In boxing, the role of the referee is of colossal importance. His duty is not only to ensure that the rules are followed but, more importantly, to protect the safety of the athletes. A referee’s poor performance can not only distort the sporting outcome but also put fighters’ well-being at risk, sometimes with dire consequences. Throughout boxing history, countless national and international referees have distinguished themselves with their impeccable officiating, wisdom, and sound judgment. However, today we want to highlight some unfortunate exceptions. Here’s a list of 10 officiating disasters.
Juan Martin Coggi vs. Eder Gonzalez I – Referee: Isidro Rodriguez
Coggi, the WBA super lightweight champion, knocked down Gonzalez and moved in to finish him, only to be caught by a devastating right hand. The fight should have ended soon after, but Venezuelan referee Isidro Rodriguez did everything in his power to keep the Argentine standing, blatantly ignoring his dire condition. The farce was further aided by ringside officials, who rang the bell well before the round was supposed to end. Incredibly, Coggi went on to win by stoppage.
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Alexander Povetkin – Referee: Luis Pabon
It’s well known that Wladimir Klitschko excessively and frustratingly relied on clinching throughout his career, but his behavior during the Moscow fight against local hero Povetkin crossed all limits. The Ukrainian turned the bout into something resembling Greco-Roman wrestling, grabbing his opponent every time he closed the distance and shoving him around at will. He escaped with just a single-point deduction.
Holly Holm vs. Anne Sophie Mathis I – Referee: Rocky Burke
When we mentioned fighter safety in the introduction, we were referring to cases exactly like this. Referee Burke blatantly tried to help his fellow American Holm, but in doing so, he put her well-being in serious jeopardy. Holm was taking an absolutely brutal beating yet was allowed to continue even after she was left staggering between the ropes, barely conscious. The result? A devastating and entirely avoidable KO.
Sergio Martinez vs. Kermit Cintron – Referee: Frank Santore Jr.
What happened in the seventh round of this WBC interim super welterweight title fight was simply unbelievable. Martinez floored Cintron with a beautiful left hand, and referee Santore Jr. counted to ten, initially declaring a KO. However, the Puerto Rican’s vehement protests—claiming he had been headbutted, despite no evidence—somehow convinced the referee to reverse his decision and restart the fight! To add insult to injury, the judges went on to declare an absurd draw.
Nigel Benn vs. Gerald McClellan – Referee: Alfred Asaro
Determining the exact causes and reasons behind a permanent injury that manifests at the end of a fight is a delicate and often impossible task. It would therefore be unfair to hold French referee Asaro responsible for the partial paralysis that McClellan will have to live with for the rest of his life. Nonetheless, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that the referee allowed all kinds of fouls that night, including numerous and dangerous rabbit punches.
Obodai Sai vs. Jamie Cox – Referee: Mark Green
English referee Green allowed his compatriot Cox to break the rules repeatedly, turning a blind eye to a barrage of low blows and only penalizing him twice for the most blatant offenses. Ghanaian fighter Sai, who should have won by disqualification, was instead declared the loser on points, sparking protests even from the London crowd. Sai was so disheartened that he refused to hand over the Commonwealth belt to his opponent.
Mairis Briedis vs. Krzysztof Glowacki – Referee: Robert Byrd
Time catches up with everyone, even great referees. Byrd was an excellent official, but at 77 years old, he should have been thanked for his service and retired from major competitions. His performance in Riga was an absolute disaster, from treating Briedis’ blatant elbow strike with shocking leniency to ignoring the end-of-round bell for over ten seconds, allowing a decisive knockdown well after the round should have ended. The Polish team had every reason to be outraged.
Humberto Soto vs. Francisco Lorenzo I – Referee: Joe Cortez
Another “big name” having an off night, Cortez became the undisputed protagonist of this fight when he unjustly denied Soto a well-earned KO, instead disqualifying him in a highly questionable decision. Soto had already knocked Lorenzo down once and was pummeling him with clean punches when his opponent, exhausted, dropped to his knees. The Mexican made the mistake of landing one last, minor punch to the back of the head, but the contact was minimal, and the disqualification was outrageously disproportionate.
Anne Sophie Mathis vs. Christina Hammer – Referee: Manfred Kuechler
Another shocking disqualification involved the frequently mistreated Frenchwoman Mathis in Dessau, Germany, in front of Hammer’s home crowd. Mathis had knocked her opponent out with a series of perfectly legal hooks to the temple, yet incredibly, German referee Kuechler spotted a supposed irregularity and opted for a disqualification. Fortunately, this scandalous ruling was later overturned into a No Contest.
Abner Mares vs. Joseph Agbeko I – Referee: Russell Mora
When a fighter repeatedly lands low blows and the referee either ignores them or only gives weak warnings with no real consequences, there’s a serious risk that the fouls will continue. That’s exactly what happened in Las Vegas when Mares and Agbeko fought under the watch of referee Mora. Mora allowed Mares to land low blow after low blow and even scored a knockdown in his favor after an uppercut that clearly landed in the groin area.