By Ryan Burton

BoxingScene.com caught up with Keith Kizer, who is the executive director of the
Nevada State Athletic Commission, at the weigh-in for this Friday's junior welterweight clash between Ruslan Provodnikov and Mauricio Herrera.

One of the topics discussed was the possibility of Antonio Margarito being  licensed in Nevada for a possible rematch with WBA 154 pound champion Miguel Cotto. The fight is tentatively scheduled to happen in June in either New York or New Jersey but those venues are not set in stone. In order for the fight to take place Margarito would have to be licensed in either of those states.

I asked Kizer if he felt that Margarito would have a better chance to be licensed in Nevada, considering that Texas granted the Mexican fighter a license to face Manny Pacquiao last November at Cowboys Stadium.

"I don't think he would have a better chance because of that. I do however think he will have a better chance because the commission told him to re-apply in California and he did apply for reinstatement."

Applying for a license to face Cotto would work in Margarito's favor according to Kizer.

"The fact that it (the license) would be to fight Cotto and it would give Cotto a chance at redemption I would think would work in Margarito's favor."

Kizer insists that Margarito's hand wraps were clean when he stopped Cotto in July of 2008.

"The Commission was there (in Margarito's locker room prior to the fight). Cotto's people were there as well.  That is a non-issue."

Kizer stressed that Margarito getting issued a license is not a slam dunk by any  means and he doesn't know what the commission would decide. He does feel for the reasons above, and the fact that so much time has passed, that Margarito has a good shot at being licensed.

"By June it will have been close to 2 and a half years since the Mosley fight and the fact that Margarito didn't have any mishaps in the Pacquiao fight helps his cause.  Those are all factors in his favor."

Kizer finished up by saying he thought the episode of HBO's 24/7 in which Margarito taped a cement block to his fist was done in very poor taste.

"He told our commission that it was his trainer that acted alone with the handwraps.  Making fun of the situation was a bad decision by Margarito and I am sure he will have to explain it to the commission if he wants to get licensed. I am sure the commission will want to know why he did that."

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