{"id":71211,"date":"2018-04-12T01:17:16","date_gmt":"2018-04-12T06:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=71211"},"modified":"2018-04-12T01:17:58","modified_gmt":"2018-04-12T06:17:58","slug":"steve-double-ss-smoger-goes-on-the-record-talking-about-the-sport-he-loves-called-boxing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=71211","title":{"rendered":"Steve \u201cDouble SS\u201d Smoger Goes On The Record Talking About the Sport He Loves Called Boxing!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Exclusive Interview by Joshua \u201cCity\u201d Brewer<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI was licensed as a probationary referee in 1982 by \u201cJersey\u201d Joe Walcott, the \u201cJersey\u201d Joe Walcott, former world heavyweight champion who was the commissioner for New Jersey at that time. Eight years underneath him, they needed referees, and I was one of the first ones to be put on from the amateurs.\u201d \u2013 Steve \u201cDouble SS\u201d Smoger<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

When you think of boxing referees that have graced the ring there is no question that Steve \u201cDouble SS\u201d Smoger comes to mind. A veteran of more than 200+ title fights, it wouldn\u2019t be a stretch to say that he\u2019s almost seen and done it all in a boxing ring. He\u2019s well traveled having officiated in multiple states and countries. He\u2019s got a style that lends towards maintaining action. <\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably seen a number of officials over the years that you may have felt were constantly breaking the action and interjecting themselves in situations where there was seemingly no need. Not the case with Smoger as he has a keen sense of when to apply his trade. And for that, fighters and fans alike have benefited. He\u2019s no doubt one of the best and has officiated some of the best boxers to ever lace them up. He was trained by some of boxing\u2019s greats. It\u2019s been a long journey that has seen him reach the highest accolades and recognition in the sport. Though, his journey didn\u2019t stop there and there is plenty more boxing to go for the hall of fame official.<\/p>\n

And for that, it\u2019s a true testament of a selfless dedication to a sport that has long entertained the masses and his ability to ensure that participants stay within the bounds of the rules. The most storied sport known to the human race. As I embark on the journey myself, I\u2019m proud to have had the opportunity to speak with the man simply known as \u201cDouble SS.\u201d<\/p>\n

JB: You\u2019re well respected as one of the best referees to ever step in the ring. I want to go back to your initial interest in boxing as you were growing up and what led you to becoming an official?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

First of all, in our home, my dad was a very active fight fan. I\u2019m going to take you way back. I was allowed to stay up on Friday nights as a youngster and sit with my dad to watch the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports. It was primarily from New York, at the St. Nicholas Arena. My dad told me \u201cthis is the vestige of one on one, mono e mono, one on one with no time outs.\u201d It used to be \u2018may the best man win, now it\u2019s may the best person win\u2019.<\/p>\n

I boxed very limitedly on the amateur level. There was a YMCA program in Atlantic City. I really became interested in the fight game very early on. I learned early that while I enjoyed the art of the game, I found that taking punches was a little too much. My tolerance or resistance level wasn\u2019t that good. I loved the game and I went to a local coach by the name of Pat Duffy.<\/p>\n

If you recall, through YouTube or what have you, the 1968 Olympic team. Do you remember what George Foreman did after he won the medal? He walked around the ring with a little American flag. The manager of that team was Pat Duffy. He was an executive at Exxon Mobile in Philadelphia, PA. Everything in life is timing and who you meet. He retired from Exxon Mobil and moved to South Jersey. So, we in the area had the benefit of an Olympic coach in our area. I went to Pat and told him that I tried my hand at boxing and did fairly well on local programs. I love the game but I don\u2019t think my forte is as a competitor. He said to me \u201cSteve, refereeing is boxing without the pain.\u201d That\u2019s a nice quote and I said yes. He said \u201cwhy don\u2019t you come out,\u201d and I started to train with Pat. There has always been a love for the game, and he then sent me to Philadelphia, PA. I trained in Philadelphia, that\u2019s how my amateur career began.<\/p>\n

I trained in and around Philadelphia, and South Jersey. Again, everything in life is timing, so, I began my amateur career in 1974, into 1980, 1981. Then, guess what, Josh? Casinos come to New Jersey. And when casinos opened, what came naturally was the fight game. I was licensed as a probationary referee in 1982 by \u201cJersey\u201d Joe Walcott, the \u201cJersey\u201d Joe Walcott, former world heavyweight champion who was the commissioner for New Jersey at that time. Eight years underneath him, they needed referees, and I was one of the first ones to be put on from the amateurs.<\/p>\n

As the casino industry grew, the fight game grew. I debuted in Totowa, NJ, on a Main Events, Lou Duva card. I worked Tuesday nights at the Tropicana. I did four and six rounders\u2019 so that I could be observed by \u201cJersey\u201d Joe and his deputy, Bob Lee. That\u2019s how it began, the love of boxing in the home, in the gym, then as amateur referee in the Philadelphia area, then elevated as a probationary referee in 82\u2019, then elevated in 83\u2019, and the rest as they say is history as far as the beginning.<\/p>\n

JB: You were a member of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve where you retired as a Colonel. Thank you for your service. Did you do any officiating for any military bouts?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I did. I was very blessed to be on an assignment, I was in Stuttgart, Germany, and I was invited to referee the US Army Boxing Military Championships. The base, in Stuttgart, the name of the facility escapes me (US Army Garrison Stuttgart), but it was really terrific. That was the one time and only while in the military. When I was out of the military I referred in Texas, at a military facility. It was a pro show on a military base, may have been Fort Bliss.<\/p>\n

So, I did one while in the service, I was a pro at the time, but I stepped in and did amateur bouts between the services that were stationed in or around Stuttgart, GE. During that week I gave a seminar in the ring and it was well attended.<\/p>\n

JB: You\u2019ve refereed over 200 title bouts. What bouts stick out most when you think back?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019m blessed to have refereed in more countries and states than anyone in the history of the sweet science. That\u2019s been substantiated by The Ring. In Rhode Island, February 9th, I believe, I officiated on a Jimmy Burchfield card in Twin River, my 1000th bout. I did my 210th world title fight in Canada, on St. Patrick\u2019s Day, Josh O\u2019Rielly Vs Juan Orozco.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the beat goes on. But I think that, to answer your question, it was very, very meaningful to have done a world title fight in the presence of Nelson Mandela in South Africa, in 1991, his first year of freedom.<\/p>\n

Then, doing a world title fight in the presence of the King of Thailand, in 1997, was very meaningful. In Thailand, they treat fighters as though they are deity, they worship these kids. The fight week is a ceremony of prayer and the camps meeting, everything is to the highest level. The ceremonial aspect of the fight game in Asia is something to behold and experience. I\u2019ve worked in both Japan, and Korea, it\u2019s been fabulous.<\/p>\n

Of more recent vintage, something that was very special for me was Felix Trinidad Vs Bernard Hopkins, September, 2001. Trinidad was unbeaten. There was a lot of hype and talk surrounding Hopkins stepping up. There was a tournament that Don King had put together. This is one instance where the fight lived up to the hype. It wasn\u2019t only a fight, it wasn\u2019t event. It was the first major event in the United States, and in fact, the city of New York, after the devastation of 9\/11.<\/p>\n

The fight was scheduled for September 15, but was put off because of the 9\/11 devastation. After several meetings and planning with the city and whatever, and everyone involved, they decided that the country and the city would be ready to host the event on September 29, 2001. All involved thought it would be the first step for the country trying to recover and heal from the devastation. The atmosphere of Madison Square Garden, I have never been subject to or involved in before or since. You could cut the tension and the recovery with a knife. It was packed to the rafters.<\/p>\n

Promoter Don King put a section aside which was held open for first responders and any relatives that felt strong enough to begin their recovery in an event-type atmosphere. It was amazing. When the Irish Tenor sang the national anthem, the hair on your head and your arms and your neck all stood up. We knew that we were going to begin the recovery. The fight took over and it was a wonderful display. Papa Trinidad and I both decided at the same time, stop the fight in the 12th round. There was a lot of tension between the Trinidad and Hopkins camps. Hopkins had thrown the Puerto Rican flag down during the pre-fight. That was a very meaningful fight. Even as you establish yourself and you\u2019ll find this as you move on, that was 2001, and I had beautiful work and became a better referee.<\/p>\n

And then, Kelly Pavlik Vs Jermain Taylor comes along. That was in 2007, and it was a fight for the ages. It gave me the opportunity to show my sensitivities and ability in the ring that you referred to. Pavlik was very, very seriously hurt in round two. He was dropped, and wobbles, wobble, wobbled. He was literally what I call a \u2018signature shot\u2019 from ending it. Jermain hit him a ton and he managed to recover. He recovered in such a fashion that he came on in rounds three, four, five, six, he backs Jermain in a corner and finishes him in seven. They said \u2018God, what a display\u2019, how did I allow it continuing in two, and then finally stop it in seven? Well Josh, as a ref you would know, it was night and day. Kelly still had his presence. When he caught Jermain with the second right hand he was out on his feet. He was done.<\/p>\n

Just as an aside, after that particular event I\u2019m back in the dressing room and as I\u2019m walking out, I bump into Kelly with his belt and his trainer and entourage, Jack Lowe, they were all thrilled. He comes up to me and I said congratulations. He said \u201cSteve, I can\u2019t thank you enough.\u201d I said Kelly, you earned it. He said \u201cSteve, for the first time in my career, I heard you when you were implementing the count, I heard Jack telling me to steady myself. But, for the first time in my career I couldn\u2019t feel my legs.\u201d He said \u201cI knew they were there but it took me at least 30 seconds.\u201d I said Kelly, it was like an equilibrium shot, he caught you high on the head, with I believe a left hook, and while you were down you showed signs of extremely quick recovery. You earned it, champ, and I wish you a long reign. We shook hands and I\u2019ll never forget that he said he couldn\u2019t feel his legs. There were 25,000 people, half of them from Ohio. He said he heard everybody but didn\u2019t feel anything. \u201cSlowly, I regained myself\u201d were his words.<\/p>\n

That was a meaningful fight, it jump started my career. It was the fight of the year, the photo of the year, picture of the year, and there were several articles that said what if Steve Smoger called out sick on that night? Then there was another article that stated of 100 referees, only two referees wouldn\u2019t have stopped it. That was Steve Smoger and Tony Weeks. Tony had allowed Diego Corrales Vs Jose Luis Castillo to continue.<\/p>\n

I would think the experience of refereeing in beautiful foreign countries and those two fights. Being in with Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, John Ruiz, guys like that. James Toney on his rise, I had James as a middleweight, cruiserweight, and heavyweight. These are all lifelong connections like when I see James at the International Boxing Hall of Fame; we did four or five fights together. Miguel Cotto and his rise. Andre Ward. They\u2019re all signature bouts that I\u2019ve been much honored to be a part of.<\/p>\n

JB: You\u2019ve referred in a ton of places overseas. Have you run into any bizarre or interesting venues or situations on any of those trips?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You know, thankfully no. They\u2019ve all been terrific. I did a fight on the Thailand and Cambodia border. It was a village there that the king wanted to prop up with the local government. Just the scenery, he crossed over to Cambodia. We had to get visas to go in. The fight was in Thailand but I remember when you say \u201cunique venues,\u201d it was right on the border. Really, the most interesting venues were in Thailand. They are very much prone to outdoor. Also, refereeing in Perth, Australia, was a kick. The lights went out. We lost power and held the fighters. Six rounds had concluded. It was an IBO title and under IBO rules, unforeseen circumstances after four rounds go to the cards. The champion retained his title because of the power outage. I\u2019ve been involved in that aspect, you sit and wait. But really, I\u2019ve been very fortunate to work with excellent organizers.<\/p>\n

Believe it or not, I had one time in Korea, a cancellation because of a television strike. They held me for one week thinking they could settle it. They didn\u2019t and they shipped me back, because I couldn\u2019t miss work. I used up my entire vacation days. I sat and it was wonderful, I toured Korea for two weeks waiting for the strike. After the second Saturday, they sent me back on that coming Monday. In other words, it was cancelled on one Saturday. They fought on Saturdays in Seoul, it was an event night, so they tried to settle it hastily, and they couldn\u2019t, so they sent me back that following Sunday. So, I\u2019ve had one cancellation believe it or not, in 35 years. That\u2019s a tremendous record.<\/p>\n

So, the venues get very exotic. When you fight outdoors in the stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, I came in on an elephant. They brought the officials in on elephants and they carried the King in. You can\u2019t get close to him, and he sits on a couch, a long couch with all of the dignitaries. It\u2019s just amazing. We can go on and on, but the experience of working in or around the world, and locally of course, has been an exciting experience.<\/p>\n

JB: Wow. I remember reading in Arthur Mercante, SR.\u2019s book, Inside the Ropes, that the fight experience in Thailand was pretty extravagant. I believe it was Thailand and I know he mentioned different places.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Yes, the WBC is very popular over there and Arthur, in his day, was the number one guy. I\u2019m sure he experienced what I experienced if not more.<\/p>\n

JB: You\u2019re a New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame, Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame (2013), Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame (2014), International Boxing Hall of Fame (2015), and Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee. Collectively, what were those moments like being honored amongst and as one of the greatest in the history of the sport?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Well, to be perfectly honest with you, my first entry was in 1997. In other words, 15 years in the game to be eligible and I made it in my first year, in New Jersey, class of 1997. I truly didn\u2019t appreciate the magnitude that early. Then it dawned on me, because from 1997, I started to, as we say in New Jersey, work across the river. In 2013, I make the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. It was a gap of 16 years between halls. Now, I\u2019m appreciative. Then I make the Philadelphia Hall of Fame the next year, because they became aware of me from the Pennsylvania hall. I made it for boxing, because Philadelphia is all sports. That was a great honor to go in with basketball players, hockey players, it was very unique.<\/p>\n

To be quite honest with you, to be nominated and be first ballot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, is such a tremendous honor. To go and see that you\u2019re in the same hall with Joe Louis and Jersey Joe Walcott, and Muhammad Ali, you say \u2018My God\u2019 and you\u2019ve got to pinch yourself. It\u2019s a tremendous honor. But I\u2019ll tell you, I\u2019m the only active referee in the hall. All of the others are retired. My brother Joe Cortez, Richard Steele, of recent vintage, and of course, Mills Lane. They\u2019re all retired.<\/p>\n

Now when I go to a venue to work I have the hall of fame on my shoulder, which is a great inducement to stay in shape and stay ready. Fear is a great inducement, you know that. It\u2019s an added pressure that I gladly accept, but you must remain humble.in our business, as you know, you\u2019re only as good as your last bout. Joe Cortez says it\u2019s a great inducement to retire because you don\u2019t want to subject yourself or the hall to any negatively. But, I feel as though I\u2019ve got more tread left on the tires. I still feel I\u2019m trying to give back and remain active. I get the same nerves as I did 35 years ago.<\/p>\n

JB: Atlantic City, NJ, was a prime staple in boxing for many years. Arturo Gatti fought at the Boardwalk Hall all of the time. You\u2019ve had fighters from Mike Tyson, to Roberto Duran, Oscar De La Hoya, and Floyd Mayweather, JR. who have fought in Atlantic City. There\u2019s been sort of a paradigm shift. To me it seems like more of the major fights that would have in the past been staged in Atlantic City now take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. At one point, at least from the 80s through up to the early 2000s, it was New York, Madison Square Garden in particular, and then Atlantic City as far as boxing on the east coast. Is Atlantic City still a major boxing town and do you think it can get back to the prominence it once was at in the boxing world?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Well, unfortunately and to be perfectly honest, the fight game has warmed a bit over the past five to six years. The negative news is we sustained an economic downturn with four casinos closing, a lot of unemployment. As you know, casinos are the main sponsors of boxing in Atlantic City. They were the prime sponsors. If it wasn\u2019t on their properties, they would substantiate and they would plan, and they would sponsor events at the two halls we have in this city at the Boardwalk Hall, and the Convention Hall.<\/p>\n

The good news is that Hard Rock is opening this summer. What was formerly The Rebel is now called Ocean Resort Casino, and they\u2019ve shown interest. There will definitely be an upturn. It\u2019s cyclical; there was a downturn of at least six years, now there is an upturn. There are local cards, local promoters putting on smaller cards. I believe Atlantic City, has had two to three shows this year, and they had 12 last year. By comparison, in the 1980s, we did over 100 shows a year. It was incredible. It\u2019s the perfect place. But you\u2019re 100%, your analysis is correct.<\/p>\n

The Barclays is a real fight venue. The ownership is dedicated, particularly with Brooklyn Boxing, where it\u2019s located. You have headliners like Danny Jacobs. They bring Deontay Wilder in, he calls that his second home from Alabama. Good for them and good for New York, and so on and so forth. But you will see an uptick in boxing in Atlantic City.<\/p>\n

JB: I read that you referee kickboxing matches as well. How does that compare outside of the obvious use kicking?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I was very fortunate to have been affiliated with the leading sports channel in Europe, called Eurosport. They invited me over, beginning in 2011, to do tournament boxing, regular heavyweight tournament boxing called Bigger and Better. Each aspect is a story in itself, but an arm of Eurosport is WKN, the World Kickboxing Network, and they invited me to train. I went to school for a week under a kickboxing master referee. He trained me and I got involved in female kickboxing tournaments called Girl Power.<\/p>\n

At least three to four times a year, I\u2019m invited over somewhere in Europe to do tournaments. They\u2019ve seen previews of my work. They like the uniqueness of being a hall of fame boxing referee transitioning into the kickboxing realm. In fact, I\u2019m tentatively scheduled for June 29, in Varna, Bulgaria. They already gave me an update on what they call availability. Once I got the number of kicks and appropriate areas, I found them to almost be similar. Quite frankly, the women\u2019s two minute rounds are a big help because it\u2019s less chance to get in trouble. It\u2019s been enjoyable and they invited me back, so I guess the commissioner there at WKN is pleased with my work. As long as they invite me I\u2019ll go.<\/p>\n

JB: I read that you were in Washington, DC, at one point. Did you do any officiating in this area?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I did some amateur work at the D.C. Armory. I also did two major fights in Washington, D.C., if not more. The two that stand out, I did Simon Brown Vs Tyrone Trice 2 in the early 90s, at the Armory. I also did Roy Jones, JR., Vs Bernard Hopkins at RFK Stadium. It was the co-feature to Riddick Bowe Vs Jesse Ferguson. I may have done one others, maybe in Virginia. But, I\u2019ve worked with D.C., officials on several occasions and they have a very fine commission there. Those two fights are the ones that stand out because they were for world titles.<\/p>\n

JB: Lastly, you were born in Norfolk, VA. Did you grow up there or Atlantic City?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I was a war baby. My dad stayed in after World War II and we left for Atlantic City, early on. But, I did take my first swim in Virginia Beach, at six months old.<\/p>\n

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Exclusive Interview by Joshua \u201cCity\u201d Brewer \u201cI was licensed as a probationary referee in 1982 by \u201cJersey\u201d Joe Walcott, the \u201cJersey\u201d Joe Walcott, former world heavyweight champion who was the commissioner for New Jersey at that time. Eight years underneath him, they needed referees, and I was one of the first ones to be put […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[17910],"class_list":["post-71211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-steve-double-ss-smoger-goes-on-the-record-talking-about-the-sport-he-loves-called-boxing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=71211"}],"version-history":[{"count":-3,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71211\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=71211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=71211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=71211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}