Legendary Boxing Referee Tony Perez Dies At 90

Tony Perez has passed away at the age of 90.

The veteran referee was known for officiating some of the biggest showdowns in the sport including the rematch between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Perez made his refereeing debut in 1968 and went on to officiate 431 professional boxing bouts. After making his retirement official in 2005, Perez continued to work occasionally at boxing-related events.

During this period, he got to share the ring with some juggernauts in the history of the sport such as Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Bobby Czyz, Tony Tucker, Montell Griffin, Tim Witherspoon, Daniel Zaragoza, Junior Jones, Shannon Briggs, Corrie Sanders, Al Cole, Mike Weaver, Michael Dokes and Dwight Muhammad Qawi.

He was a long-time resident of Ocean County’s Barnegat Township. His career as a boxing official spanned for over five decades.

His wife Barbara was also part of the same industry.

She is a former boxing judge who featured in several title fights. Barbara made it into boxing after their marriage. They met while they were working together at a distillery.

The veteran referee also featured in numerous boxing-related documentaries such as Assault in the Ring, which was about the Collins vs Resto showdown.