, they are busy with intense sparring.

Altogether, on his own, he gets up early with the sun, jogs a little, and does exercises.

Besides his training, Margarito maintains his diet as he has low calories and fat while he munches more on food with high proteins and consistency.

Antonio Margarito | Early Life

Margarito (fully named Antonio “Tony” Margarito Montiel) was born on March 18, 1978, under Pisces’s sun sign.

He was the son of Antonio Margarito, Sr., and Consuelo Margarito, and he spent the first two years of his life in Torrance, California.

Moreover, Margarito grew up alongside his brother, Manuel Margarito, and shifted to Tijuana, Mexico.

Growing up in Tijuana was all getting exposed to drugs and violence; however, thanks to his family’s well-grooming, Margarito didn’t concern about it.

According to the source, Antonio Margarito was always trying to do better and improve; thus, he hit the gym alongside his brother. His father worked as a night watchman and even sold lamps.

Altogether, his family was sure to discipline the kids, and Margarito first stepped into the boxing gym when he was 8 years old. Starting early, Margarito posted an 18-3 record as an amateur.

Antonio Margarito | Professional Career

Just stepping 15 years old, Antonio opened the door to professional boxing in 1994. In the beginning, Antonio’s trainer-manager, Joe Valdez, made him play against the old competitors who drove his career at a slow pace.

Welterweight

Margarito welcomed the boxing world with his victory debut against Jose Trujillo in Tijuana by decision. Similarly, his foremost career knockout came on April 25 over Victor Angulo in the second round.

A loss slammed across his face against Victor Lozoya with a few victories. Then, he picked himself up with wins over Alfred Ankamah, Juan Soberanes, Sergio Gabriel Martinez, Buck Smith, David Kamau, and Frankie Randall.

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He also became the first man to defeat Julio César Chávez in 91 fights.

Following it, Antonio Margarito earned himself the only chance to fight for the WBO Welterweight title at Bayamón, Puerto Rico’s Rubén Rodríguez Coliseum.

During that time, he faced Daniel Santos, which went with an unfortunate accident as both their heads clashed openly. Thus, they ended the match as no contest.

WBO Welterweight Champion

Later, Antonio Margarito fought against Antonio Díaz at HBO Boxing for the WBO Welterweight Championship. Overall, he won the match and gained the title.

Afterward, he kept the title defended from Danny Perez Ramírez, Hercules Kyvelos, Kermit Cintron, Jaime Manuel Gomez, Joshua Clottey, and Andrew Lewis.

Likewise, he debuted in the middleweight division victory debut over Maurice Brantley in Phoenix, Arizona. Similarly, he featured in the rematch against Daniel Santos, ending in a head clash incident.

However, the game was over four matches this time, and Santos won the match by a split ten-around technical decision.

Loss of WBO Welterweight Title

As he crowned himself the world champion in 2002, many stood undefeated by Antonio Margarito.

However, on July 14, 2007, he lost his crown to Paul Williams in a 12-round unanimous decision.

Margarito was not satisfied during the match, and Williams landed more punches.

Antonio claimed the IBF Welterweight title from Kermit Cintron as he knocked him out in the sixth round after landing a liver shot with a title gone.

Margarito vs. Miguel Cotto

Margarito faced WBA Welterweight Champion  Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico as a mandatory defense following his glorious win over the IBF Title.

On July 26, 2008, their match occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Margarito won via technical knockout in the 11th round.

Altogether, at that date, Margarito had maintained 37 wins, 5 losses, and 1 no contest, with 27 wins by knockout.

Margarito vs. Shane Mosley

On January 24, 2009, his big fight against Shane Mosley came over the Lineal Welterweight Championship of Lineal Champs and Cyber Boxing Zone (CBZ).

However, the most celebrated match digs in as a loss to Margarito.

After getting knocked out in the 9th round by technical knockout, Margarito even failed to defend his WBA title.

Later, Margarito opened up about his weight-drained situation during the match because of dehydration and back problems.

Margarito vs. Roberto Garcia

After his knockout loss, Margarito was surrounded by controversies, which kept him away from the ring for 2009.

Later, he made his comeback fight on May 8, 2010, against the light-middleweight contender Roberto García.

Margarito won the tenth round unanimously when the match was held at Aguascalientes, Mexico. This game came as the only knockdown loss in Garcia’s boxing career.

Margarito vs. Manny Pacquiao And Eye Injury

Before fighting against Garcia, Margarito expressed his wish to face the Filipino boxer, Manny Pacquiao.

The same wish finally came true with the match on November 13, 2010. Furthermore, the game was first announced by Bob Arum on July 23.

After Margarito claimed his boxing license, the match occurred in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

As for the fight’s preparation, Margarito had Karim Martínez, Cleotis Pendarvis, Austin Trout, and Ricardo Williams as the sparring partner.

When the match was advanced, Pacquiao dominated Margarito in the most brutal ways for 12 rounds.

Margarito suffered a nasty eye injury by the end of the match and then lost the game via a unanimous decision.

Later, he underwent eye surgery to repair a fractured right eye socket.

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Right after the fight, when Margarito was taken in an emergency, he was discovered with a fractured left orbital bone. Overall, he had his surgery after two days due to his swollen face.

Margarito vs. Cotto II

Altogether, Margarito’s next fight came on December 3, 2011, against Miguel Cotto, after which he retired from the boxing arena. The match was a loss via TKO, and he even had his right eye swelled up and shut.

Learn more about his career and fight record on Boxrec.

Antonio Margarito | Retirement, Comeback, and Highlights

After a lost match and nearly not getting the boxing license, Margarito announced his retirement from the arena the same year.

After 22 years of dedication, pending controversies, and incidents, Margarito bid goodbye to the field due to his slowly breaking body.

“I always told my family and team that I would walk away from boxing when I felt I could no longer compete at the level I believed I needed to be successful. Although the passion and drive are still there, I must accept that my time to walk away has arrived.”
-Antonio Margarito

Later, Margarito returned for the arena fight in 2016. He fought against Carson Jones, Ramon Alvarez, and Jorge Páez Jr.

Furthermore, the boxer won all three matches through Technical Draw, Split Decision, and Unanimous Decision, respectively. 

Antonio Margarito | Stats

Antonio Margarito | Controversies

How Was Antonio Margarito Cheating With Tampered Hand Wraps?

Following the fight with Shane Mosley, Margarito was surrounded by controversy. After Mosley’s trainer, Naazim Richardson found a pasty white substance.

According to the doctor, the substance was a plaster hidden in his hand. The news sparked rumors of cheating. 

Therefore, California State Inspector Dean Lohuis asked Margarito to re-wrap his hands and even took two pads in a sealed box in the dressing room.

After the investigation continued, they finalized it to be the plaster material. Overall, Margarito had stated he did not know about the case, while his trainer Javier Capetillo admitted it was his mistake.

Thus, there were plans to revoke their license for a year because of cheating. Nevertheless, the procedures were later upheld after knowing Margarito was unaware.

Altogether, the California State Athletic Commission suspended Margarito for the time being.

Later, in November, a similar case appeared in a fight against Cotto, only that time as a red stain. In addition, they doubted Margarito’s gloves would be loaded for the battle.

Mocking Parkinson’s Disease

Five weeks before the fight against Manny Pacquiao, Margarito was together with the boxer Brandon Rios during a video interview by Elie Seckbach.

Both together, they mocked Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach for having Parkinson’s disease.

Following it, they were heavily criticized for their behavior, and thus, they made an apology before the fight. All in all, their public apology was to Roach and everyone suffering from Parkinson’s.

Antonio Margarito | Net Worth, Salary, And Endorsements

Over two decades of his career, Antonio Margarito is estimated to have a $15 million net worth. However, he makes over $2.5 million, a small percentage of the pay-per-view revenue per the sources.

Likewise, he earns a fair amount through endorsements. Well-known brands and companies like clothing company Affliction have sponsored the fighter.  

Net Worth of Antonio Margarito in Different Currencies

Here is the net worth of Antonio Margarito in different currencies, including the Euro and Pound.

Antonio Margarito | Personal Life

Margarito had a doubtful and controversial career, not to mention his life events didn’t come in any more straightforward. If we count from today’s date, it has crossed a decade and more since he lost his brother Manuel.

Family And Siblings

After dropping out of junior high at 15 due to the need for money, Margarito was boxing in the professional arena, supported by his family.

After four professional games, he quit boxing and settled with a family back to his older brother.

However, his happiness didn’t come along as just within four years, he had intruders in the house, shooting him dead.

Back then, he was with his family watching TV when he died, thus, leaving his eight months pregnant wife alone.

His match against Kermit Cintron, which came as his victory, was his brother Manuel’s 33rd birthday.

Wife and Kids

Antonio Margarito has married twice. Initially, he was married to his childhood girlfriend Michelle in 1999. However, their relationship didn’t last long. 

Hence, they parted ways in 2011. As of now, he resides happily in Los Angeles, California, with his second wife, Lorena Vidales. Besides that, he has two kids, Antonio Margarito Jr. and Antonella Margarito.

Antonio Margarito | Social Media Presence

Instagram: 5343 Followers

Twitter: 9.3k Followers

Common Queries:

Who is Antonio Margarito fighting next?

As of now, Antonio is not fighting anybody. Furthermore, his last fight was on September 2, 2017, against Carson Jones. He won the battle by a Technical Draw.

What is Antonio Margarito’s entrance song?

The former fighter’s entrance song was El palenque by Vicente Fernandez. 

Who was Antonio Margarito’s coach?

The boxer’s coach was Robert Garcia. 

How many times did Antonio Margarito Fought Miguel Cotto?

Antonio Margarito fought Miguel Cotto twice in 2008 and 2011. He won in 2008 but lost in 2011.

How much is Antonio Margarito worth?

According to various media outlets, the boxer is worth approximately $15 million. Besides that, he is sponsored by reputed companies like Affliction.