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In Praise of Referees
Being a third man in the ring is a difficult and oftentimes thankless job, but like airline pilots and doctors, referees must strive to avoid off days. Too much depends on their being consistently fit and ready and at the top of their game. Nonetheless, they are the object of criticism more often than not.
In this connection, one thing that is becoming pretty obvious points to the same referees being used over and over again from what would appear to be limited and localized pools. This can be both good and badâgood because we are getting skilled and experienced people; bad because new ones are not being groomed. This is especially true in Las Vegas, New York City, and California. Plum assignments go to too few and this has resulted in visible disgruntlement among other referees, particularly on the West Coast.
During the past few years Michael Griffin, an excellent Canadian referee has received many assignments (including world title matches) in the state of New York. In fact, he handled the Joshua-Ruiz fight at Madison Square Garden in June 2019. This raises the question: were there no local referees capable of handling these well-paying jobs?
âIt is sad that we have so many state commissions that are the appointees of governors and donât hold the necessary credentials to be put in charge of a very difficult sport to manageâ — the late Elmo Adolph
As for the caliber of refereeing, the controversies of the past have abated during the last couple of years. 2019 was especially free of poor or obtrusive officiating by third men who insisted on becoming too much a part of the show.
Of course, thereâs no such thing as a perfect referee. The late and esteemed Elmo Adolph and the beloved Wayne Kelly came pretty close. Ring 10 in New York (which helps boxers in need) now has an annual award named in honor of Wayne. This yearâs winner was New Yorkâs Steve Willis. Experienced and consistent New York area referee Ron Lipton previously won Ring 10âs Jose Torres Renaissance Man award.
âWayne was a take-charge, no-nonsense referee. He let the fighters fight, and he was always in the gym working sparring sessions to stay sharp.â- Randy Gordon, former head of the New York State Athletic Commission.
It is nice and rewarding that I was responsible for the development of many officials along the way and that many refer to me as their mentor. â Elmo Adolph
In 2011, longtime Italian boxing judge and globetrotting referee Massimo Barrovecchio (pictured) worked the Klitschko-Adamek fight in Poland and did an extraordinary job. For the first time, global fans saw him on TV move about the ring with light-footed grace and remain virtually invisible until he appeared at just the right time to end the beat down the Pole was receiving.
Panamaâs Hector Afu, who worked the Saul Ălvarez vs. Kermit Cintron fight in Mexico, is another who does extremely fine work marked by his âtake-chargeâ propensity. He recently won the âWBC Referee of the Year Awardâ for the second time, having previously won it ten years ago. He last worked the Usyk-Witherspoon bout in Chicago.
In the big âClash on the Dunesâ in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 7, 2019, fans were treated to another great referee in Puerto Ricoâs Luis Pabon who refereed the main event between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz. (The sometimes unfairly criticized Pabon was invisible and was just about perfect in the 2014 fight in Macau between Vasyl Lomachenko and Thai Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo.)
On February 21, 2015, a prime Gennady Golovkin was mauling and mugging former British middleweight champion Martin Murray. Finally, at 2:10 of round 11, Pabon did what Murrayâs corner should have done when he jumped in and stopped the Brit from taking further punishment. The solid stoppage came after a game Murray caught a GGG crunching right cross to the face and then dangerously dropped his hands. He was done. Murray, like many brave fighters, is one who just wonât give up. Thatâs why fighters depend on referees and corners to step in when necessary. Murrayâs corner failed miserably in this regard. Pabon did not. Boxing needs more referees like Luis Pabon.
Jack Reissâs decision to let Tyson Fury continue after he seemingly had been knocked cold by Deontay Wilder in 2018 was as good as good can possibly get. Reiss asked Tyson if he was âOK,â made him raise his hands and walk towards him, and then let him fight. Fury then came back with a fury, showing that he was more than ready to continue.
The Brooklyn-born Reiss lives and works as a realtor in Oxnard, California, and refs almost exclusively in California, but that might be changing due to his growing reputation for being one of the very best referees in the U.S. In fact, he recently worked the âTankâ Davis vs. Yuriorkis Gamboa fight in Atlanta and his stoppage was textbook perfect.
Back to the Dunes
In another fight on the Saudi Arabia card — actually the one that stole the show — big Dillian Whyte met an even bigger Mariusz Wach in a grueling 10-round match.
The referee in this one was invisible and, with all due respect to Bo Derek, delivered a âPerfect Ten.â His technique and ring demeanor allowed him to control without being obtrusive while concurrently allowing him to make timely calls that protected the safety of the boxers. He was none other than the aforementioned Massimo Barrovecchio displaying his consistently fine work whether it be in Rome, Ukraine, Germany, Moscow, Dubai, the UK, Norway, Denmark, Monaco, Ireland, or even in front of Saudi Princes.
Perhaps referees like Barrovecchio, Pabon and Afu can be part of an international seminar. Maybe a webinar could be held out of New York City for new and/or aspiring amateur referees and Jack Reiss (and possibly Mark Nelson out of Minnesota) could be the two moderators. At any rate, state boxing commissions should consider analyzing their present referee pools to determine what, if anything, could be improved,
Corporations use a âBest in Classâ approach. Boxing should do the same.
Ted Sares can be reached at tedsares@roadrunner.com
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Skylar Lacy Blocked for Lamar Jackson before Making his Mark in Boxing
Skylar Lacy, a six-foot-seven heavyweight, returns to the ring on Sunday, Feb. 2, opposing Brandon Moore on a card in Flint, Michigan, airing worldwide on DAZN.
As this is being written, the bookmakers hadnât yet posted a line on the bout, but one couldnât be accused of false coloring by calling the 10-round contest a 50/50 fight. And if his frustrating history is any guide, Lacy will have another draw appended to his record or come out on the wrong side of a split decision.
This should not be construed as a tip to wager on Moore. âClose fights just donât seem to go my way,â says the boxer who played alongside future multi-year NFL MVP Lamar Jackson at the University of Louisville.
A 2021 National Golden Gloves champion, Skylar Lacy came up short in his final amateur bout, losing a split decision to future U.S. Olympian Joshua Edwards. His last Team Combat League assignment resulted in another loss by split decision and he was held to a draw in both instances when stepping up in class as a pro. âIn my mind, Iâm still undefeated,â says Lacy (8-0-2, 6 KOs). âNo one has ever kicked my ass.â
Lacy was the B-side in both of those draws, the first coming in a 6-rounder against Top Rank fighter Antonio Mireles on a Top Rank show in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, and the second in an 8-rounder against George Arias, a Lou DiBella fighter on a DiBella-promoted card in Philadelphia.
Lacy had the Mireles fight in hand when he faded in the homestretch. The altitude was a factor. Lake Tahoe, Nevada (officially Stateline) sits 6,225 feet above sea level. The fight with Arias took an opposite tack. Lacy came on strong after a slow start to stave off defeat.
Skylar will be the B-side once again in Michigan. The cardâs promoter, former world title challenger Dmitriy Salita, inked Brandon Moore (16-1, 10 KOs) in January. âA capable American heavyweight with charisma, athleticism and skills is rare in todayâs day and age. Brandon has got all these ingredientsâŠâ, said Salita in the press release announcing the signing. (Salita has an option on Skylar Lacyâs next pro fight in the event that Skylar should win, but the promoter has a larger investment in Moore who was previously signed to Top Rank, a multi-fight deal that evaporated after only one fight.)
Both Lacy and Moore excelled in other sports. The six-foot-six Moore was an outstanding basketball player in high school in Fort Lauderdale and at the NAIA level in college. Lacy was an all-state football lineman in Indiana before going on to the University of Louisville where he started as an offensive guard as a redshirt sophomore, blocking for freshman phenom Lamar Jackson. âLamar was hard-working and humble,â says Lacy about the player who is now one of the worldâs highest-paid professional athletes.
When Lacy committed to Louisville, the head coach was Charlie Strong who went on to become the head coach at the University of Texas. Lacy was never comfortable with Strongâs successor Bobby Petrino and transferred to San Jose State. Having earned his degree in only three years (a BA in communications) he was eligible immediately but never played a down because of injuries.
Returning to Indianapolis where he was raised by his truck dispatcher father, a single parent, Lacy gravitated to Pat McPhersonâs IBG (Indy Boxing and Grappling) Gym on the cityâs east side where he was the rare college graduate pounding the bags alongside at-risk kids from the cityâs poorer neighborhoods.
Lacy built a 12-6 record across his two seasons in Team Combat League while representing the Las Vegas Hustle (2023) and the Boston Butchers (2024).
For the uninitiated, a Team Combat League (TCL) event typically consists of 24 fights, each consisting of one three-minute round. The concept finds no favor with traditionalists, but Lacy is a fan. Itâs an incentive for professional boxers to keep in shape between bouts without disturbing their professional record and, notes Lacy, itâs useful in exposing a competitor to different styles.
âIt paid the bills and kept me from just sitting around the house,â says Lacy whose 12-6 record was forged against 13 different opponents.
As a sparring partner, Lacy has shared the ring with some of the top heavyweights of his generation, e.g., Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte. He was one of Furyâs regular sparring partners during the Gypsy Kingâs trilogy with Deontay Wilder. He worked with Joshua at Derrick Jamesâ gym in Dallas and at Ben Davisonâs gym in England, helping Joshua prepare for his date in Saudi Arabia with Francis Ngannou and had previously sparred with Ngannou at the UFC Performance Center in Las Vegas. Skylar names traveling to new places as one of his hobbies and he got to scratch that itch when he joined Whyteâs camp in Portugal.
As to the hardest puncher he ever faced, he has no hesitation: âNgannou,â he says. âI negotiated a nice price to spend a week in his camp and the first time he hit me I knew I should have asked for more.â
Lacy is confident that having shared the ring with some of the sportâs elite heavyweights will get him over the hump in what will be his first 10-rounder (Brandon Moore has never had to fight beyond eight rounds, having won his three 10-rounders inside the distance). Lacy vs. Moore is the co-feature to Claressa Shieldsâ homecoming fight with Danielle Perkins. Shields, basking in the favorable reviews accorded the big-screen biopic based on her first Olympic journey (âThe Fire Insideâ) will attempt to capture a title in yet another weight class at the expense of the 42-year-old Perkins, a former professional basketball player.
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Mizuki Hiruta Dominates in her U.S. Debut and Omar Trinidad Wins Too at Commerce
Japanâs Mizuki Hiruta smashed through Mexicoâs Maribel Ramirez with ease in winning by technical decision and local hero Omar Trinidad continued his assault on the featherweight division on Friday.
Hiruta (7-0, 2 KOs), who prefers to be called âMimi,â made her American debut with an impressive performance against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez (15-11-4) and retained the WBO super flyweight world title by unanimous decision at Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.
The pink-haired Japanese southpaw champion quickly proved to be quicker, stronger and even better than advertised. In the opening round Ramirez landed on the floor twice after throwing errant blows. On one instance, it could have been ruled a knockdown but it was not a convincing blow.
In the second round, Ramirez again attacked and again was met with a Hiruta check right hook and down went the Mexican. This time referee Ray Corona gave the eight-count and the fight resumed.
It was Hirutaâs third title defense but this time it was on American soil. She seemed nervous by the prospect of getting a favorable review from the more than 700 fans inside the casino tent.
For more than a year Hiruta has been training off and on with Manny Robles in the L.A. area. Now that she has a visa, she has spent considerable time this year learning the tricks of the trade. They proved explosively effective.
Though Mexico Cityâs Ramirez has considerable experience against world champions, she discovered that Hiruta was not easy to hit. Often, the Japanese champion would slip and counter with precision.
It was an impressive American debut, though the fight was stopped in the eighth round after a collision of heads. The scores were tallied and all three saw Hiruta the winner by scores of 80-71 twice and 79-72.
âIâm so happy. I could have done much more,â said Hiruta through interpreter Yuriko Miyata. âI wanted to do more things that Manny Robles taught me.â
Trinidad Wins Too
Omar Trinidad (18-0-1, 13 KOs) discovered that challenger Mike Plania (31-5, 18 KOs) has a very good chin and staying power. But over 10 rounds Trinidad proved to be too fast and too busy for the Filipino challenger.
Immediately it was evident that the East L.A. featherweight was too quick and too busy for Plania who preferred a counter-puncher attack that never worked.
âHe was strong,â said Trinidad. âHe took everything.â
After 10 redundant rounds all three judges scored for Trinidad 100-90 twice and 99-91. He retains the WBC Continental Americas title.
Other Bouts
Ali Akhmedov (23-1, 17 KOs) blasted out Malcolm Jones (17-5-1) in less than two rounds. A dozen punches by Akhmedov forced referee Thomas Taylor to stop the super middleweight fight.
Iyana âRoxyâ Verduzco (3-0) bloodied Lindsey Ellis in the first round and continued the speedy assault in the next two rounds. Referee Ray Corona saw enough and stopped the fight in favor of Verduzco at 1:34 of the third round.
Gloria Munguilla (7-1) and Brook Sibrian (5-2) lit up the boxing ring with a nonstop clash for eight rounds in their light flyweight fight. Munguilla proved effective with a slip-and-counter attack. Sibrian adjusted and made the fight closer in the last four rounds but all three judges favored Munguilla.
More Winners
Joshua Anton, Tayden Beltran, Adan Palma, and Alexander Gueche all won their bouts.
Photos credit: Al Applerose
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More
Avila Perspective, Chap. 309: 360 Promotions Opens with Trinidad, Mizuki and More
Best wishes to the survivors of the Los Angeles wildfires that took place last week and are still ongoing in small locales.
Most of the heavy damage took place in the western part of L.A. near the ocean due to Santa Ana winds. Another very hot spot was in Altadena just north of the Rose Bowl. It was a horrific tragedy.
Hopefully the worst is over.
Pro boxing returns with 360 Boxing Promotions spotlighting East L.A.âs Omar Trinidad (17-0-1, 13 KOs) defending a regional featherweight title against Mike Plania (31-4, 18 KOs) on Friday, Jan. 17, at the Commerce Casino in Commerce, Calif.
âIâm the king of L.A. boxing and Iâll be ready to put on a show headlining again in the main event. This is my year, Iâm ready to challenge and defeat any of the featherweight world champions,â said Trinidad.
UFC Fight Pass will stream the Hollywood Night fight card that includes a female world championship fight and other intriguing match-ups.
Tom Loeffler heads 360 Promotions and once again comes full force with a hot prospect in Trinidad. If youâre not familiar with Loefflerâs history of success, he introduced America to Oleksandr Usyk, Gennady âGGGâ Golovkin and the brothers Wladimir and Vitaly Kltischko.
âWeâve got a wealth of international talent and local favorites to kick off our 2025 in grand style,â said Loeffler.
He knows talent.
Trinidad hails from the Boyle Heights area of East L.A. near the Los Angeles riverbed. Several fighters from the past came from that exact area including the first Golden Boy, Art Aragon.
Aragon was a huge gate attraction during the late 1940s until 1960. He was known as a ladyâs man and dated several Hollywood starlets in his time. Though he never won a world title he did fight world champions Carmen Basilio, Jimmy Carter and Lauro Salas. He was more or less the king of the Olympic Auditorium and Los Angeles boxing during his career.
Other famous boxers from the Boyle Heights area were notorious gangster Mickey Cohen and former world champion Joey Olivo.
Can Trinidad reach world title status?
Facing Trinidad will be Filipino fighter Plania whoâs knocked off a couple of prospects during his career including Joshua âDonât Blinkâ Greer and Giovanni Gutierrez. The fighter from General Santos in the Philippines can crack and hold his own in the boxing ring.
Itâs a very strong fight card and includes WBO world titlist Mizuki Hiruta of Japan who defends the super flyweight title against Mexican veteran Maribel Ramirez. Itâs a tough matchup for Hiruta who makes her American debut. You canât miss her with that pink hair and she has all the physical tools to make a splash in this country.
Two other female bouts are also planned, including light flyweight banger L.A.âs Gloria Munguilla (6-1) against Coachellaâs Brook Sibrian (5-1) in a match set for six rounds. Both are talented fighters. Another female fight includes super featherweights Iyana âRight Hook Roxyâ Verduzco (2-0) versus Lindsey Ellis (2-1) in another six-rounder. Ellis can crack with all her wins coming via knockout. Verduzco is a multi-national titlist as an amateur.
Others scheduled to perform are Ali Akhmedov, Joshua Anton, Adan Palma and more.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m.
Boxing and the Media
The sport of professional boxing is currently in flux. Itâs always in flux but no matter what people may say or write, boxing will survive.
Whether you like Jake Paul or not, he proved boxing has worldwide appeal with monstrous success in his last show. He has media companies looking at the numbers and imagining what they can do with the sport.
Sure, UFC is negotiating a massive billion dollar deal with media companies, as is WWE, both are very similar in that they provide combat entertainment. You donât need to know the champions because they really donât matter. Its about the attractions.
Boxing is different. The good champions last and build a following that endures even beyond their careers a la Mike Tyson.
MMA canât provide that longevity, but it does provide entertainment.
Currently, there is talk of establishing a boxing league again. Itâs been done over and over but we shall see if it sticks this time.
Pro boxing is the true warriorâs path and that means a solo adventure. Itâs a one-on-one sport and that appeals to people everywhere. Itâs the oldest sport that can be traced to prehistoric times. You donât need classes in Brazilian Jiujitsu, judo, kick boxing or wrestling. Just show up in a boxing gym and they can put you to work.
Itâs a poor personâs path that can lead to better things and most importantly discipline.
Photos credit: Lina Baker
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