I normally don't pile on refs, 'cause they have a difficult enough time doing their job while keeping everybody happy. But I just saw a fight on ShoBox between Omar "Panterita" Figueroa vs. Ramon Ayala, for the WBO Youth Lightweight title, and I couldn't help thinking how lousy the referee was. Can't remember the guy's name, only that it was some older, white-haired dude.
First, it seems he was asleep while watching these guys remain in a clinch for what seemed like an eternity. Hey, there's such a thing as "fight your way out"... but that was ridiculous. I found myself staring at the ref wondering when he was finally going to separate the fighters. He did THAT a couple of times. Then he warns Ayala about taking away a point for holding, entirely too soon, with the fight barely a round old. He didn't seem comfortable in the ring, staying way too long in one place instead of moving around the way refs normally do. Finally, when Figueroa scores his half-punch, half-push knockdown of Ayala in the 2nd round, it looks like the ref needs to catch a taxi cab, by the way he rushes the count.... reaching "nine" before Ayala gets fully to his feet.... and then inexplicably waves the fight off, as the bell is sounding to end the round. The TV commentator said the ref "must've seen something in his eyes", but for some reason, I don't buy that.
Not that the fight itself would've been that memorable, but when I find myself looking to see when's the next time the ref's going to screw up, instead of concentrating on the fight..... something's wrong. And it wasn't some young-looking rookie ref. This guy's been around the block a few times. I may have even seen him before.
Anyway, it gives me a new appreciation for how hard a ref's job is... so when you magnify that for the big, major fights.... it's a thankless job. It's one of those things where, if you do your job correctly, nobody notices you. But when you screw up big time... that's all anybody ever talks about.
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