In no other sport is the role of referee as important as it is in the sport of boxing where lives are truly on the line. The third man in the ring is literally in charge of the safety and welfare of the fighters as well as helping to control the battle taking place in the ring. Nobody does it better today than Joe Cortez who joins us this week on In This Corner. Joe demonstrated recently his tremendous in ring judgment and control in his recent fights overseeing the wild Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez bout and most recently, this past weekend?s Bernard Hopkins and Robert Allen 3rd encounter. Joe used great poise and wisdom not stopping Marquez when he was knocked down 3 times in the opening stanza by the heavy fisted Filipino and Marquez recovered to go the distant and gain a draw. Then, amid some controversy, Joe did a great job of keeping constant control of Hopkins and Allen who had already been involved in two very rough and tumble battles. After the fight, the outspoken Hopkins praised Joe for his work.
The man known as ?Fair But Firm? has refereed thousands of fights all over the world at the highest level with over 160 World Championship bouts to his credit. Joe has been in boxing in some capacity for 48 years. He spent time in the ring as an amateur and professional fighter, which helped pave the way for him becoming one of boxing?s best referees of all time.
Cortez has shared the squared circle with ring legends Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Hector Macho Camacho, Julio Cesar Chavez, Aaron Pryor, Larry Holmes, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Felix Trinidad, Oscar Dela Hoya, and Lennox Lewis just to name more than a few! Cortez has been involved in bouts of epic and historic proportion like Mike Tyson knocking out Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe over Holyfield in 2 thirds of their trilogy, and one for the ages, George Foreman recapturing the Heavyweight Championship knocking out Michael Moorer at a record age of 45.
After a very successful amateur and professional boxing career, Joe Cortez decided to hang up the gloves. It wouldn?t be long before he would return to the ring in a different capacity, as a referee. Everything was going along great for Joe with his career and the only thing he loves more than boxing, his family. Then a double dose of devastation so difficult that nothing in refereeing 3000 fights could prepare Joe for. Joe and his wife Sylvia speak candidly about the accident that left their lovely daughter Cindy paralyzed and about Sylvia?s own battle with breast cancer. What you also will hear is that all of the tragedy they have endured has only served to form an impenetrable bond of family love and respect. The kind that can only come from these types of adversities.
On this week?s ?In This Corner? Joe gives us a private lesson in refereeing the sweet science. Joe Cortez truly believes he was born to be a boxing referee, and just like great fighters have certain God given traits, he feels there are certain natural instincts that separate the average refs from the World Championship caliber ones. Joe also shares a few of the most important factors in monitoring and maintaining control at the highest levels of boxing.
Joe Cortez is constantly teaching up and coming referees and even veteran refs through seminars he teaches. He stays sharp constantly applying his craft on a daily basis. Officiating boxing is not a job but a way of life for Joe Cortez. He is the consummate professional and passionate about his trade in every way.
Refereeing boxing just as in other sports can be very stressful and, many times, a rather thankless profession. But in boxing it?s more profound than in any other sport due to the often times brutal nature and results it can produce. One such incident that Joe shared with me was a fight he was refereeing in Las Vegas in 1994. A very popular African fighter Robert Wangila was battling a fellow named David Gonzalez. Although Wangila was a very solid pro and had actually captured a Gold Medal in the Olympics for Kenya, he was being pummeled to the point where Joe finally, after looking straight into Wangila eyes, saw something he didn?t like and stopped the fight. Joe awarded the victory to Gonzalez with 9th round TKO.
Wangila, his camp, and the crowd were very unhappy with what they felt was a premature stoppage. In fact, Joe recalled a fan coming up to him as he was departing the arena that night, and saying, ?Joe, I normally love you, but you stunk tonight with that stoppage? After the fight Wangila would go back to his dressing room, change and go home. 2 days later Robert Wangila was pronounced dead at age 26 from head injuries perhaps sustained in that fight.
Joe as usual was right, something indeed was wrong with that fighter. That misinformed fan that night at the Aladdin hopefully now knows what true boxing fans and, more importantly so many fighters who lay their lives on the line know, they?re in the best of hands when Joe Cortez is the 3rd man in the ring. ?In This Corner? wants to Thank Joe Cortez for joining us.
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