Who do you think is the most competent referee you've ever seen officiate?

[borikua]

Joe Cortez - "I'm firm but fair"

[scap]

Kenny Bayless is the best, had Mills Lane not had the personality he would have been considered ****, Mills is not much different from Jay Nady.

[Sweet Dick Willy]

MITCH HALPERN was the best , you could see the fighters had mad respect for him and i cant remember him in a bad refering.

You should pop in a tape of Rosendo Alvarez's first fight with Bebis Mendoza.

The worst officiating I'd seen up until that point. He was wors than that Texas ref was toward Zahir Raheem when he fought Rocky Juarez.

Plus, TWO fighters have died in the ring under Halpern's watch during his short tenure as an official. Halpern was extremely overrated.

[Boxerdog]

i have high respect for this referee Mills Lane (is he still alive?) i have never heard any controversy about the fights he officiated!

They all foul up occasionally..they're only human.
Mills screwed the pooch in the Tyson/Holyfield ear munching controversy. Mike WAS getting killed with head-butts, complained and although EVERYBODY knows that this is 'Vander's M.O., Lane did nothing.
He was pretty consistantly good over the whole of his career though.

[Sweet Dick Willy]

Kenny Bayless is the best, had Mills Lane not had the personality he would have been considered ****, Mills is not much different from Jay Nady.

Exaxtly.

Mills was a personality.

Bayless is awesome. You forget the guy was even in the ring. That Vegas doesn't give him more big assigments is shameful.

[scap]

exactly slick willy exactly

[Foreman]

Arthur Mercante.

[Neuraxis]

Jay Nady, oh wait, you want to know who the most competent referee is...

[Sweet Dick Willy]

Arthur Mercante.

Overrated. Hes' known for doing the first Ali -Frazier fight

that's why he was popular. What has he ever done? He interferred in fights way too mcuh for my liking. Telling fighters to stop trash talking. That's none of his business. trash talk is not a foul. He put himself in fights too much.

I hope you're not talking about his son Arthur Jr. He allowed Bee Scotland to take a beating that killed him that even Kellerman was bright enough to see should've been stopped and he allowed Michael Bennett to knock a guy out in his pro debut with his head caught between the ropes when he was clearly already knocked out.

The son is worse than the father. Popularity or being well known doesnt make them good

[HomicideHank]

Kenny Bayless is VERY, VERY, VERY underrated. He must not do a good job of sucking up because he doesn't get NEARLY the amount of big fights he deserves. A complete professional.

Richard Steele gets more **** from people than he deserves, simply because his two biggest screwups were in huge fights. I really only count the Tyson-Ruddock I fight as a screwup. I did (and still do) disagree wholeheartedly about the Taylor stoppage, but as the years have passed I've grown to respect Richard for sticking to his guns about his decision. While his timing in that fight was far from perfect, his intent was indeed perfect. Meldrick had taken a horrible beating in that fight, and the ref's #1 priority is fighter safety.

Steve Smoger is a decent ref, but damn that ****er is weird. He just annoys the hell out of me, that Dabney Coleman-looking mother****er. He's always yapping to the fighters "Good job in there baby! Good job!".."You're up baby. you're up. You made the count baby.."
After the Tyson - Neilsen fight was stopped , Smoger took Neilsen's head in his hands and started talking about, "I love you , baby. I love you..." What the hell is that???