Boxcast: The WBC president’s perspective on the third man in the ring

The role of the referee is, without a doubt, one of the most critical and complex in the world of sports. In this edition of Boxcast, the president of the World Boxing Council (WBC), Mauricio Sulaimán, delves into the evolution of this figure and the enormous responsibility that rests upon their shoulders: holding the lives of the fighters in their hands.

Mauricio explains how the referee’s work has changed drastically since the 1940s and 1950s. Back then, the referee was an almost passive figure who permitted levels of brutality that would be unacceptable today, ignoring deep cuts or multiple knockdowns just to avoid stopping the action.

Thanks to the implementation of training, certifications, and new policies from organizations like the WBC, the focus has shifted from pure entertainment to the comprehensive protection of the athlete. Although some segments of the fanbase miss the toughness of yesteryear, Sulaimán is emphatic: the mission of the organizations and officials is to protect the boxers, even from themselves.

The video also addresses how the use of Instant Replay has become a vital tool for delivering justice, allowing for the correction of erroneous calls in real-time, as recently occurred in Nevada with the review of a knockdown.

Finally, it is highlighted that, to maximize the focus on safety, referees no longer carry the responsibility of scoring fights—a task they previously shared with the judges. Today, the “third man” is there with a single purpose: to guarantee that the integrity of the warriors remains intact at the end of the night.