California will hear Antonio Margarito’s appeal Aug. 18

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The California State Athletic Commission will conduct a special hearing in Los Angeles Aug. 18 to weigh whether or not suspended boxer Antonio Margarito can have his boxing license back after having it revoked in a loaded-gloves scandal last year.

A state representative told The Times on Friday that Margarito’s petition for an expedited hearing as he angles to land a Nov. 13 fight against Manny Pacquiao in the U.S. has been approved, and that a quorum of commissioners will attend the meeting.

Margarito attempted to gain a license in Nevada earlier this month, but that state’s commissioners tabled their decision and instructed him to first try to seek the license in California. The CSAC revoked the licenses of Margarito and his trainer Javier Capetillo in February 2009, a month after authorities seized inserts that were tucked inside his hand wraps before Margarito’s world welterweight title defense against Shane Mosley.

The inserts were later found to have been coated with substances in plaster.

Margarito lost the Mosley fight, and sat out until May, when he won a decision over an opponent in Mexico.

Margarito’s promoter, Bob Arum, has said he was confident Margarito-Pacquiao would be allowed in other possible states even without California re-licensing Margarito. But Arum’s preference is to stage the bout in his home state of Nevada, and California’s decision now leaves Las Vegas as the front-running site to stage the bout.

[Updated at 12:19 p.m.: Nevada commission Executive Officer Keith Kizer said: ‘Our commissioners instructed Margarito to return to California, that if he was truly remorseful he needed to go there first. California was also best prepared to deal with the appeal, they were armed with all the details of what happened in the first place.’

Kizer added that he’s unsure how Nevada will treat Margarito if he’s denied a license in California, but said it’s possible Margarito-Pacquiao will land in Las Vegas. ‘Nevada is always the front-runner for the biggest fights,’ he said.

And this from Margarito promoter Arum: ‘It’s appropriate they’re giving the kid his day in court and doing it in a timely manner.’ Arum, a few days after saying he wanted to exhaust all attempts to place the Margarito-Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas, said Friday that Texas is also well-positioned to host the bout at Cowboys Stadium, where 50,000-plus watched Pacquiao dominate a far lesser-known opponent, Joshua Clottey, in March.]

-- Lance Pugmire