Neither the Antonio Margarito or Manny Pacquiao camps have expressed any objection to the quick, quiet selection of Texas Favorite Son Laurence Cole as the referee for their Nov. 13 WBC super welterweight title bout at Cowboys Stadium.
Cole, 47, was bypassed in favor of San Antonio’s Rafael Ramos as the third man in the ring when Pacman slapped reluctant Joshua Clottey all over the ring inside Jerry Jones’ billion dollar football playpen on March 13.
Ramos is well regarded as a referee and it didn’t hurt his cause that Pacman-Clottey was a WBO title bout in that he is from Puerto Rico, where the WBO is based.
Cole, whose father used to run the Texas boxing board with an iron hand if not a velvet glove, is considered ?competent but erratic? by one veteran boxing man in the state.
Old King Cole does not have the same power over boxing in the state as in prior years although he’s still heavily involved.
Some in Pacland will howl about Cole, who is a favorite of Don Jose Sulaiman and the Mexico-based WBC, being tabbed as they recall how the referee erred in calling a Pacquiao slip a knockdown in San Antonio in November, 2003.
Cole owns a Dallas insurance agency and, among his clients who obtain insurance for their respective boxing, MMA and kickboxing events, is the Mexico City based WBC.
See Q & A with Cole as he discusses his checkered career.
Sulaiman makes no effort to hide the business relationship as seen in this blurb from the Cole agency’s website:
“The World Boxing Council was the first boxing organization to introduce life and medical insurance for boxing. For 11 years Laurence Cole Insurance Agency has provided our life and medical coverage for all WBC World Title Fights as well as Affiliate Championships all over the world. The quality of their service has been outstanding, and without doubt we will recommend this company to anyone looking for an efficient and easy to work with insurance provider.”
Some have labeled Cole’s insuring events in which he participates creates a conflict of interest.
The younger Cole has reffed fights in Denmark, Germany, Japan, Mexico and elsewhere.
Some bouts he’s handled included Oscar de la Hoya, Erik Morales, Mikkel Kessler and the late Edwin Valero.
Cole began his pro referee career in 1990.
