Best Fighter Turned Referee?

And it's well known that Mills Lane was 45-4 in the college ranks, 10-1 as a professional, and actually refereed four bouts prior to his final win. When he refereed Ali-Bob Foster, he was just five years removed from his competitive retirement in 1967. I wonder if there's extant footage of Lane's 1965 bout between Olson and Kendall in Reno.


Willie "The Worm" Monroe has been a frequent third man in televised bouts. It's commonly expressed that the better a referee is, the less he is noticed. By that standard, the man who handed Hagler his only decisive loss has done much excellent work. In Philadelphia, announcers would always trumpet his participation to the fans who remembered him as a top contender before a match. Relaxed in a neutral corner, he'd casually raise his arm to acknowledge their cheers, then fade into the background as action got underway. He was the antithesis of referee as celebrity. Prior to the opening bell, I would always observe him with interest, then quickly forget he was even there, a ninja in a bowtie.

 

Benny Leonard immediately comes to mind. Gunboat Smith refereed several high profile matches, including Dempsey-sharkey if I'm not mistaken. Could be wrong though.

 

I think having been an experienced boxer should be a requirement to be a referee.
Of course, there are always exceptions to any rule.

 

California's James Jen-Kin may be best known for his first major bout, Duran-Cuevas, and is a physician. (Interestingly, it wasn't he, but Pipino's own corner which stopped that one despite Jose's gesture to them to halt their act of concession.) Don't know how many other medical doctors have undertaken third man duties.

I do agree that a referee needs some level of fitness. Obese septuagenarian Rosario Baillargeon was in no condition to properly manage Gaeton Hart-Cleveland Denny III on the Duran-SRL I undercard in Montreal. Huffing and puffing, he actually waived a halt while failing to get between them, so he was still behind Hart when what may have the fatal damage was inflicted. Larry Hazzard was too flamboyantly participative for my tastes, but he had the strength, athleticism and reflexes which might have prevented that tragedy from taking place.

Sometimes, **** just happens though. Pintor-Owen and Mancini-Kim occurred as the result of one punch. With Pintor-Owen, Marty Denkin waved his concluding signal the instant he saw Johnny's eyes roll up in his head. But having just reviewed that footage from the first knockdown, a rational case cannot be made that it should have been stopped at any time before the fatal blow. Owen was in mid ring and fighting back between those knockdowns, not drunkenly foundering in dire straights, and was clear and steady when he signaled to the referee that he was all right to continue following the first knockdown (appearing in far better shape than Lennox was after getting up against McCall. Denkin was not traumatized as Richard Greene apparently was over Mancini-Kim (nor should he have been), and went on to referee for another 23 years).

For my money, Stanley Christodoulou is boxing's greatest active referee, and he wasn't an experienced boxer. His videotaped description of the precise criteria he applied in deciding when to stop Pryor-Arguello I instantly squelched any questions of whether or not he waited too long, and that extraordinary account belongs on youtube. It was perfect.