Tweet
Richard Steele Interview
NORTH TEXAS BOXING: So I understand you were a former fighter yourself?
RICHARD STEELE: Yes, I boxed while I was in the United States Marine Corps. In 1963 and '64 I was the All-Marine Champion. My good friend, Ken Norton (who went on to become heavyweight champion of the world), was also in the Marines at the time and we used to spar. He's the only man that ever knocked me down.
NTB: What was your amatuer record?
RS: 21-4. I was 16-4 as a professional, with 12 KO's
NTB: For those that never got to see you fight, who would you say your style was reminiscent of?
RS: Well, I was a boxer-puncher. I could punch a little bit. I would probably compare my style to Bob Foster's (former light heavyweight champion of the world).
NTB: You were a light heavyweight?
RS: Correct.
NTB: What brought your fighting career to a halt?
RS: I retired due to rib injuries. On four different occasions, I broke the same rib. Once during a fight and three other times during sparring.
NTB: I've read a few different numbers, but exactly how many world title fights did you referee?
RS: I've done 172 world title fights all around the world. Pryor-Arguello II, Chavez-Taylor I, Hagler-Hearns, Leonard-Hagler, Mayweather-Corrales, Leonard-Hearns II, five Mike Tyson fights and many others. I've been blessed.
NTB: What countries has boxing taken you to?
RS: Oh man! I've been to Japan, England, Panama, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South America, Africa, alot of places. I've enjoyed every place I've been for various reasons, but I really enjoyed the hospitality of the Japanese.
NTB: Are you able to enjoy a fight while you're refereeing it?
RS: (laughs) "Enjoy" isn't a word I'd use. Being a ref is a stressful job. Very intense. What I do is get a copy of a fight that I work and watch it the next day or so, with the sound turned down. That's when I get to enjoy it, but definitely not during the fight.
NTB: Do you or other ref's have pre-fight rituals?
RS: I like to get some good work outs in, about 2 weeks before a fight. I'll run 3 miles, 4 days a week. Do some calisthenics. Go to some gyms and ref some sparring sessions. I'll go over my commands quite a bit. The thing about this job is you can't be what I call "a weekend referee" and you've got to be in shape. You also have to be aware of a fighters tendencies, whether he cuts and swells easily, whether he can absorb more punishment than most fighters, things like that. I'll usually watch a couple fights of both guys I'm about to ref, but not too much.
Richard Steele
NTB: What's the best fight you've ever worked?
RS: Hagler-Hearns was the best action fight, but I'd put Leonard-Hagler and Chavez-Taylor I up there as well, in terms of importance.
NTB: Who's the best fighter you ever refereed?
RS: Sugar Ray Leonard. Muhammad Ali is the best ever, but I only judged him, didn't ref him.
NTB: Who was the hardest puncher?
RS: Mike Tyson, without question.
NTB: This is one of boxing's great debates. Who do you think won the Leonard-Hagler bout?
RS: Well, Leonard psyched Hagler out. All he talked about before the fight was how Hagler was a brawler and very aggressive, so when they met on fight night, Hagler came out trying to prove he could out-box Leonard in the first few rounds and that ultimately cost him the fight.
NTB: For awhile, fans booed whenever your name was introduced prior to a fight. Did that bother you or was it a show of respect in a way?
RS: I didn't really like it or understand it at first, but once I noticed that other ref's weren't getting a response either way, I took it as a sign of respect. But everybody was always nice and respectful when they met me.
NTB: Obviously, Chavez-Taylor I is probably your most talked about fight. What are your thoughts on it, looking back?
RS: I still stand by the call that I made and I've never once regretted it. I asked Meldrick three times if he was okay and he never once responded. Answer me, tell me you can continue or something, but he said nothing. He was winning, obviously, but whether it's the 1st round or the last round, when you're beat up that bad, the fight is over. Many don't know that he stayed in the hospital for 4 days afterwards. He swallowed lots of blood and lost so much fluid from around his brain that his body dehydrated. I was actually invited to a medical convention because of my work in the Chavez-Taylor fight. Over one hundred doctors and medical professionals were there and they congratulated me for stopping that fight. And when I see the condition that Meldrick is in today, I wish I had stopped that fight sooner.
NTB: I wasn't aware that you were so community oriented and an activist?
RS: Yes, that's something I'm very proud of. I was given the Nelson Mandela Award for Humanity because I refused to referee fights in South Africa during Apartheid. Mandela's a big boxing fan and he invited me over to South Africa for his birthday and presented me with that award. I was also part of the committee that helped to get a pardon for Jack Johnson.
NTB: What are the goals of the Richard Steele Boxing Club?
RS: Mainly to get kids off the streets, to give them some place to hang out and to show them different things in life. We have boxing there, mma, a computer lab, a photo lab, a music studio, a dance studio. We have rappers and musicians that come in to entertain the kids and stuff like that.
NTB: How did you branch off into mixed martial arts?
RS: Well, I've been promoting for about 3 years and I just want to promote the best fighters. Wrestler vs. striker, jiu jitsu vs. wrestler, striker vs. jiu jitsu. I like to see what style will prevail in a particular fight and give opportunities to fighters.
NTB: Do you feel boxing and mma are competing with each other?
RS: No, I think there's room for both.
NTB: What are you looking to accomplish with Steele Cage?
RS: I want to put on a more family oriented show. Here in Vegas, it's more adult. MMA in Texas is more family oriented and family values haven't deteriorated in Texas like they have in some other places. I'm putting on a show that kids can come out to, women, senior citizens, everybody.
NTB: Any last words, Mr. Steele?
RS: I'm hoping and praying that people come out because Steele Cage is about family, top mma and values. I'd also like to mention my partner, Jeff Zimmerman. When I first met Jeff, he just wanted to get involved; didn't want any money or anything. And I've had the pleasure of seeing him grow into a wonderful man. Now, he's my partner and I couldn't do this without him.
Source: http://www.northtexasboxing.com/arti...ed/steele.html
Sorry if this is old or was posted before...
RICHARD STEELE: Yes, I boxed while I was in the United States Marine Corps. In 1963 and '64 I was the All-Marine Champion. My good friend, Ken Norton (who went on to become heavyweight champion of the world), was also in the Marines at the time and we used to spar. He's the only man that ever knocked me down.
NTB: What was your amatuer record?
RS: 21-4. I was 16-4 as a professional, with 12 KO's
NTB: For those that never got to see you fight, who would you say your style was reminiscent of?
RS: Well, I was a boxer-puncher. I could punch a little bit. I would probably compare my style to Bob Foster's (former light heavyweight champion of the world).
NTB: You were a light heavyweight?
RS: Correct.
NTB: What brought your fighting career to a halt?
RS: I retired due to rib injuries. On four different occasions, I broke the same rib. Once during a fight and three other times during sparring.
NTB: I've read a few different numbers, but exactly how many world title fights did you referee?
RS: I've done 172 world title fights all around the world. Pryor-Arguello II, Chavez-Taylor I, Hagler-Hearns, Leonard-Hagler, Mayweather-Corrales, Leonard-Hearns II, five Mike Tyson fights and many others. I've been blessed.
NTB: What countries has boxing taken you to?
RS: Oh man! I've been to Japan, England, Panama, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South America, Africa, alot of places. I've enjoyed every place I've been for various reasons, but I really enjoyed the hospitality of the Japanese.
NTB: Are you able to enjoy a fight while you're refereeing it?
RS: (laughs) "Enjoy" isn't a word I'd use. Being a ref is a stressful job. Very intense. What I do is get a copy of a fight that I work and watch it the next day or so, with the sound turned down. That's when I get to enjoy it, but definitely not during the fight.
NTB: Do you or other ref's have pre-fight rituals?
RS: I like to get some good work outs in, about 2 weeks before a fight. I'll run 3 miles, 4 days a week. Do some calisthenics. Go to some gyms and ref some sparring sessions. I'll go over my commands quite a bit. The thing about this job is you can't be what I call "a weekend referee" and you've got to be in shape. You also have to be aware of a fighters tendencies, whether he cuts and swells easily, whether he can absorb more punishment than most fighters, things like that. I'll usually watch a couple fights of both guys I'm about to ref, but not too much.
Richard Steele
NTB: What's the best fight you've ever worked?
RS: Hagler-Hearns was the best action fight, but I'd put Leonard-Hagler and Chavez-Taylor I up there as well, in terms of importance.
NTB: Who's the best fighter you ever refereed?
RS: Sugar Ray Leonard. Muhammad Ali is the best ever, but I only judged him, didn't ref him.
NTB: Who was the hardest puncher?
RS: Mike Tyson, without question.
NTB: This is one of boxing's great debates. Who do you think won the Leonard-Hagler bout?
RS: Well, Leonard psyched Hagler out. All he talked about before the fight was how Hagler was a brawler and very aggressive, so when they met on fight night, Hagler came out trying to prove he could out-box Leonard in the first few rounds and that ultimately cost him the fight.
NTB: For awhile, fans booed whenever your name was introduced prior to a fight. Did that bother you or was it a show of respect in a way?
RS: I didn't really like it or understand it at first, but once I noticed that other ref's weren't getting a response either way, I took it as a sign of respect. But everybody was always nice and respectful when they met me.
NTB: Obviously, Chavez-Taylor I is probably your most talked about fight. What are your thoughts on it, looking back?
RS: I still stand by the call that I made and I've never once regretted it. I asked Meldrick three times if he was okay and he never once responded. Answer me, tell me you can continue or something, but he said nothing. He was winning, obviously, but whether it's the 1st round or the last round, when you're beat up that bad, the fight is over. Many don't know that he stayed in the hospital for 4 days afterwards. He swallowed lots of blood and lost so much fluid from around his brain that his body dehydrated. I was actually invited to a medical convention because of my work in the Chavez-Taylor fight. Over one hundred doctors and medical professionals were there and they congratulated me for stopping that fight. And when I see the condition that Meldrick is in today, I wish I had stopped that fight sooner.
NTB: I wasn't aware that you were so community oriented and an activist?
RS: Yes, that's something I'm very proud of. I was given the Nelson Mandela Award for Humanity because I refused to referee fights in South Africa during Apartheid. Mandela's a big boxing fan and he invited me over to South Africa for his birthday and presented me with that award. I was also part of the committee that helped to get a pardon for Jack Johnson.
NTB: What are the goals of the Richard Steele Boxing Club?
RS: Mainly to get kids off the streets, to give them some place to hang out and to show them different things in life. We have boxing there, mma, a computer lab, a photo lab, a music studio, a dance studio. We have rappers and musicians that come in to entertain the kids and stuff like that.
NTB: How did you branch off into mixed martial arts?
RS: Well, I've been promoting for about 3 years and I just want to promote the best fighters. Wrestler vs. striker, jiu jitsu vs. wrestler, striker vs. jiu jitsu. I like to see what style will prevail in a particular fight and give opportunities to fighters.
NTB: Do you feel boxing and mma are competing with each other?
RS: No, I think there's room for both.
NTB: What are you looking to accomplish with Steele Cage?
RS: I want to put on a more family oriented show. Here in Vegas, it's more adult. MMA in Texas is more family oriented and family values haven't deteriorated in Texas like they have in some other places. I'm putting on a show that kids can come out to, women, senior citizens, everybody.
NTB: Any last words, Mr. Steele?
RS: I'm hoping and praying that people come out because Steele Cage is about family, top mma and values. I'd also like to mention my partner, Jeff Zimmerman. When I first met Jeff, he just wanted to get involved; didn't want any money or anything. And I've had the pleasure of seeing him grow into a wonderful man. Now, he's my partner and I couldn't do this without him.
Source: http://www.northtexasboxing.com/arti...ed/steele.html
Sorry if this is old or was posted before...
Comment