Kenny Bayless was announced Tuesday as the referee who will oversee the Floyd Mayweather Jr megafight with Manny Pacquiao, which is expected to gross $400 million (?273 million).
Bayless will earn $25,000 for handling the contest, two-and-a-half times the normal fee a referee might receive for a world title fight.
Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach told Telegraph Sport: “He is the one I like the most. There were three I thought could do the job well.”
It was said that Bayless, Tony Weeks and Jay Nady were in the running. “Nady is the most fair of the three,” Roach told The Telegraph. “Tony Weeks is a very good referee. I have a favourite referee (Bayless) but he seems to favour Mayweather a little bit. I think that this fight is so big ? all we want is a fair fight. I think we can get that.”
Manny Pacquiao is joined by fans on a training run in LA on Tuesday
Promoter Bob Arum concurred: “He’s the best out there.”
The Nevada State Athletic Commission selected the officials and set the fees for the May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena for the WBC, WBO and WBA world welterweight championship belts.
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The Judges are Bert Clements, Dave Moretti and Glenn Feldman. The judges make $20,000 each.
Pacquiao, whose home nation the Philippines released half a million postage stamps commemorating the fighter in Manila on Tuesday, are expected to earn ?82 million and ?54.5 million respectively in a bout that has even seen fans pay to get into the weigh-in.
Stamps with Manny Pacquiao’s image on are released in Manila
Bayless and Tony Weeks had emerged as the frontrunners from six possible referees.
It will be the most prestigious assignment in the career of Bayless, ‘the third man in the ring?, who will be 65 two days after the contest.
Bayless is deeply respected in the sport, and even, at times, manages to slip quietly away while his identical twin takes the attention from boxing fans.
In Mayweather’s last 10 fights at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Bayless has refereed four and has been in charge of six of Pacquiao’s last 10 fights in Nevada.
Kenny Bayless tends to Ricky Hatton after Pacquio’s knockout in 2009
The NSAC has chosen a referee whose style fits with both fighters.
Pacquiao likes a free-flowing, open fight; Mayweather does not mind being in the centre of the ring, or on the ropes, clinching.
Freddie Roach, trainer of Manny Pacquiao, told Telegraph Sport on Tuesday: “Tony Weeks, Jay Nady and Kenny Bayless are all great referees. Bayless is the guy I like most.”
“I would have liked any of those three, I just want the referee to [let] Manny [have] a fair fight, and let the best man win. I think we?ll get that.?
