Why doesn't Steve Smoger get more high profile fights?

[Violent Demise]

CFH is wrong. Dave Parris is arguably the best ref in the fight game.

As a tag team partner yeah he's the best. Who can forget the night he and Hatton teamed up to take out Kostya Tszyu?

[CutMeMick]

Bayless is def. in the top along with Smoger.
I also have to mention my boy Raul Caiz Jr. I think he's climbing up the ranks...

Mitch Halpern RIP has been for me one of the best in recent times.

[Lance Uppercut]

Smoger is an east coast referee. He'll do the big fights in Atlantic City or New York. But not the west coast ones. Which is why you don't seem him in fights that take place in Vegas or Los Angeles.

So the commissions/promoter prefer to hire regional refs rather than pay to fly in and accommodate those from a different part of the country?

Ref's have to be licensed in the particular state that the fight it held. (which is not as easy as it seems). As noted above Smoger is official ref in several east cost states. Mills Lane and Richard Steel were licensed in Nevada, so you rarely saw them, if ever, ref an east cost fight.

[generalbulldog]

Bayless is def. in the top along with Smoger.
I also have to mention my boy Raul Caiz Jr. I think he's climbing up the ranks...

Mitch Halpern RIP has been for me one of the best in recent times.

Wow, I just did a google search and I didn't even know Mitch Halpern has been dead for over ten years!

Seems like yesterday he was the 3rd man inside the ring for the biggest bouts.

[Kev]

I like Smoger too, but it's easier to get a good rep when you aren't reffing the biggest fights. I bet most of us can only think of a handful of fights where he was the referree compared to dozens with Cole and Cortez.

Let's remember Nick Clegg was Britains most popular politician six months ago. Now he's in government people are actually burning effigies of him and putting shit through his letterbox. He's now even been told by the police to stop cycling to work as he's likely to get killed.

Point is, the spotlight shines brightest on the biggest stage.

[CutMeMick]

Bayless is def. in the top along with Smoger.
I also have to mention my boy Raul Caiz Jr. I think he's climbing up the ranks...

Mitch Halpern RIP has been for me one of the best in recent times.

Wow, I just did a google search and I didn't even know Mitch Halpern has been dead for over ten years!

Seems like yesterday he was the 3rd man inside the ring for the biggest bouts.

Sad but true...

[JazMerkin]

Smoger is probably the best ref after Bayless, but even he had a bit of a mare the other night when he didn't stop the Adamek-Maddalone fight sooner. I'd say Robert Byrd is also pretty damn good, although he made a bit of a bum call in stopping the Pirog-Jacobs fight too soon imo.

[CutMeMick]

Smoger is probably the best ref after Bayless, but even he had a bit of a mare the other night when he didn't stop the Adamek-Maddalone fight sooner. I'd say Robert Byrd is also pretty damn good, although he made a bit of a bum call in stopping the Pirog-Jacobs fight too soon imo.

Really Jaz?
I think the Jacobs stoppage was gd. Your actually the 1st person that I know who thinks that. Shots like that can have a lasting effect. I think letting Jacobs fight on would have meant more punishment for him. You win some you lose some its how it goes.

[:::PSL:::]

I've never seen him get tense or pissed off. He's always cool, and I love the way he gives compasion to the loser everytime he call stoppage.

[JazMerkin]

Smoger is probably the best ref after Bayless, but even he had a bit of a mare the other night when he didn't stop the Adamek-Maddalone fight sooner. I'd say Robert Byrd is also pretty damn good, although he made a bit of a bum call in stopping the Pirog-Jacobs fight too soon imo.

Really Jaz?
I think the Jacobs stoppage was gd. Your actually the 1st person that I know who thinks that. Shots like that can have a lasting effect. I think letting Jacobs fight on would have meant more punishment for him. You win some you lose some its how it goes.

I think I phrased that badly in my rush to get off to training. It's not so much the stoppage but the way he wouldn't let him get up to try and beat it. I suspect Jacobs would have lost anyway but I think he deserved the right to try. I might be slightly biased as I've met him and he was a really cool guy, but I wanted him to have the chance. Saying that I also think he shouldn't have even been in the ring considering he was apparently crying in the dressing room beforehand

[ruthless rocco]

i seem to remember hearing that steve smoger was being discouraged from his role as a boxing ref because of the shady nature of the sport as it calls to question his crdeibility as a judge. anyone else remember hearing that?