Does anyone feel any sympathy for Joe Cortez?

[C.J.Rock]

It seems like Joe Cortez's name is mud these days, synonymous with incompetence.

But up until the Hatton fight he was considered one of the very best referees in the world and one of the most popular.

It seems that old age has caught up with him and he's no longer able to control the action as he once was.

I agree he shouldn't be in charge of any major fights again but I it's sad to see his reputation be so destroyed based on the past year alone.

When a fighter gets old we are understanding when they can't do it any more. I think Cortez should retire now but I hope his reputation as a gret referee for many years is still upheld.

Try watching the Kirk Johnson-John Ruiz fight and then tell me Cortez was a good referee.
That was the most blatently biased officiating i've ever seen. Ruiz did an acting job worthy of an oscar Cortez got the oscar for best supporting role. Cortez has always been an egotistical and biased official. He truly believes every fight he officiated was The Joe Cortez show and the fighters were secondary. Kick his butt out

[C.J.Rock]

Out side of the UK, I dont think too may people thought he was all that bad in the Hatton fight; but, what he did to Soto last night is unforgivable.

BS He destroyed any chance Hatton had that was the reason he was chosen

[Thread Stealer]

It seems like Joe Cortez's name is mud these days, synonymous with incompetence.

But up until the Hatton fight he was considered one of the very best referees in the world and one of the most popular.

It seems that old age has caught up with him and he's no longer able to control the action as he once was.

I agree he shouldn't be in charge of any major fights again but I it's sad to see his reputation be so destroyed based on the past year alone.

When a fighter gets old we are understanding when they can't do it any more. I think Cortez should retire now but I hope his reputation as a gret referee for many years is still upheld.

Try watching the Kirk Johnson-John Ruiz fight and then tell me Cortez was a good referee.
That was the most blatently biased officiating i've ever seen. Ruiz did an acting job worthy of an oscar Cortez got the oscar for best supporting role. Cortez has always been an egotistical and biased official. He truly believes every fight he officiated was The Joe Cortez show and the fighters were secondary. Kick his butt out

I've seen much worse.

I don't like the "catch-phrases" by refs. I mean you got boxers saying things which is okay, announcers doing it, now you've got refs doing it?

"I'm fair but I'm firm"
"What I say, you must obey"


Stop!

[C.J.Rock]

I don't know if sympathy is the right word. It is a difficult job, but he's been lousy for awhile. He did a poor job in Hopkins-Allen 3, i tseemed like he was bending over backwards for Hopkins after Hopkins threatened to pull out. He was horrendous in Quartey-Bojorquez and Williams-Pakau. Refs who let fights go on for rounds too long make the fights extra dangerous for the combatants. Then came the Mayweather-Hatton bout, which Cortez also did not do a good job, but it didn't bother me as much as the forementioned.

Whom I do feel some sympathy for is Richard Steele. He was a solid ref for awhile, who made some mistakes, but got booed all the time, and people on message boards say he was corrupt and in Don King's pocket. I see little evidence of this, especially when people are discussing Chavez-Taylor I. Duva claimed they didn't want Steele because he had this history of favoring King fighters. But Duva proved to be a liar in that HBO Legendary Nights episode anyway. Where is this evidence of fights where Steele favored King fighters BEFORE Chavez-Taylor I? Tyson-Bruno I is the closest I can think of. A year after Chavez-Taylor I, Steele did a poor job of stopping Tyson-Ruddock I, but his point deductions against Chavez in the first Randall fight made the difference in the judges's scorecards. If not for Steele's point deductions, Chavez would've kept his "0" on that night.

Try telling that BS to a friend of mine Quincy Taylor. Steele's allegiance to King was rampant the night he stopped the WBC title defence against Keith Holmes. Holmes just coincidentally was managed by Carl King Dons adopted son . Came in as a replacement late . when Steele stopped that fight the normally quiet and respectful Curtis Cokes Quincy's trainer wanted to take steele's head off we should have let him It was DIABOLICAL

[C.J.Rock]

It seems like Joe Cortez's name is mud these days, synonymous with incompetence.

But up until the Hatton fight he was considered one of the very best referees in the world and one of the most popular.

It seems that old age has caught up with him and he's no longer able to control the action as he once was.

I agree he shouldn't be in charge of any major fights again but I it's sad to see his reputation be so destroyed based on the past year alone.

When a fighter gets old we are understanding when they can't do it any more. I think Cortez should retire now but I hope his reputation as a gret referee for many years is still upheld.

Try watching the Kirk Johnson-John Ruiz fight and then tell me Cortez was a good referee.
That was the most blatently biased officiating i've ever seen. Ruiz did an acting job worthy of an oscar Cortez got the oscar for best supporting role. Cortez has always been an egotistical and biased official. He truly believes every fight he officiated was The Joe Cortez show and the fighters were secondary. Kick his butt out

I've seen much worse.

I don't like the "catch-phrases" by refs. I mean you got boxers saying things which is okay, announcers doing it, now you've got refs doing it?

"I'm fair but I'm firm"
"What I say, you must obey"


Stop!

You've seen worse When
Every body shot Kirk threw Ruiz cried foul and in jumped Crooked Cortez. The final shot , a beautiful legit hook to the liver dropped Ruiz he screamed and rolled in agony claiming foul. Crooked immediately DQ/'d Kirk
Now we sat together and watched the whole fight in slow motion only TWO of kirks shot could be called definately low. Meanwhile Ruiz was holding, elbowing & headbutting as he liked with no penalty from Cortez. The correct result of that fight was a KO win for Kirk Johnson

[Violent Demise]

Out side of the UK, I dont think too may people thought he was all that bad in the Hatton fight; but, what he did to Soto last night is unforgivable.

BS He destroyed any chance Hatton had that was the reason he was chosen

Come on CJ. You know Hatton never had a chance to begin with.

[Thread Stealer]

Try watching the Kirk Johnson-John Ruiz fight and then tell me Cortez was a good referee.
That was the most blatently biased officiating i've ever seen. Ruiz did an acting job worthy of an oscar Cortez got the oscar for best supporting role. Cortez has always been an egotistical and biased official. He truly believes every fight he officiated was The Joe Cortez show and the fighters were secondary. Kick his butt out

I've seen much worse.

I don't like the "catch-phrases" by refs. I mean you got boxers saying things which is okay, announcers doing it, now you've got refs doing it?

"I'm fair but I'm firm"
"What I say, you must obey"


Stop!

You've seen worse When
Every body shot Kirk threw Ruiz cried foul and in jumped Crooked Cortez. The final shot , a beautiful legit hook to the liver dropped Ruiz he screamed and rolled in agony claiming foul. Crooked immediately DQ/'d Kirk
Now we sat together and watched the whole fight in slow motion only TWO of kirks shot could be called definately low. Meanwhile Ruiz was holding, elbowing & headbutting as he liked with no penalty from Cortez. The correct result of that fight was a KO win for Kirk Johnson

Juan Coggi-Eder Gonzalez I was WAY worse.

Sven Ottke-Robin Reid was a disgrace as well.

[C.J.Rock]

Out side of the UK, I dont think too may people thought he was all that bad in the Hatton fight; but, what he did to Soto last night is unforgivable.

BS He destroyed any chance Hatton had that was the reason he was chosen

Come on CJ. You know Hatton never had a chance to begin with.

What little chance he had was taken away by a biased and in my opinion a crooked ref.
You know as well as I do VD in Vegas Hatton would have to knocl gayfeather out TWICE to get a draw