Talking Referees

A good friend of mine has a real problem with referees that talk, all the time, to the fighters. He had an extensive amateur career, fought pro for some time, and sparred with Emile Griffith for several fights. He HATES referees that talk to fighters, and not just because it distracts him from watching on television. He found it very disruptive while boxing, in that you are concentrating on your opponent, trying to time him and figure him out and the third guy won't shut up.
Out of curiousity, what is the general opinion on the subject? Does it bother you to have the referee carrying on a conversation? How about referees that break you when you're hands are free and you're working?

While I agree with the general thought,of just close it and call it,ref's are a tricky subject

Joe, Ive got 6 mates that are Star Refs and 4 Boxed at a very high level the 2 that didnt Box are very verbal the others go with the flow and its usually one word and they are between them and the guy whose doing the nastys gets a Bollocking. Ill always remember the first time I saw my favourite. It was a8 rds fight and for the 1st 2 rounds it was terrible, he stopped the fight and got them both together in the middle and the imortal words came forth. Now look you pair of cunts if you 2 dont liven it up Ill spark the pair of you you 2 understand that they sure did. The next 6 rds were crackers and they shared nobbins after, I said to my mate after that was a bit harsh, his reply I wasnt going to let them show me up They are there to fight not behave like girls ;D

Yeah theyre the worst. Only word they should know is "stop" and only when fighters are dead locked in a clinch and unable (or unwilling) to fight. Arthur Mercante jr is the worst by far. That guy has all kinds of slogans and dialogs. Nady is probably the most efficient but he's big and slow and makes the fighters he's in with look like midgets compared to him sometimes. Whatever happened to fighters becoming ref's. Sharkey/Walcott (barring the clay/liston incident) and these guys. Ah boxing is a big mess.

Im right to assume you made this thread is response to the way cortez handled mayweather/hatton. I was pretty displeased with how active he was. The slapping arms tactic that some ref's use to break clinches LOL man....get out of here. Every now and then a ref gets hit in the face. but not nearly enough.

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Originally Posted by ThomasTabin

Yeah theyre the worst. Only word they should know is "stop" and only when fighters are dead locked in a clinch and unable (or unwilling) to fight. Arthur Mercante jr is the worst by far. That guy has all kinds of slogans and dialogs. Nady is probably the most efficient but he's big and slow and makes the fighters he's in with look like midgets compared to him sometimes. Whatever happened to fighters becoming ref's. Sharkey/Walcott (barring the clay/liston incident) and these guys. Ah boxing is a big mess.

Im right to assume you made this thread is response to the way cortez handled mayweather/hatton. I was pretty displeased with how active he was. The slapping arms tactic that some ref's use to break clinches LOL man....get out of here. Every now and then a ref gets hit in the face. but not nearly enough.

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In the New york area ,fighters who become refs are not welcome by the Board . Sons of the men who are already in a voting postion get preference over experience ;even if they have a death in the ring on their hands due to stupidity or inexperience . Ask Ron Lipton he has been boycoted for years.

Ron is a cool dude. I dig his philosophy on boxing. Too bad about what happened. The system that runs boxing is completely corrupt on every level. I love boxing but some of it is just so wrong to the point of being immoral and beyond. Its a sick game makes me question why I even follow and support it.

Ummmmmmmm,past what I originally said,sorry, Ive got to sit this one out

Thinking about Ron Lipton, I couldn't stop myself from stopping by his thread on the Cyber Boxing Zone for some good reads. Going through some of the old pages I found some posts that shed some light on this very topic...

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Ron,

It came up again tonight with the Chris Byrd fight where the ref told them to "mix it up" since they were going to slow. Al Berstein had a kitten. Do you think it is the ref's role to get the guys to 'pick it up' if the pace is slow? Have you done that? Curious.

If they aren't throwing anything, I understand maybe you gotta step in at some point. But when Richard Steele told Ray and Tommy to pick it up in their 2nd fight, in the 2nd round I think it was, I thought that was a little too much. Like these guys know what they are doing.

Thanks,

Tim

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I remember in the many fights over the years I refereed in the Garden or before big crowdswith the many guys on the way up I refereed in the prelims,
Alex Stewart, Montel Griffin, Ray Anis, Ivan Robinson, Lou Savarese, Courage Tsashabala, Tiger Martinez, Howard Davis Jr, Kevin Pompey, so many others, I would be hard pressed to remember, but many times, it would become necessary to say,
"Lets look good in here, or Lets do our best gentleman, c'mon, when things slowed down to a snails pace.

People pay to see them, pro boxing involves marketing a fighter, people paying to see a PRO fight, and the effort needed to maintain a quality show, it is part of the deal in my mind, when a fighter decides to turn pro.

It used to turn me off to see guys come into the ring really orca fat and say, "I'm comfortable at this weight," and then fight at a snails pace and stink out the joint.

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Hi Tim,

Like the written in stone Federation of Planet's Prime directive to all Star Fleet Vessels, Do Not Interfere or you willl cause a change in the outcome of other's destiny.

I never tell either fighter what to do as far as pace or style in that ring. It is up to them.

If things are getting dull and neither fighter is trying, the comment of "C'mon gentleman, this is for the title," might slip past my lips.

I have only DQ's one fighter in all these years, and that was for a NY State Title live on National TV. It was former lightweight champ Charlie "White Lightning" Brown V Jake "The Snake" Rodriquez.

Brown coming off of a long layoff and bouts with Cocaine abuse seemed to run out of gas within the first 30 seconds of the fight. He would throw one or two shots that would miss then grab and hold on to Jake for dear life. This went on and on, round after round with repeated warnings of "Stop holding, stop maintaining a clinch", followed by a point deduction etc.


But a referee cannot tell a fighter how to fight like the referee did in the Louis V Walcott rematch, where the referee according to Walcott kept telling him to stop moving and get in there and fight. That is insane to presume to tell someone how to fight.

Whether it is a barnburner or a fight that is stinking out the joint, the referee enforces the rules.

If neither contestant is doing their best then a case can be made for telling them to fight or the Commission has the right to hold up their purse.

Best,

Ron

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Referees shouldn't have to talk in the ring anyway except to say:

(1.) Box

(2.) Break

(3.) One, Two, Three......Ten, Out!

That should be the extent of what a referee should ever say to a fighter in the ring IMO.

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Hi TKO T,

I guess if the fighters would all fight good fights and obey the rules like pros, it would be that simple, and that would be fine with me.

Some things have to be added to that repertoir though now and then, but that's just my opinion, I could be wrong (Smile) like,

Hey Zivic Get your thumb out of his eyeball,
Tyson, Stop biting his ear off,
Hey Wepner, stop hitting Ali 50 times per round in the back of the head,
Hey Chuck stop kicking him in the balls,
Hey Chuck stop kneeing him in the balls,
Hey Hamsho, don't throw Scypion out of the ring again,
Hey Bowe, tell Rock Neuman to stop choking Tillary on the ring apron,
Hey Elijah, don't kick Riddick in the balls again,
Hey Mercer, stop bribing Ferguson, I heard that,
Hey Cooney, don't hit Holmes in the balls again,
Hey Pou'ha don't bite his shoulder again,
Stop hitting on the break,
Hey Roy Jones jr, don't hit Montell on the deck again,
Hey Mercer, stop punching Morrison while he is unconscious,
Hey Cooney, stop punching Norton while he is unconscious,
Hey Czyz, stop inventing bullshit stories in the corner,
Hey Holyfield, I have to check you for liniment, Czyz is acusing you of blinding him,
Hey Camacho, your cosmic diaper is coming off in the ring,
Hey Liston, wait till he hits you a real punch before you lay down,

Etc, Etc, Etc

;D

It really is a little irratating.
As a rule amateur judges are only meant to use three words. Break. Box and Stop.
However, this rule is broken more frequently than any other in boxing and is left unpunished.

Now I don't always see it as a bad thing. Should the referee wish to administer a warning or a few words on the break or a foul; ok. But i detest referees who keep a running commentary and habitually interfer with the action with their chidings.

Im firm but fair/ Hmmm, maybe short and a bit ego driven ??? .

NAdys cool he looks just like powerderd toast man off of Ren and Stimpy.

enjoyed your read Chris ! CC 8)

Referees are crucial in the fight game, they are responsible for the safety of the fighters and the upholding of boxing law. As such they should be responsible about their duties and abide by the rules they are paid to enforce.