Boxing referees give instructions to both boxers and ensure the rules are followed before and during a fight. They have the power to stop fights, and deduct points from a boxer who tries to win or gain advantage unfairly.
The dressing room instructions remind the fighters of their obligations and address any questions or concerns. During the fight the referee watches closely, and interjects when they see fit. ‘Obey my commands at all times’ is a phrase used to remind the boxers that the referee is in control.
The boxers are told to break when the referee decides the boxers need to be separated, before continuing the fight, for example when there is excessive holding or clinching, which slows the attacker’s momentum.
Sometimes referred to as the ‘third man in the ring’, the referee has to watch out for illegal moves including low-blows, clashes of heads, trips, elbows, leaning, rabbit punches and punches after the bell, or on the break.
A boxer must defend themselves at all times, and when they cannot due to fatigue, injury or general being beaten, the referee may stop the fight and the contest is ruled a technical knockout.
When a fighter is knocked out, or is likely to be knocked out, again it is the referee who decides when to separate the fighters. The corner may also throw in the towel to indicate they want to stop the fight to protect the losing boxer taking unnecessary damage, but it is often only the referee who can decide to stop the fight.
Other situations such as water on the canvas, cuts and bleeding, loose tape on gloves, too much Vaseline on a boxer’s face, may also be reasons the referee has to pause or stop the contest. They control the timing of the rounds by issuing ‘time-out’ and ‘time-in’ instructions to the official time keeper.
They are smartly dressed, wear gloves and move around the ring to get the optimal angle on the fight, while also trying not to get hit themselves by a stray punch.
Referees can face criticism for failing to enforce the rules, such as not penalising a fighter for continued rule breaking, or for interfering too much and breaking the flow of the fight, or even giving one boxer what seems to be an advantage. They can also prove crucial to the decision of the contest when deciding if a knockdown was caused by a punch or a slip, or whether a clash of heads was intentional or accidental.
“I felt Holyfield was using his head illegally. I told the referee – I wasn’t getting any help, so I went back to the streets. I cannot defend it, but it happened.”
Mike Tyson
Referees are chosen and paid by the fight promoter, and their salary is determined by the prestige of the fight.
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