In this fight Bayless was everything Robert Byrd was not. He was totally invisible and let the fighters fight. He was superb?
Adrien Broner vs. John Molina Jr. (Referee Robert Byrd)
Usually Las Vegas referees are as good as it gets. Tony Weeks may be the very best of a solid pool. That said, referee Robert Byrd had an off night and went against the grain during this fight as he was too verbal, too visible, overly intrusive, restrictive and clearly interfered with the flow of the fight.
The fight itself was no spine-tingler but Byrd added to the tedium with his frequent warnings for ?offenses? that were difficult to detect.
Byrd is a retiree from the California Highway Patrol and moved to Nevada. He had fought as an amateur during his military service in the Marines. Inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006 in the ?Expanded Category,? Byrd is the husband of well-known boxing judge Adelaide Byrd. Recent big fights for Byrd have included Pacquiao-Bradley, Vazquez-Gesta, and Huck-Afolabi II in Germany.
Hopefully, this was a ?one time? thing for Robert.
Robert Guerrero vs. Keith Thurman (Referee Kenny Bayless)
Kenny Bayless is an American professional boxing referee from Nevada best known for having refereed several super fights. His catchphrase is ?what I say you must obey.? Boxingconfidential com claims: ?There?s only one referee that should be utilized in Las Vegas super-bouts and his name is Kenny Bayless. Every time I?ve seen Mr. Bayless referee a fight, I?ve seen him always control the bout with the highest degree of fairness, firmness, and accuracy.?
In this fight Bayless was everything Robert Byrd was not. He was totally invisible and let the fighters fight. In short, he was superb.
If and when someone needs a film for training seminar on how to referee, the contrast reflected in these two fights wouldn?t be a bad choice.
