Margarito vows to retire if he loses in return bout

FILE — Antonio Margarito of Mexico flexes as he takes the scale for his bout with Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico during their weigh in at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2011 in New York City. Nick Laham/Getty Images/AFP

Former world champion Antonio Margarito vowed to retire if he loses to Jorge Paez Jr. in their bout set on March 5 in Mexico.

The 38-year-old Margarito hasn’t fought since suffering a 10th round stoppage at the hands of Miguel Cotto in December of 2011 after which he announced his retirement six months later.

Margarito is confident he doesn’t have to step away after his fight with Paez (33-4-1, 20 KOs), who is 10 years younger than him.

“I do not think about [losing]. I never thought about losing a fight and now with my return I started training eight months ago, and when I found out who my opponent was I began to tighten things up,” said in an interview on ESPN Deportes’ Golpe a Golpe as posted on BoxingScene.com. “I’ve said that if I lose right now, then I have nothing left to do i boxing. In my head I don’t see that happening. I trust in what I do, I’m a different man, I have my wife, my children.”

Margarito has had an up-and-down boxing career that apart from being a former WBO, WBA and IBF welterweight titleholder, he is also known for being involved in hand-wrap scandal in 2009.