Richard Steele, the Hall of Fame boxing referee, issued cautionary words about the upcoming fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
“With Mike Tyson, it’s so dangerous even for the referee because you got to be close, but you got to be far away to be able to allow them to do their thing,’’ Steele, who refereed six of Tyson’s fights, told USA TODAY Sports. “You had to be always aware of what’s going on because one of Mike Tyson’s punches could really hurt the other guy. And maybe he don’t need to take the other punch.”
Who will inherit that responsibility is not yet publicly known.
Tela Mange, a spokeswoman for the state department that regulates combat sports in Texas, said last week she had no news to report about the referees or the judges for the Tyson-Paul fight, scheduled for Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
One thing is for sure, it won’t be Steele, who is now 80.
‘No, man. I had enough,’ he said.
But he did offer his thoughts on several topics, including the two-minute rounds he thinks will create a disadvantage for Paul in a fight scheduled for eight rounds.
“I don’t see the guy going that distance with Tyson,’ said Steele, who boxed professionally, going 12-4 from 1966-1970 before becoming a referee in 1972. “Because Tyson, he’s so strong and he’s a ex-champion. He knows what he’s doing and for two minutes … he can go all out.’
Also, extra padding in the 14-ounce gloves that will be used rather than the standard 10-ounce gloves will provide no benefit to Paul, according to Steele.
‘That’s still a small glove thinking about the power of Mike Tyson,’ he said.
Steele refereed a notable fight involving Tyson on Oct. 23, 1999. Just after the bell sounded at the end of the first round, Tyson hit and knocked down his opponent, Orlin Norris.
Steele deducted two points from Tyson on the judges’ scorecards, and Norris said he injured his knee during the knockdown and could not continue. The fight was stopped and ruled a no contest.
‘He didn’t want no more,’ Steele said of Norris. ‘He just took the knee as a way to get out of the fight.
‘It was a definite (foul), but I think the punch was on the way and he couldn’t stop it.’
Steele said he recently watched footage of the 58-year-old Tyson working a heavy bag in preparation to face the 27-year-old Paul.
‘He’s still dangerous,’ Steele said. ‘He has so much power… I just hope he don’t end up getting hurt or hurt the other guy.’
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