Former world champion Antonio Margarito, whose boxing license was revoked by the California State Athletic Commission following an illegal hand-wrapping scandal, must re-apply for his license in California before attempting to fight anywhere in the United States in accordance with Friday's ruling by a five-member panel of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
The 32-year-old Margarito (38-6, 27 knockouts) is coming off of May's 10-round, unanimous decision over Roberto Garcia in a junior middleweight (154 pounds) clash that was fought in Mexico, which licensed him for the bout.
The performance ended a more than one-year ring absence for Margarito, who had been suspended by the CSAC after a ninth-round knockout loss to Shane Mosley in January of 2009 dethroned him as WBA champion.
Margarito's ring exile stemmed from the discovery by Mosley's trainer, Naazim Richardson, that the Mexican's fist wrappings included a plaster-like substance that was subsequently removed and confiscated prior to the fight.
Margarito, whose suspension ended on February 11, testified to the NSAC
that he had no knowledge of the wrappings, instead blaming his trainer, Javier Capetillo, for the illegal substance in his gloves. "The commission ruled by a four-to-one vote that Mr. Margarito's application to the Nevada Commission be tabled until he applies and has had an application heard for a California license by its commission. He does not have to be licensed by California, however, before coming back to us. He just needs to apply and have his case heard by the California commission before he comes back to us," said NSAC director, Keith Kizer.
"How they [California] vote on it and what they decide is up to them, but whether he's denied or approved by the California commission, he can then come back to us," said Kizer, adding that Margarito was accompanied to the hearing by his wife, an attorney and Top Rank Promotions' president, Todd duBoef, among others.
"Whether or not he gets a license in Nevada is not contingent on him getting a license by their [California's] commission, but it's contingent on him going there and applying and having his case heard by the California commission," said Kizer. "My understanding is that I don't believe that he has a license right now from any commission in the United States that allows him to fight."
The lone vote in favor of Margarito came from chairwoman Pat Lundvall. Saying that she did not "see in any value" the NSAC "kicking the can down the road," Lundvall strongly disagreed with that decision but was out-voted by the other four members of her panel.
"The other thing that was critically important to me upon review of all of these materials is the fact that the California commission made no findings of responsibility. They made no finding of culpability on an individual or a direct basis by Mr. Margarito," said Lundvall.
"What they found is the culpability laying with his trainer, and that [Margarito,] as the captain of his ship, to use their language, was responsible for his team, and that he needed to accept full responsibility for his team's effort," said Lundvall. "And he has served out the punishment, and he has served out the time. I don't see why we should fault him because of his team-members. Therefore, that's why I would support his application."
The commission, nevertheless, tabled its decision on Margarito, whom it instructed to return to California, which "has all of the information, which held a hearing, and, get it cleared up first," according to one member.
The motion allows Margarito the possibility of being reinstated in Nevada, but only after after the CSAC has made a decision. A flat out denial of Margarito's license by the NSAC would have effectively resulted in another, year-long, nationwide ban.
"It would be my motion to accept this application. I think that this is a fighter who has served his time, so-to-speak. He's done his punishment. We are a society by which when someone has served whatever punishment has been meted out by that society, then what we do, is we accept him back into it," said Lundvall.
"We don't give them some type of permanent revocation of a license, or to give them some type of a permanent sanction that forbids them from engaging their livelihood," said Lundvall. "So the invididual who has come before us, asking us to make a decision, yay, or nay, on his application to Nevada, I think that he deserves that kind of an answer rather than to write it off on somebody else."
Margarito's promoter, Bob Arum, called Friday's decision "an absolute outrage," adding that it "only means that Margarito's next big fight will be is going to be in Mexico" against either seven-division champion and WBO welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Manny Pacquiao, in November, or newly-crown WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion Miguel Cotto in December.
Pacquiao, however, is in negotiations for a potential bout against Floyd Mayweather that could happen in either November of May.
"The only person with an b**** on that commission is the chairwoman, Pat Lundvall, I mean, that is an absolute outrage not to have voted on this licensing decision. It's just an outrage," said Arum. "Pat Lundvall said it best: This demanded an up or a down vote. So I am totally, totally chagrined at how gutless the members of the commission are. The chairwoman was absolutely correct."
Margarito, who has filed a lawsuit against California, has fought in that state more than a dozen times during his career. But Margarito was not granted a license to return to the ring for the undercard of Pacquiao's March 13, unanimous decision victory over Joshua Clottey at Cowboys Stadium. He would have fought Carson Jones (26-7-1, 15 KOs).
Arum said then that he believed that Margarito's next fight "will be in the United States," mentioning that he hoped "to get Margarito licensed in various states, as he should be," such as "Nevada, or Texas, one of those places."
"[Margarito] could apply in Texas, or apply for a license in any other state," said Kizer. "But his application here in Nevada would be held until he is heard in California and they decide however they see fit."
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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