A third man in the ring officiates a boxing match. By Ian McWilliams Wikimedia

Top 10 Famous Boxing Referees of all Time


 

Boxing, like any other sport, is a vital game that cannot afford to be missed by a referee. Boxing is a high-energy sport with great blows and kicks in the air. The primary job of a referee in boxing is to have control over the fighters and justly enforce the rules to ensure a fair contest. This means that in the absence of a referee, there could be death or serious injuries on the ring. There have been referees who have made significant contributions to boxing while also making a name for themselves in this kind of sport. Some are still active in big boxing matches, while others have retired and work in boxing federations. Let’s take a look at some of the most well-known boxing referees of all time.

1. Tony Weeks

Tony Weeks has held the top spot in sports for years due to his unique style of controlling boxers in fights. Weeks, unlike some other referees, never breaks boxing fighters too quickly.

In other words, he instructs them to punch almost as soon as their hands are free. Tony Weeks made his professional debut in 2005, competing for the Lightweight Title. Jose Luis Castillo and Diego Corrales were two fighters at the time who had one of the best fights in boxing history.

Tony Weeks, like Kenny Bayless, always says “NO” to any controversy. And because of his excellent refereeing performance, he continues to be assigned to top assignments.

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2. Arthur Mercante

Picture Courtesy of N. machine Wikimedia

Arthur Mercante was an amateur boxer and Golden Gloves finalist before becoming a professional referee. And he rose to prominence in the 1950s.

Mercante had appeared as the third man in a number of well-known boxing matches during his career.

One of them is the 1971 fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Another example is the fight between George Foreman and Joe Frazier. Alternatively, we should not overlook Alexis Arguello and Alfredo Escalera’s game.

Since 1940, he has presided over the 140th championship bout with great motivation for fighters.

3. Mills Lane

Mills Lane, a former US Marine, began his career as a boxing referee in 1971, with the world heavyweight championship. It was also a watershed moment in his career.

With his well-known phrase “Let’s get it on,” he officiated hundreds of great matches. There were more than 100 world-title fights between him and his retirement in 1998.

Lane knows how to control the fighter perfectly because he used to be a boxer. Mills Lane learned the ropes as a competitor long before he competed in some of boxing’s biggest games. He got a great deal in the welterweight class to develop his own style and win the All-far East Marine Corps championship.

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4. Kenny Bayless

By Agência Brasil Fotografias Wikimedia

He is a Nevada-born American referee. Bayless began his career as a teacher in Las Vegas shortly after graduating from college. He began his career as an amateur referee at the age of 42, thanks to the help of some friends. But it wasn’t until 1991 that he had the opportunity to become a professional referee.

With his famous catchphrase “What I say, you must obey,” he has served as the third man in thousands of fights. The referee understands when to call a halt to a fight. In general, he keeps fighters under his control while avoiding any controversy.

During a fight, Bayless always maintains a large amount of space between fighters and breaks them up with timely warnings and instructions. It is one of the reasons he is qualified to referee big fights like De La Hoya-Mayweather and Mayweather-Mosley, to name a few. 

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5. Steve Smoger

By Moser B. Wikimedia

Smoger is a good technical referee, but he’s probably best known for his impeccable sense of timing, as he never seems to stop a fight too early or too late.

He also tends to intervene in the action less than almost any other referee. Interestingly, while Smoger appears to be all over the east coast with fights big and small, refereeing is just a fun side job for him – his main job is as an Atlantic City municipal judge, and he’s also a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force.

Khan-Malignaggi, Powell-Latimore, Campillo-Garay, and Pavlik-Taylor I are some recent notable fights.

6. Stanley Christodoulou

Encouraged by boxing mentor Willie Toweel, this young South African from Johannesburg refereed his first title fight in 1973, a bantamweight title fight between Romeo Anaya and Arnold Taylor.

Christodoulou went on to referee numerous other title fights, becoming the first official to officiate championship fights in all 17 weight divisions and only the third official to officiate over a hundred title bouts.

This well-known referee was the third man in the squared circle for a number of high-profile fights, including Marvin Hagler vs. Roberto Duran, Eusebio Pedroza vs. Barry McGuigan, and Alexis Arguello vs. Aaron Pryor I.

7. Arthur Donovan

Arthur was born with boxing in his blood as the son of former Civil War veteran and American bare-knuckle middleweight champion Mike Donovan. Donovan ended his professional boxing career to become one of the best referees in the world.

Donovan was incorruptible, and his job at the New York Athletic Club kept him self-sufficient. His presence at so many major heavyweight title fights at the time demonstrated that he had the boxing establishment’s complete trust due to his impeccable timing, judgment, and fleet-footed refereeing style.

Between 1933 and 1946, he officiated 20 of Joe Louis’ fights, including both fights with Max Schmeling and 14 heavyweight championship fights. Donovan was the first referee to be inducted into the IBHOF in 1993.

8. Harry Gibbs

Gibbs was a commanding presence and a no-nonsense, decisive referee. He was a professional heavyweight fighter who won 5 of 6 fights before retiring and becoming a boxing coach.

Gibbs began his career as a referee in 1957 and officiated his first world title fight in 1964, between Emile Griffith and Brian Curtis. He once interrupted a competition before it began.

Gibbs refereed big fights all over the world during his long and distinguished career, including one of the biggest fights of the time, Wilfredo Gomez vs Carlos Zarate in 1978.

He believed that a referee should be calm and self-assured, capable of handling any situation that may arise. “Aside from honesty, aloofness is the quality a good referee requires,” he said.

9. Richard Steele

He is a retired boxing referee from the United States who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Steele, a former member of the United States Marine Corps, served alongside future world Heavyweight champion Ken Norton in the Marine Corps.

He began his boxing career as an amateur while serving in the Marine Corps, compiling a record of 12 wins and 3 losses before turning professional. Steele was All-Marine in 1963-64 and competed in the 1964 Olympic Trials before being inducted into the United States Marine Corps Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.

Steele began refereeing fights in the 1970s and continued until 2007. He refereed 147 world title fights around the world. Steele was occasionally involved in contentious decisions. He is, however, one of the most famous referees of all time.

10. Mickey Vann

Mickey Vann. By Andriy Makukha Wikimedia

He is a former British boxing referee and boxer. Vann was a ‘Class A Star’ boxing referee and judge. On 14 January 1985, he arbitrated his first professional bout, and he has since refereed numerous World, regional, and national title fights.

Vann was a professional boxer before becoming a referee. As a featherweight, he fought 11 times, winning two and losing nine. His first fight was on April 24, 1969, and his last fight was on November 11, 1970.

Mickey was forced to retire due to a British Boxing Board of Control regulation that states referees over the age of 65 are no longer permitted to referee. However, he continues to referee international fights and is frequently used as a judge by major world boxing organizations.

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