Anthony Perez (1931 – December 14, 2021) was an American
boxing referee and
judge
A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...
of Puerto Rican descent. During his career, he refereed many major boxing fights and participated in a number of boxing related documentaries.
Perez was active as a boxing referee during five decades; he oversaw fights between 1968 and 2005 and was both acclaimed and criticized among boxing's connoisseurs; he refereed 431 professional boxing fights, including many world title ones. Several of the matches he refereed involved world boxing champions and Hall of Fame members.
Early life and career
Perez was born in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, but lived in
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
as a youth before returning to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
. He lived in
Barnegat Township, New Jersey
Barnegat Township (pronounced "BAR-nuh-git") is a Township (New Jersey), township in Ocean County, New Jersey, Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 24,296, the highest ...
. He was licensed to referee fights both in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
and in
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, but he refereed fights around the world.
Perez started boxing as an amateur while in the United States Army, according to
People Magazine
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...
.
He was the Army's Caribbean area's Welterweight champion and then went to serve in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, where he obtained the Army's European command championship as well.
One night at a fight his mother attended, he got a cut on one of his eyes, leading her to ask him to give up boxing. Perez got married and had a son, he then worked odd jobs until finding work at a
Seagram's distillery as a salesman. It was then that he decided to return to boxing in the refereeing and judging capacities, but it took him several years to be assigned his first fight.
Major fights refereed
The first bout that Perez was assigned was the one between
Buster Mathis and
James J. Woody, which Mathis won by sixth-round technical knockout September 26, 1968, at the
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
in New York. On May 26, 1969, Perez was the referee for the
Dick Tiger
Richard Ihetu (August 14, 1929 – December 14, 1971), professionally known as Dick Tiger was a Nigerian professional boxer who held the undisputed middleweight and light-heavyweight championships.
Tiger emigrated to Liverpool, England ...
versus
Nino Benvenuti
Giovanni "Nino" Benvenuti (26 April 1938 – 20 May 2025) was an Italian professional boxer and actor. He held world titles in two weight classes, having held the undisputed super-welterweight championship from June 1965 to June 1966 and the ...
ten round non-title affair at the Madison Square Garden. Tiger won the fight by ten round unanimous decision; Perez was both the referee and one of the three judges for this fight and he scored it for Tiger 7-2-1; both Tiger and Benvenuti are now members of the
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, right next to exit 34 of the New York State Thruway, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected on ballots cre ...
.
First world title bout
The first world championship bout refereed by Perez was the
Joe Frazier
Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...
versus
Jimmy Ellis main attraction on Monday, February 16, 1970. Ellis was the defending
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association (WBA), formerly known as the National Boxing Association (NBA), is an international professional boxing organization based in Panama. The WBA awards its world championship title at the professional level.
Founded ...
's world heavyweight champion with a record of 27 wins and 5 losses, 12 wins by knockout against Frazier, who was undefeated and untied in 24 bouts, with 20 knockout wins, and recognized (Frazier) as the world heavyweight champion in the American states of
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, New York,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
and
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
. This bout also took place at the Madison Square Garden. Frazier won the bout by fifth-round technical knockout after Ellis could not come out of his corner after the fourth round.
Two weeks later, Perez was back in the ring to referee the bout between future world middleweight champion
Rodrigo Valdez of Colombia and ranked Puerto Rican Pete Toro, which Valdez lost by ten-round decision.
On October 26, 1970, Perez was the referee in the bout between the comebacking
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...
, who was making his
first fight after a three-year exile forced by boxing authorities over his refusal to join the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
in 1967, and California's
Jerry Quarry
Jerry Quarry (May 15, 1945 – January 3, 1999), nicknamed "Irish" or "The Bellflower Bomber", was an American professional boxer. During the peak of his career from 1968 to 1971, Quarry was a popular figure in boxing, featured on the cover ' ...
, the first of two fights between those two boxers. The bout was held at the City Auditorium in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, and Ali won by third-round technical knockout.
Over the next three years, Perez oversaw 18 more fights, all in New York and most at the Madison Square Garden or the theater on the Garden's property, the Madison Square Garden's
Felt Forum
The Theater at Madison Square Garden is a Theater (structure), theater located in New York City's Madison Square Garden (MSG). It seats between 2,000 and 5,600 people and is used for concerts, shows, sports, meetings, and other events. It is situ ...
. Many of these bouts included world champions and top rated boxers such as
Angel Espada,
Harold Weston,
Enrique Pinder,
Davey Vasquez, the
Bobby Cassidy-
Tom Bethea match, the Jerry Quarry versus
Randy Neumann fight,
Jorge Ahumada
Jorge Victor Ahumada (born 6 January 1946) is a former professional boxer. Notable fights include five bouts with Víctor Galíndez (one of which was a world title challenge at the Madison Square Garden in New York, New York), a title bout w ...
against
Ray Anderson and
Vito Antuofermo facing Danny McAloon. None of these were generally considered to be very important fights, however.
Ali-Frazier II
Then, on January 28, 1974, Perez came to the international spotlight when he was chosen to referee
the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier rematch, pitting the two former world Heavyweight champions as they tried to return to the world title, in a match contested for the
North American Boxing Federation
The North American Boxing Federation (NABF) is a not-for-profit regional sanctioning body that awards regional boxing titles. It is a boxing federation within the World Boxing Council (WBC).
History
The WBC established the NABF in 1969 as part of ...
's Heavyweight title. Frazier had 30 wins and one second-round knockout loss to
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...
(when he lost the world Heavyweight title) while Ali was 43–2, with 31 knockout wins, having lost to Frazier in
their first bout on March 8, 1971, and to
Ken Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (August 9, 1943 – September 18, 2013) was an American actor and professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981. He was awarded the World Boxing Council, WBC world heavyweight championship in 1978, after winning a ...
; he had avenged the loss to Norton and was now trying to avenge his loss to Frazier; at stake was a fight against Foreman for the world title. His handling of the bout was marred by an incident in the second round where Ali had hurt Frazier with 20 seconds to go in the second round and Perez stepped between them as he thought he had heard the bell sound. Ali went on to win by twelve round unanimous decision, but Frazier and his trainer
Eddie Futch
Eddie Futch (August 9, 1911 – October 10, 2001) was an American boxing trainer. Among the fighters he trained are Joe Frazier, Ken Norton, Larry Holmes, and Trevor Berbick, four of the five men to defeat Muhammad Ali. Futch also trained Riddick ...
were critical of Perez’s unwillingness to penalize Ali for repeatedly holding Frazier during the encounter.
Shavers-Stallings
On November 4, 1974, Perez was the referee for a bout that is widely considered by fans and experts as one of the biggest upsets of
boxing of that era as
Bob Stallings, a 21 win, 24 loss, with only 4 knockout wins, trialhorse, beat 46 win, 3 loss, and 45 knockouts
Earnie Shavers, by a ten rounds decision, dropping top contender Shavers, renowned as one of the hardest punching boxers in the sport's history, in round nine. Perez, who was also one of the three official judges for the bout, scored it 6–4 in rounds for Stallings. This bout was held at the Felt Forum. Eighteen days later, Perez was back as both referee and judge for the main event between Hall of Fame member
Emile Griffith
Emile Alphonse Griffith (February 3, 1938 – July 23, 2013) was an American professional boxer who won world titles in three weight divisions. He held the world light middleweight, undisputed welterweight, and middleweight titles. His best-kno ...
and Vito Antuofermo at the Madison Square Garden, which Antuofermo won by ten rounds unanimous decision. Perez voted 6-3-1 for the winner.
Ali-Wepner
Perez's next assignment also became a very prominent fight in boxing history when, on March 24, 1975,
Ali defended the world Heavyweight title versus Chuck Wepner. Perez was called in to referee this bout; his second fight refereed outside New York (the first had been Ali-Quarry I). Underdog
Wepner became an instant celebrity when, in round nine, he scored a knockdown of Ali. This also became a controversial matter-many have felt that Wepner only dropped Ali because Wepner stepped on Ali's foot as he landed a punch to Ali's heart. Wepner disputes this. Nevertheless, the knockdown and fight allegedly inspired
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...
to write and film the first
Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent film, independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky (film series), ''Rocky'' franchise and also star ...
film.
Perez's refereeing that night was, ironically, unsatisfying to the winner Ali, who, according to Perez, complained that Perez let Wepner hit Ali with low blows and called him a "dirty dog". Ali commented that Perez was "not Black and (he's) not White-(he's) Puerto Rican but (he's) trying to be White", "He is more Black than White, but he's trying to be White".
Perez hit Ali and
ABC Wide World of Sports (which televised the bout in the United States) with a suit asking for 20 million dollars,
a federal court resolved the suit in favor of Ali.
Perez was the referee for
Carlos Monzon's only fight as a professional in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, when he stopped
Tony Licata in ten rounds to retain the world Middleweight title at the Madison Square Garden, on June 30, 1975.
He next took his first trip abroad as a referee, going to
Oslo, Norway
Oslo ( or ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of towns and cities in Norway, most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a Counties of Norway, county and a Municipalities of Norway, municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a populat ...
to officiate the match between Monzon's personal friend, Argentina's
Victor Galindez and
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
's
Harald Skog for the former's WBA world Light-Heavyweight crown, a bout won by the Argentine by a third-round knockout on March 28, 1976.
After referring several other major fights, including one of
Yoko Gushiken
is a Japanese former professional boxer who competed from 1974 to 1981. He held the WBA light-flyweight title from 1976 to 1981, making a total of 13 successful defences. Following his retirement from boxing, he remains popular in Japan as a ...
in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
and bouts including
Alexis Arguello
Alexis may refer to:
People Mononym
* Alexis (poet) ( – ), a Greek comic poet
* Alexis (sculptor), an ancient Greek artist who lived around the 3rd or 4th century BC
* Alexis (singer) (born 1968), German pop singer
* Alexis (comics) (1946– ...
,
Wilfred Benítez
Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight division ...
(versus
Bruce Curry
Bruce Curry (born March 29, 1956, in Marlin, Texas), is an American former professional boxer. He was the WBC Super Lightweight Champion from 1983 to 1984.
Family
He is a member of a very traditional family in the boxing scene: he is the olde ...
),
Alfonso Zamora,
Wilfredo Gómez
Wilfredo Gómez Rivera[George Foreman
George Edward Foreman (January 10, 1949 – March 21, 2025) was an American professional boxer, businessman, minister, and author. In boxing, he competed between 1967 and 1997, and was nicknamed "Big George". He was a two-time world heavyweig ...](_blank)
, Perez was assigned the
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...
's world Junior Lightweight championship fight between 3 division world champion Arguello (defending his second divisional world title) and future two time world Junior Lightweight champion
Rafael Limon of
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. Arguello and Limon fought on Sunday, July 8, 1979, at the Felt Forum, Arguello retaining the title by stopping Limon (who contested the stoppage bitterly) in round eleven.
Fight at Rahway
Perez visited
Rahway State Prison in
Woodbridge Township, New Jersey
Woodbridge Township is a township in northern Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is a regional hub of transportation and commerce for central New Jersey and a major bedroom suburb of New York City, within the New ...
, at a time when professional boxing fights were allowed in American prison systems, to oversee the ten round bout between
James Scott James Scott may refer to:
Entertainment
* James Scott (composer) (1885–1938), African-American ragtime composer
* James Scott (director) (born 1941), British filmmaker
* James Scott (actor) (born 1979), British television actor
* James Scott (Sh ...
and
Alvaro Lopez, Saturday, December 1 of 1979, a match in which Perez also served as a voting judge. Scott, who was an inmate at the same jail at that time, won a ten-round unanimous decision, Perez scoring the fight 8 rounds to 2.
Cooney versus Norton
On May 11, 1981, Perez was given referee duties for the
HBO Boxing televised event between Heavyweights
Gerry Cooney and the former WBC world champion, Hall of Fame member
Ken Norton
Kenneth Howard Norton Sr. (August 9, 1943 – September 18, 2013) was an American actor and professional boxer who competed from 1967 to 1981. He was awarded the World Boxing Council, WBC world heavyweight championship in 1978, after winning a ...
. Cooney won the fight by technical knockout 54 seconds into the first round.
The fight catapulted Cooney into his
showdown with Larry Holmes for the WBC world title and culminated Norton's career. Perez was criticized for not stopping the match earlier, as Norton was motionless in a corner seconds before Perez intervened.
Next came the WBA world bantamweight title match between champion
Jeff Chandler
Jeff Chandler (born Ira Grossel; December 15, 1918 – June 17, 1961) was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in '' Broken Arrow'' (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting ...
and fellow Puerto Rican, former world champion
Julian Solís of
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
. This was a rematch and Perez refereed it; on Saturday, July 25, 1981, at the
Resorts International in
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...
Chandler retained the title stopping Solis in seven rounds.
Three weeks later, Perez was in
Panama
Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...
refereeing the WBC world Junior Flyweight title match between world champion
Hilario Zapata, a future Hall of Famer also, and future world champion
German Torres of Mexico. On August 15, 1981, Zapata outpointed Torres over fifteen rounds.
The next major match refereed by Perez pitted an already legendary boxer and (later) Hall of Famer (Arguello) defending his third divisional world title, the WBC Lightweight one, against a future legend, world champion and Hall of Famer himself,
Ray Mancini
Ray Mancini (born Raymond Michael Mancino; March 4, 1961), better known as "Boom Boom" Mancini, is an American former professional boxer who competed professionally from 1979 to 1992 and who has since worked as an actor and sports commentato ...
, at Bally's Park Place Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, October 3, 1981. Arguello retained the title with a fourteenth-round knockout in a fight ended by a highlight reel knockout.
Disqualification of Elisha Obed
On November 12, 1981, Perez was involved in two rather large fights,
Rocky Lockridge
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American independent sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weath ...
versus
Refugio Rojas (won by future world champion Lockridge by ten round majority decision; Perez, also a judge in this fight, scored it for Lockridge 7-2-1) and future world Light Heavyweight champion
Bobby Czyz versus former Junior Middleweight world champion
Elisha Obed of
The Bahamas
The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of ...
. The Czyz-Obed bout, a Middleweight contest scheduled for ten rounds, was notable because Perez disqualified Obed in round six for what Perez considered to be excessive holding on the Bahamian's part. Obed tried to attack Perez after the match's end, Perez warning him to stay away from Perez.
Refereeing Salvador Sanchez's last bout
Perez was the referee, on July 21, 1982, of the last bout fought by legendary Mexican boxer
Salvador Sanchez
Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to:
* Salvador (name)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music
** ''Salvador'' ( ...
when he defended, successfully, his WBC world Featherweight title against a then almost unknown, but now also legendary, challenger
Azumah Nelson
Azumah Nelson (born 19 July 1958, affectionately known as the Professor) is a Ghanaian former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2008. He was a two-weight world champion, having held the WBC featherweight title from 1984 to 1987 and ...
from
Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
. Sanchez retained the crown by a fifteenth-round technical knockout, then died tragically 21 days later, killed in a car crash near
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. Both Sanchez and Nelson later became members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame as well.
Luis Resto versus Billy Collins, Jr.
Almost a year after Sanchez-Nelson, Perez was involved in another very controversial fight, although this time no one could blame him for the controversy that arose after the match; On June 16, 1983, in the program headlined by the
Davey Moore versus
Roberto Durán
Roberto Carlos Durán Samaniego (born June 16, 1951) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held quadruple champion, world championships in four weight classes: Lightweight, welterweight, light middleweigh ...
WBA world Junior Middleweight championship bout, Perez got to referee and judge a Junior Middleweight encounter between 14 wins, no losses or draws
Billy Collins, Jr. and 20 wins, 8 losses and 2 draws
Luis Resto. Resto pounded Collins for ten rounds and was initially given a ten rounds unanimous decision win, but Billy Collins, Sr. noticed that padding had been removed from Resto's gloves when Collins, Sr. touched one of them right after the bout. Upon finding evidence of this by the
New York State Athletic Commission
The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York ...
, the fight's result was overturned and changed to a "no-contest" instead. Collins, Jr. sustained career ending injuries to his eyes and died on March 6, 1984, when he crashed his car in
Antioch, Tennessee
Antioch is a neighborhood of Nashville located approximately southeast of Downtown Nashville. It is served by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County.
History
19th century
The community known as Antioch began at the ...
, while Resto and Resto's trainer
Panama Lewis
Carlos "Panama" Lewis (November 4, 1945 – September 19, 2020) was an American boxing trainer. He was convicted of tampering with the gloves of Luis Resto for his fight against Billy Collins Jr. in 1983, which subsequently led to the end of Col ...
were tried in court during 1986 and sentenced to three and six years in jail, respectively, Resto being released in 1989 and Lewis in 1990.
Then, on September 10, 1983, Perez was the referee for the
Larry Holmes
Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 2002 and was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985. He is often considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. ...
versus
Scott Frank
A. Scott Frank (born March 10, 1960) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. Frank has received two Academy Awards, Academy Award nominations for Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay for '' ...
WBC world Heavyweight title bout held at the
Harrah's Marina Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. Holmes beat Frank by fifth-round technical knockout. Five days later, Perez was back at the Madison Square Garden as referee of the Ray Mancini-
Orlando Romero WBA world Lightweight championship match, which Mancini won by ninth-round knockout when Perez counted the Peruvian Romero out as Romero sat on the canvas after a punch.
Coetzee vs. Dokes
On September 23, 1983, Perez participated in another historic fight, when
Michael Dokes defended his WBA world Heavyweight title against Gerrie Coetzee. South African
Coetzee beat
Dokes by tenth-round knockout at the
Richfield Coliseum
Richfield Coliseum, also known as the Coliseum at Richfield, was an indoor arena located in Richfield Township, between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. It opened in 1974 as a replacement for the Cleveland Arena, and had a seating capacity of 20,27 ...
in
Richfield, Ohio, becoming not only the first White world Heavyweight champion since
Ingemar Johansson
Jens Ingemar "Ingo" Johansson (; 22 September 1932 – 30 January 2009) was a Swedish professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1963. He held the world heavyweight title from 1959 to 1960, and was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside ...
23 years before, but also the first world Heavyweight champion from Africa in boxing history.
Hagler's knockdown
Perez refereed the March 30, 1984, world Middleweight title fight between champion
Marvelous Marvin Hagler and his Argentine challenger,
Juan "The Hammer" Roldan at the
Riviera Hotel in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
. In a situation somewhat similar to the Ali-Wepner fight he'd refereed years before, Hagler went down seconds after the first round had begun as he slipped followed by a right hand from Roldan that grazed the champion's head. Perez called it a knockdown, the only official knockdown suffered by Hagler in his professional boxing career. In round three, Roldan became entangled against the ropes after a Hagler combination and fell; Perez also ruled that a knockdown. Hagler eventually retained the title by a tenth-round technical knockout.
Jamaica's first world championship
Perez was the referee on October 19, 1984, for the match fought for the vacant WBA's world Junior Middleweight title which had been vacated by Durán, between
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
's
Sean Mannion and
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
's
Mike McCallum
Michael McKenzie McCallum (7 December 1956 – 31 May 2025) was a Jamaican professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1997. He held world championships in three weight classes, including the World Boxing Association (WBA) super welterweight ...
. This bout marked the first time that two women (
Carol Castellano and
Carol Polis) acted as judges in a professional boxing match and, after McCallum's 15 round unanimous decision victory, the first time a Jamaican boxer won a professional boxing world's championship.
Julio Cesar Chavez
Tony Perez was given the responsibility of officiating the WBC world Junior Lightweight title bout between champion
Julio César Chávez
Julio César Chávez González (; born July 12, 1962), also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was liste ...
of Mexico and challenger Refugio Rojas as part of the
Héctor Camacho vs. Edwin Rosario fight's undercard, June 13, 1986, at the Madison Square Garden. Chavez, Sr. dropped Rojas to the floor several times before winning by seventh-round technical knockout.
Only six weeks later, Perez again shared a ring with the Mexican legend when Chavez defended his world title against former and future world champion Rocky Lockridge, whom the future Hall of Famer from Mexico beat by a somewhat controversial, twelve round majority decision with Perez as referee on Sunday, August 3, 1986, at the
Stade Louis II
The Stade Louis II (, ), or simply Louis II is a stadium located in the Fontvieille district of Monaco, near the border with Cap-d'Ail commune of France. It serves primarily as a venue for Athletics and football, being the home of AS Monaco ...
in
Fontvieille, Monaco
Fontvieille (; ) is the southernmost ward in the Principality of Monaco. It was developed by Italian engineer Gianfranco Gilardini and designed by architect Manfredi Nicoletti, between the 1970s and the 1990s.
History
In contrast to the other ...
.
Bassa-McAuley
On Saturday, March 26, 1988, Perez refereed the
Fidel Bassa-
Dave McAuley
David Anthony McAuley, MBE (born 15 June 1961, Larne) is a former professional boxer from Northern Ireland who competed from 1983 to 1992. He held the IBF flyweight title from 1989 to 1992 and challenged twice for the WBA flyweight title, i ...
rematch for Colombian Bassa's WBA world Flyweight championship in a battle that had generated much interest both in Ireland and internationally. Bassa retained the title by a twelve-round unanimous decision at the
Kings Hall in
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
.
Evander Holyfield
Perez refereed
Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion in the cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight division ...
's
second bout in the Heavyweight division. Holyfield, already a world champion in the Cruiserweight division, battled former WBC world Heavyweight champion
Pinklon Thomas on December 9, 1988, at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City, knocking him out in seven rounds.
Holyfield would later become world Heavyweight champion multiple times.
Damiani-Du Plooy
The
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
asked Perez to referee their inaugural WBO world heavyweight championship bout on May 6, 1989, at the
Stadio Nicola de Simone in
Syracuse, Sicily
Syracuse ( ; ; ) is a historic city on the Italian island of Sicily, the capital of the Italian province of Syracuse. The city is notable for its rich Greek and Roman history, culture, amphitheatres, architecture, and as the birthplace ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
between South Africa's
Johnny du Plooy and Italy's
Francesco Damiani. Damiani won the contest by third-round knockout (despite this, most outside the WBO continued recognizing
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...
as "undisputed" champion in the division). Perez was the Italy fight's referee.
Camacho-Paz
On Saturday, February 3, 1990, Perez refereed the match between WBO world Junior Welterweight champion
Hector Camacho Sr. and his challenger, former and future world champion
Vinny Paz (then known as Vinny Pazienza) at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City. Camacho Sr. retained the title by twelve rounds unanimous decision.
Jung Koo Chang-Muangchai Kittikasem
Perez flew to
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
during 1991 to referee the May 18 bout between WBC World Flyweight champion
Muangchai Kittikasem of
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, 14 wins and a loss to
Michael Carbajal
Michael Carbajal (born September 17, 1967) is an American five-time world boxing champion of Mexican descent. His nickname was "Little Hands of Stone" after his favorite boxer, "Hands of Stone" Roberto Durán.
Amateur career
Carbajal had an amat ...
coming in with ten wins by knockout, and the 38 wins, 3 losses, 17 wins by knockout challenger, former WBC world Junior Flyweight champion and future Hall of Famer
Jung Koo Chang of South Korea at the
Olympic Gymnastic Gymnasium in
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
. This match is also considered a classic; Kittikasem had been floored three times (twice in round five and once in round eleven) and was on the verge of being defeated by knockout when he connected with a left hook and right hand that sent Chang down with about one minute left for the fight to finish in round 12, badly hurting Chang. The South Korean fighter rose but was downed again immediately afterwards, with Perez halting the fight with 24 seconds to go, giving the defending world champion a come from behind victory. This was Chang's last boxing fight and his only knockout loss as a professional boxer.
Mercer KO5 Morrison
Perez was the referee of one of the first major boxing
pay per view and WBO fights, when then WBO world Heavyweight champion
Ray Mercer
Raymond Anthony Mercer (born April 4, 1961) is a former American professional boxer, kickboxer, and mixed martial artist who competed from 1989 to 2009. Mercer won a heavyweight gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics as an amateur, and later ...
beat
Rocky V
''Rocky V'' is a 1990 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to '' Rocky IV'' (1985) and the fifth installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. It also stars Talia S ...
star and future WBO world Heavyweight champion
Tommy Morrison
Tommy Morrison (January 2, 1969 – September 1, 2013) was an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competed from 1988 to 2009. Best known for his left hook (boxing), hook and formidable punching power, Morrison won the World ...
, to
retain the championship, with a fifth-round technical knockout that is often considered one of the best finishes in boxing history, October 18, 1991, at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City. Perez received harsh criticism from many for his slowness in stopping the fight.
McClellan-Bell
Perez's first fight in Puerto Rico took place on Friday, August 6, 1993, at the
Ruben Rodriguez Coliseum in
Bayamon as part of a program headed by a
Félix Trinidad fight. In it, WBC world Middleweight champion
Gerald McClellan, 28 wins, 2 losses with 26 knockouts, dispatched challenger
Jay Bell
Jay Stuart Bell (born December 11, 1965) is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop and former manager of the Rocket City Trash Pandas of the Southern League. He played for the Cleveland Indians (1986–1988), Pittsburgh Pirates (19 ...
in only 20 seconds of the first round, scoring the fastest knockout in a Middleweight world championship fight in professional boxing's history. This match was broadcast on
Showtime Championship Boxing
''Showtime Championship Boxing'' is a television boxing program that aired on Showtime (TV network), Showtime. Debuting in March 1986, it was broadcast live on the first Saturday of every month. ''Showtime Championship Boxing'', which was very ...
.
Oliver McCall versus Frank Bruno
Oliver McCall, WBC world Heavyweight champion with 26 wins and 5 losses, with 18 knockouts, went to
London, England
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, to defend his title versus British
Frank Bruno
Franklin Roy Bruno (born 16 November 1961) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1996. He held the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title from 1995 to 1996. At regional level, he held the European heavyweight ...
, 39 wins and 4 losses with 38 knockouts, at
Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
on September 2, 1995, with Perez as referee. Bruno won the title by
beating McCall by twelve rounds unanimous decision
in what turned out to be the last win of his career.
Camacho Sr.-Durán I
Tony Perez was then called on to referee the pay per view match between two aging but legendary former world champions, Hector Camacho Sr. and Roberto Durán, which was held on June 22, 1996, at the
Mark Etess Arena in Atlantic City. Camacho Sr. won the contest between the two future Hall of Famers by a 12 rounds unanimous decision
a victory which Camacho Sr. would repeat several years later in a rematch.
Roy Jones Jr. controversy
Perez was again involved in a controversial match when
Roy Jones Jr.
Roy Levesta Jones Jr. (born January 16, 1969) is an American professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, including middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight. As an amateur he r ...
, the WBC's world Light Heavyweight champion and, at 34 wins, no defeats or draws, with 29 wins by knockout widely considered either the best or second best fighter in the world at that era, took on challenger
Montell Griffin, undefeated and untied in 26 fights with 18 wins by knockout on March 21, 1997, at the
Taj Majal Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. The champion dropped the challenger in round nine but then threw a punch to his head as Griffin sat on one knee. Perez
disqualified Jones Jr., giving Griffin the world championship and Jones Jr. his first loss as a professional. Perez explained that he "was counting because if he could have continued, (Perez would have taken) one or two points away from Jones". This fight was also broadcast on television by HBO Boxing.
Later years as referee
Perez continued to referee for seven more years after the Griffin-Jones Jr. I fight, including many world championship fights taking place in the United States,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and other places. The last match he refereed was one between Panamanian Darmell Castillo, a 10 wins, 8 losses and 2 draws with 6 knockout wins boxer versus
Bryant Brannon, a 21 wins, 2 losses with 14 knockout wins contender, at the
Sovereign Bank Arena in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...
, on October 21, 2005. Brannon won by six rounds majority decision
in what was also Brannon's final fight as a professional boxer.
Personal life and death
Perez appeared in a number of boxing related documentaries, most notably
Assault in the Ring
''Assault in the Ring'' (formerly ''Cornered: A Life in the Ring'') is a 2008 sports documentary film about a controversial boxing match held at Madison Square Garden on June 16, 1983. The film won the award for Best Sports Documentary at the 31s ...
about the Collins-Resto bout. During his retirement, he made occasional public appearances at boxing related events.
He met his wife, future boxing judge
Barbara Perez, as they were both working at the Seagram's distillery. His wife lost a brother, who was a firefighter, during the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
in 2001. She is a member of the New Jersey state's boxing hall of fame.
Perez died on December 14, 2021, at the age of 90.
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico (Borinquen) and people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican descent. Puerto Rican citizens are included, as the governm ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perez, Tony
1931 births
2021 deaths
American boxing referees
American people of Puerto Rican descent
Boxing judges
People from Barnegat Township, New Jersey