Best Seat In the House: Defending Boxing Referees

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*Special Note*: Hello fight fans, “The Beret” here. When I first started writing for Ringside Report “The Heart of Boxing & Entertainment” I mentioned my brother Kevin, who is big a fight fan as anyone. I said that he would weigh in from time to time, well this week he had a great idea for an article and I told him that I “could” write it but he should write it….So, here is an article by special guest, my brother, Kevin (who doesn’t wear a beret) Young.

By Kevin “Brother of The Beret” Young

“The third man in the ring…” is something we hear prior to every fight. While the boxers risk their lives every time they step into the ring, it is the referee whose hands those lives are entrusted to. The referee’s job consists of a lot more than just breaking up clenches and warning against low blows, but they often are treated as nothing more than a punching bag for criticism (pun intended).

The greatest compliment a referee can get is when someone tells them, “I never even saw you in the ring.” What a strange job where you are at your best when you are invisible, and your name isn’t Claude Rains. However, when you may not see the referee, the referee sees exactly what is happening in front of him.

The referees spend hours watching tape of their fighters, just like the opposing camps. They have to know what kind of style to expect, how much movement will there be, where to position themselves and how much damage each man can reasonably take? They have to know what to look for in a fading fighter. Are they defending themselves effectively, how are there reactions to the movements, do they follow direction? They know that they are responsible for the well-being of the fighters and they do not take that job lightly.

Over the years we have had many great referees. The longest tenure would belong to the late Arthur Mercante, SR. His career spanned five decades, starting in the 1960’s and wrapping up in 2001. He refereed the “Fight of the Century” in 1971 that saw Joe Frazier floor and defeat Muhammad Ali via a 15-round unanimous decision. He was also there when Howard Cosell blurted out, “Down goes Frazier!!!!” in the Foreman-Frazier tilt. Arthur was a strong presence in the ring and was not shy to involve himself when it was necessary. My favorite story of one of these instances comes in the explanation I received years after the fight. It was the Roy Jones, JR. Vs David Telesco bout, the first fight ever held at Radio City Music Hall. In the early stages of the match, Mercante, SR. stepped in and scolded both fighters, “No more talking!” When I was able to meet the elder Mercante, SR. I asked what was being said? He brought his hand to his chin as he thought and said, “Let’s see…Yep! He called him a bitch! When you start with the name calling, they can start wrestling around and you lose control.” To hear an 80-something year old Mercante, SR. tell the story was pure joy. (I later had the story confirmed by Roy Jones, JR. who explained, “That is exactly what happened.”

The next top referee, and one who gets way more criticism than one man deserves, was Richard Steele. Starting in the 1970’s and going through the mid-2000’s, Richard Steele was the top in the business. He set the example for all of today’s officials, and actually mentored quite a few along the way. Hagler-Hearns, often touted as the best fight in history, was officiated by Steele. Pryor-Arguello II also had Richard Steele overseeing the action. But if you mention the name Richard Steele, almost everyone will say, “Meldrick Taylor was robbed!” Yes, while there were only 2 seconds left in the round, Steele would have had no way of knowing as his focus MUST have been on Taylor’s condition.

He asked Meldrick twice if he was ok to continue, upon getting no response Steele had to make the decision to stop the fight. His explanation was simple and true when he stated, “No fight is worth a man’s life.” As we have recently been reminded in the Adonis Stevenson fight, the referee must do everything in his power to keep the fighters safe. The post-fight exam discovered that Taylor had a facial fracture as well as kidney damage that resulted in him urinating blood. Fans slightly younger than myself may point to Tyson-Ruddock I as a pre-mature stoppage by Steele, but once again he summed up his decision with a response of, “Let ‘em fight again.”

I would be remiss if I didn’t add a mention to the late Frank Cappuccino in this piece. Frank was a pro. A true gentleman inside and outside of the ring. In addition to supervising Gatti-Ward I, he was also in the ring for Tyson-Spinks. Two of the most memorable fights in my lifetime were both in the very able hands of Frank Cappuccino. On a personal note, my brother, “The Beret” himself was the first person to shake his hand when he announced his retirement from boxing at the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
From Steve Smoger to Joe Cortez and on to Tony Weeks, the sport has seen its share of top notch referees. Mills Lane and the late Mitch Halpern were the stars of Vegas for some time. Jay Nady, Vic Drakulich and most recently, Jack Reiss, coming off of the Wilder-Fury fight, have had their time in the spotlight. However, there is one referee that stands above the rest today.

Kenny Bayless came from the Bay area to Las Vegas and has risen to the top of his field. If there was any doubt about his standing in the game that was all put to rest when he was announced as the third man in the ring for the Mayweather, JR.-Pacquiao “Superfight” on May 2, 2015. Having worked in several previous fights featuring the two combatants, Bayless was the perfect choice for the occasion. He had proven his ability to manage through tough situations and is the most trusted referee in the game. The criticism often thrown at Bayless surrounds Floyd. They like to say he is “Floyd’s personal ref”, but Freddie Roach also went on the record calling him the best referee in the business before the fight.

If you were looking for proof that these referees are underappreciated, I would simply point to the previously mentioned Superfight. While both Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, JR. left the fight earning over $100 million, Kenny Bayless earned the largest paycheck for a referee in the history of boxing. $25,000. That is not a typo, a fight that generated in excess of $500 million the most important man in the building, other than the fighters, made less than 1/20,000th of the overall purse.

Being a professional boxing referee can be a thankless job, a job where you are booed in public, and now, in the days of social media, you can be bashed and harassed for years to come by people who truly don’t appreciate what it is you do. These are dedicated professionals who take on great responsibility for very little reward. They tend to be, in the words of Joe Cortez “Fair but Firm”.

And above all, they care. The referees are not only there to make sure a fight is fought within the rules, but to protect the participants in the most dangerous sport. And let’s not forget, the referee will often jump in between the fighters to stop the action or break them up while punches are being thrown! How many of you would put yourself at risk of getting punched by not one but both fighters at the same time. Think about that next time you want to boo a referee. Maybe from now on you will applaud the ref when they are announced as all true fight fans should.

Remember to submit your questions/comments to me via the form box below by selecting Brian “The Beret” Young and follow me on Twitter @BoxingGuyBrian

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