Referee Steve Smoger dies aged 72

news7d12/19/2022

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Image: Referee Steve Smoger passes away at 72

Via Brian Webber: Famous American referee Steve Smoger passed away today at the age of 72. Mr. Smoger is believed to have been ill for some time before his death. No cause of death was reported.

Having made over 200 matches in his career, Smoger’s last game he ran was four years ago between Romuel Cruz and Jose Lopez in August 2018.

What’s new about Smoger is that he shows no bias when it comes to running his matches. When a boxer breaks the rules, Smoger doesn’t hesitate to correct the mistake, even if they are superstars earning millions of dollars.

Another thing that I personally like about Smoger won’t be overshadowed when he’s in a position where he needs to make a decision whether to penalize or disqualify a boxer. He can think on his feet and make decisions that make sense to his fans.

In an age where referees make strange decisions, Smoger had a different take on him. You can count on him to make the right decisions in a game without messing things up like some referees these days.

Born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1950, Smoger lived and worked in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In 2015, Smoger was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Many of the biggest fights Smoger participated in occurred earlier in his career as a referee when many of the biggest fights were still being held in Atlantic City and Connecticut. Today, the biggest fights in America are in Las Vegas or New York.

Some of the battles where Smoger was successful:

Miguel Cotto vs Antonio Margarito

Danny Garcia vs Zab Judah

Evander Holyfield vs John Ruiz

Roy Jones Jr vs Denis Lebedev

Amir Khan vs Zab Judah

Miguel Cotto vs Paulie Malignaigi

Kelly Pavlik vs. Edison Miranda

James Toney vs John Ruiz

Diego Corrales vs. Joel Casamayor

James Toney vs Vassily Jirov

Shane Mosley vs Vernon Forrest