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Mayweather-Pacquiao: Arum Pleased With The Officials
by Ronnie Nathanielsz
As most boxing media expected, the Nevada State Athletic Commission yesterday chose Kenny Bayless, considered by most as the top referee in the world, to serve as the third man in the ring when undefeated pound for pound No.1 Floyd Mayweather Jr battles eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on My 2.
Bayless has worked five fights of Mayweather and seven of Pacquiao’s.
The judges chosen to work the fight are veteran Dave Moretti, Glenn Feldman and Burt Clements who is best remembered as the judge who worked the first fight between Pacquiao and Mexican legend Juan Manuel Marquez and publicly admitted in a post-fight interview that he had made a mistake in scoring the first round 10-7 for Pacquiao and not 10-6 as the two other judges John Stewart and Guy Jutras had done after Pacquiao dropped Marquez three times in the opening round.
The scoring error resulted in Clements turning in a 113-113 scorecard enabled Marquez to salvage a draw instead if a split decision win for Pacquiao who won the next two fights by close decisions with Marquez stunning the Filipino southpaw in their fourth encounter with a crushing 6th round knockout.
The executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission Bob Bennett, a former marine, FBI agent and boxing judge who replaced lawyer Keith Kizer was quoted by the Los Angeles Times said:
“We take this responsibility very seriously, and understand with this being watched worldwide, the selection of these judges has to be second to none. We will only select officials with a proven track record of high-profile fights, with me evaluating a litany of statistical data to ensure these judges have been successful in high-impact fights.”
Internationally respected referee Bruce McTavish, a New Zealander who has lived in the Philippines for over 40 years and is on the verge of being granted Philippine citizenship by Congress, had a few weeks ago predicted in a conversation with the New Standard/BoxingScene.com that the NSAC would pick Bayless to referee the Pacquiao- Mayweather Jr “Battle for Greatness” which is the title given the multi-network Philippine television coverage of Solar Entertainment.
McTavish who regularly gives seminars on refereeing at the WBC Annual Conventions said - “I think Bayless will get it. He’s the most experienced and he’s done fights of Pacquiao as well as Mayweather before.”.
McTavish said he didn’t think whoever was chosen would be under a lot of pressure pointing out that Las Vegas referees “are experienced and have done many big fights but this will be a tough assignment. I think they will be very competent.”
Pacquiao’s Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach had earlier pleaded for a referee who will preside over a fair fight for both boxers.
Roach told ABS-CBN reporter Dyan Castillejo some two weeks ago, “I know all the referees. I know the good ones and I know the great ones. I think they all respect me and Manny enough to give us a fair fight. That’s all that I’m asking for. Whoever referees the fight , all I’m asking is please give us a fair fight and let the best man win and I think they’ll do that.”
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum praised the NSAC on the assignment of officials and told the Times “it couldn’t be better.” He said Moretti and Clements “ are tremendous judges, honorable guys, and Glenn Feldman is terrific, has a very good reputation. These are extraordinarily good officials from the standpoint of competency.”
Not only did Bayless work Mayweather’s Oct. 11, 1996, pro debut at Texas Station Casino in Las Vegas in which Floyd won by a 2nd round TKO in a scheduled four round bout against Roberto Apodaca , he did the unbeaten Mayweather’s last bout in September 2014 in which he scored a twelve round unanimous decision over Marcos Maidana in a rematch.
Bayless’ seven assignments with Pacquiao date back to 2006 when he was referee for the Filipino’s third-round knockout of Erik Morales in the third bout of an epic trilogy as well as Pacquiao’s unanimous-decision triumph over Timothy Bradley in a rematch last year after Pacquiao lost the first in a hugely controversial decision that was universally condemned.
Arum welcomed the appointment of Bayless describing him as “ the best referee in the world” and added “If I had to choose the most fair, able referee, he’d be the guy I’d pick.”
