When Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley touch gloves to start their May 7 WBO welterweight title fight, they’ll see a familiar face in the ring with them.
Las Vegas’ Kenny Bayless was selected Wednesday by the Nevada Athletic Commission to referee the megafight at the MGM Grand Garden. The judges, all from Las Vegas, will be Duane Ford, Dave Moretti and Glenn Trowbridge.
Bayless has worked four fights with Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 knockouts) and Mosley (46-6-1, 27 KOs).
He was in the ring when Pacquiao destroyed Miguel Cotto on Nov. 14, 2009, and when he knocked out Ricky Hatton on May 2, 2009. Bayless also worked Pacquiao’s rematches with Juan Manuel Marquez in 2008 and Erik Morales in 2006. Pacquiao won both of those fights.
Bayless last worked a fight involving Mosley on May 1, 2010, when Mosley lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the Grand Garden. Prior to that, Bayless hadn’t been the third man in the ring with Mosley since Feb. 10, 2007, when Mosley defeated Luis Collazo. He also refereed Mosley’s wins over Fernando Vargas on June 15, 2006 and Raul Marquez on Feb. 8, 2003.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at [email protected] or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter @stevecarprj.
