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My view on Keith Kizer as NSAC boss so far…
By Zach Arnold | March 17, 2009
It’s never easy when you’re the head of a State Athletic Commission because you get as much heat as referees do in the fight game. However, with great power comes great responsibility.
So far, the verdict on Keith Kizer (in my mind & my opinion), is the following:
- When something concrete needs to be changed or enforced and there’s hard evidence, action is taken place.
- When there’s controversy, don’t expect anything to be focused on other than PR issues.
- When someone asks for an intensive investigation into an matter, don’t expect much to happen.
My opinions up above are influenced by the following matters:
- The NSAC talked about implementing a drug policy for fighters that would take place outside of when fighters were going to fight (as opposed to normal drug testing the day of a show). When Ivan Trembow highlighted the news that the NSAC had postponed or stopped this new drug testing program, there was nary a peep out of anyone about it or a real detailed explanation as to why this happened.
- When the Antonio Margarito hand-wrapping debacle happened in California (where he got busted for an illegal substance on the hand-wraps prior to his fight with Shane Mosley at the Staples Center in LA), the NY Post and a couple of other media outlets started questioning whether or not the NSAC would investigate past Margarito bouts in the state to determine if Margarito had been using the same tactic in previous fights. Kizer’s response to the NY Post was a simple “we’re confident nothing happened” in regards to Margarito’s fight against Miguel Cotto. How was he so confident that nothing took place without conducting an investigation?
- When the St. Pierre/Penn vaseline issue rose to the media surface, certainly nobody expected that the fight result would be overturned to a no-contest. (For background information on the vaseline scandal, read this article). As Fightlinker noted before the NSAC meeting on Tuesday in regards to a verdict on the Penn appeal, nobody expected the commission to do much about the situation. As Sherdog reported, there doesn’t appear to be any disciplinary measures coming against any of St. Pierre’s cornermen for the vaseline usage in-between rounds.
I’ll give Keith Kizer credit for being consistently… consistent.
Topics: Boxing, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Kizer needs to be removed from his position as head of the NSAC, the last nail in his coffin came today with the Karo suspension.
His sheer ignorance and idiocy when it comes to drugs has shows that he has no idea what he is doing and we need someone running the NSAC that does.
Strike one came with Nick Diaz win over Gomi being ruled a no contest because of weed. His insulting comments towards Nate The Great and his drug test resutls were strike two, this is strike three.
I understand overturning wins because of steroids (only if there is 100% evidence of a failed steriod test. I’m not even against the suspension over painkillers but to take away wins is simply stupid an illogical.
He has shown that he has no grasp of what MMA is and what fighters go through and things will only continue to get worse if he’s allowed to continue to run things like an uneducated fanboy.
Bottom one is hat he is doing exactly what Nevada needs him to do. The atletic commissions are that so when/if someone gets killed in a fight (it has happened in boxing and will happen in big time MMA) the State can say, “Well, it was regulated.”. Nobody gives a shit if St Pierre did ie didn’t cheat except BJ gamblers that bet Wrong and some fanboys. UFC doesn’t care it sold fix and PPVs,, PPV doesn’t care people bought the fight MGM/Mirage doesn’t care peoplel bought tix, Nevada doesn’t care it got it’s tax money already.
All the ACs are really there for is to collect tax money and rubber stamp promotions. Garcia got to be such a pain in the ass in ca UFC stopped wanting to go there and Garcia got fired. That should be enough proof about ACs doe everyone.
This is besides the point but BJ is a known crybaby remember his phony broken rib when his smoke pot all day trainin reginine wasn’t enough to beat Highes the second time? Only BJs doc was able to find the broken rib on an Xray.
EJ, as much as I want to agree with you, I think your comments are ignorant. The state AC’s have a responsibility, albeit the rules could be changed, they have a job to do and they do it. All government is corrupt, and AC’s are funded by the government so there is lee weigh there. Overall, I’d love to agree with you.
EJ is waaaayyy off with his comments, as is Zach, in my opinion.
First of all Zach is saying that the NSAC isnt doing anything when someone requests an investigation. First of all, the commission decides when an investigation takes place, not BJ Penn’s mother. Second of all, I have worked as an investigator for the past 5+ years (I wont say dealing with what, but its high-level), and I can say that outside of obtaining statements from all the parties involved (which in this case were submitted in writing), then questioning the parties (which was done at the hearing), and reviewing documentary evidence (watching the video) there is little more investigation that can take place that I can think of (and I do this for a living).
As for the Antonio Margarito situation, the NSAC officials watch every single hand-wrapping that takes place in big boxing matches. Kizer refusing to investigate past fights with margarito is simply him stating, in effect, that his officials are competent enough to catch any foul play when they watched Margarito’s trainer wrapping him. Zach, by requesting him to do an investigation, one is saying that they dont trust the integrity or efficacy of the NSAC. By criticizing Kizer’s refusal to investigate, you are merely complaining that he disagrees with you (or others) about the integrity of his officials. If Kizer does not think that there is a problem with his officials, there is no reason to investigate. You, Zach, and others are not really in a position to make this judgement.
As for EJ, Karo Parisyan knowingly took multiple kinds of opiates, knowingly refused to admit this before the fight,and then lied about the comments of NSAC officials (who he claims say, “Hey Karo, no big deal, as long as you have a prescription it will be fine”). He broke the rules. Period. Furthermore, while there may be an argument that marijuana cannot enhance your performance, there is no question that painkillers can. If you have a painful injury, without painkillers you cannot compete, with painkillers you can. Thats performance enhancing.
Kizer is an uneducated fanboy???? That probably applies to you a little bit better, EJ.
If you think that painkillers help you during a fight than you are no smarter than Kizer is. Simply put to think that Karo got some sort of unfair advantage against Kim shows a lack of knowledge in what he took and what kind of effects it can have on a person. Karo is lucky to even have made it to the fight not less to win.
I also love how you seem to know everything Karo did and din\’t do in this situation, I bet you also believed everything that the CSAC did in the Sherk case was also correct.
Finally anyone who blindly goes by the he broke the rules argument better never get put in a situation where there fate is at the mercy of uneducated idiots. Because if you’ve ever been put in that situation you would think twice about being so strict with dumb rules and not leaving room for commnon sense.
Explain to me how Kizer is an “uneducated idiot.” Please.
Second of all, the CSAC did ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with the Sherk case. If they did, please tell me what.
As for your painkller argument, that makes no sense. If Karo is sitting at home with an injured leg, unable to move, but can move and run after taking painkillers, that is improving his performance, because without then he would be in too much pain to move. Explain to me how this is not performance enhancing?
If Karo Parisyan or any other fighters does not want to follow the rules of the state where they are competing, they dont have to compete. Period.
He got into it knowing the rules (or at least should have). Complaining after the fact is just pathetic. Just like you EJ.
“Second of all, the CSAC did ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with the Sherk case. If they did, please tell me what.”
Reducing the sentence for denying it while punishing Hermes Franca for coming clean. So you lie and say you’re clean you get your sentence reduced 50%? That sets a pretty bad precedent.
[…] criticisms I have leveled against Kizer in the past have all been fair charges — from the impotent “out-of-season” drug testing of MMA fighters, to the situation involving Antonio Margarito and an unwillingness to apply harsh scrutiny to past […]