Becoming a boxing referee requires subjective decision-making, and it’s rarely a full-time position. Referees are generally designated by state athletic commissions, and to be accepted into the pool, you need several years of experience refereeing amateur boxing contests.
Becoming a boxing referee is more complicated than it seems. This is mainly because, although referees uphold objective rules, they often have to do so through subjective decisions. This may include deciding to caution a fighter for a rule violation or deducting a point; finding a balance between breaking up excessive rebound and disturbing the natural flow of the fight; and deciding when a fighter has taken too much punishment to continue safely. In some areas, particularly with shorter bouts, the referee may also have to pick a winner in the event of a tie, which will require them to assess the bout as it goes along rather than simply officiating.
If you want to become a boxing referee, remember that it’s rarely a full-time position. In many cases, the referee will be paid reasonably well for each fight, given the amount of time he must dedicate to the event. However, it is extremely uncommon for a referee to be given enough assignments to rely on boxing as their sole source of income. Referee payouts will generally be at set levels, regardless of fight importance or revenue. For example, the referee in a high profile fight with Mike Tyson received a standard fee of $350 dollars (USD).
Receiving assignments as a boxing referee depends on your location. In the United States, officials are generally designated by the relevant state athletic commission. In other countries, there may be a government agency or independent oversight body that makes these appointments.
In some locations, work may be available for unlicensed boxing. This does not mean that boxing is illegal, simply that it is not supervised by the relevant governing body, for example at events designed to allow non-professional boxers to fight and attract sponsorship. Before working on such programs, make sure you are comfortable with the professionalism of the organizers and check that this will not affect your chances of receiving assignments from the oversight body.
Although selection procedures vary in different venues, the most common system is for the governing body or commission to appoint referees to bouts from a pool of accredited officials. In order to be accepted into this pool and become a boxing referee, you will need to prove that you can officiate with the required degree of competence. In most cases, this means that you will need several years of regular experience refereeing an amateur boxing contest, for which, as you would expect, there will be no payment.
To increase your chances of success in your quest to become a boxing referee, you should study those who are successful on the job. Bear in mind that these will not always be the referees that attract the most publicity: some would argue that a referee who does his job well goes largely unnoticed. You can study expert referees on the job, focusing on them during a fight, although this may be easier in person than on television, where the cameras will be focused on the fighters. Armando Garcia writes a regular column for the SecondsOut website, which is worth studying to learn more about the art.
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