Arum Withdraws Request for Nevada Reinstatement of Margarito

According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, Bob Arum has withdrawn his request for the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to consider including a Margarito appeal for reinstatement to their August 9th agenda.

Arum was looking to get a one-day, temporary reinstatement for his November 13th date with Manny Pacquiao despite the fact that the NSAC had already ruled that Margarito needs to first be reinstated by the California commission (CSAC) that originally suspended him.

Margarito has an August 18th meeting set with the California officials, but nothing is guaranteed and Arum has decided to just drop his Nevada attempts rather than face the uncertainties.

“Because time is running out, we can’t wait for Nevada to make a decision, so we have to think about moving the fight elsewhere,” Arum told Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review Journal. “The commission, other than Pat (Lundvall, who was the only member of the NSAC to vote ‘yes’ on the Margarito reinstatement), have other views. We decided we can’t engage them in trying to change their views, so we’re taking (the fight) elsewhere.”

“He said he didn’t want to wait. That’s his call,” Nevada commission executive director, Keith Kizer said. “Obviously you have to have both fighters licensed to fight here, and I don’t know that the commission would have put (Margarito) on the (Aug. 9) agenda.”

The likely United States candidate to host the fight right now is Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium, home of the Pacquiao-Cotto bout back in March, but this also hinges on whether the CSAC decides to give Margarito back his license during their August 18th hearing.

Possibly anticipating the worst, Arum is already saying that the Association of Boxing Commission will make an announcement on August 19th (one day after the CSAC hearing) on whether other states will be allowed to license Margarito if the CSAC upholds their suspension.

Texas is considered a weak-commissioned state, but it would still be tough to get a suspended fighter a permit to fight there.

The back-up plan is Monterrey, Mexico, but because of logistics and security, this choice is purely an option to be considered after all else has failed.