Sad to announce the passing of famed Atlantic City-based referee Steve Smoger at the age of 79 after a long illness.
Smoger refereed over 200 world title fights and was considered one of the best third men to ever do it. He was known as a referee who gave a fighter every chance to win before stopping a fight.
Among the fights he worked were epics like Pavlik-Taylor I, Ward-Augustus, Trinidad-Hopkins, Forrest-Mosley I, and many more. Smoger was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015. RIP.
By far best referee ever. He let the fighters do what they’re paid to do. Rest in peace. You will be missed.
Well said……
I remember when a fight would be announced and I’d see that he was the referee. It always was a relief because you knew he was the best in the business and the fighters would have every opportunity to win. Can’t believe he was 79, seems like yesterday he was in the ring. Rest In Peace SS.
One of my favorites ever. I’m sure gonna miss him. A lot of us will. It wasn’t just the fighters involved, he also helped give us those fights!
Has a significant claim for being THE best ref of all time. He was awesome! Rest easy Steve Smoger and a huge congratulations on a life well lived!
– I always liked “Double S”.
– I remember Smoger reffed a Lou Savarese fight (they were both from New York I believe).
– Forgot who Lou was fighting, but he got knocked down, SS kept asking him “You all right Lou?”, while he was giving the count. Must have been a 14 count by the time he was done.
– Hopefully SS and Mills Lane are refereeing the big fights in the sky…..
Sounds like the 6th round of Savarese vs Whitaker where Smolger at around “8” prompts Lou to stand after taking a hellacious beating.
Thank you, turn2stone. I think that was it.
Smoger was the best. He let ’em fight, and knew when/where to get involved. RIP.
awesome referee – very very sad to hear about this……
Oh no.. this is so sad. Smoger was the best. I knew when he was the third man in the ring, there would be no controversial, early stoppages. He was the best. RIP.
Man, first Mills Lane and now Steve Smoger. Two of the best referees ever. May he rest in peace.
Two greats of the game are already gone Lane and Smoger, RIP.
Be careful all those boxing referees over 70 years old, seems God is staging a massive boxing event and is recruiting top name referees.
Within boxing rules, Mr. Smoger was an old school referee who believed in letting boxers be professional boxers in the ring (no whining/no excuses/keep boxing).
RIP, Mr. Smoger.
That is sad news. RIP Steve. You could tell he loved refereeing and that he really respected and cared for the fighters. I recently noticed he hadn’t been active, but I don’t think it’s been that long since he was in the ring. If Smogger was the third man in the ring on a highly anticipated PPV fight, that only made a great fight better.
Great REF he always did a great job the times I saw him. He knew when when to stop a fight and when to let continue. No Richard Steele type moments
Very sad to hear today. I thought he was great from all the fights I saw. He was a pro and allowed the focus to remain on the fighters instead of himself.
Best ref ever. Every other ref would have stopped Pavlik-Taylor except him. He let them fight.
Another referee legend. May he rest in peace and may God comfort his family and loved ones…
RIP – Mr Double SS – spent many of nights at ring side with this man – he will be missed
The best ref to ever do it.
RIP Steve
One of the greatest ever. May he rest in peace and may God comfort his family and loved ones…
I has the pleasure of meeting Steve several years ago. What a great guy & fantastic ref!
RIP Steve Smoger!!! The referee who was almost clinch allergic and let his fighters fight. RIP
My favorite referee. He was a caring person. I felt that he reffed his fighters as if they were like his owns sons.
Steve was a great referee and a great gentleman. I was fortunate to interview him for Fightnews in 2011.
Rest in Peace
Love to read that.
One of the very best to ever do it. There’s a very long list of memorable fights with memorable performances by Steve to just pick one. He let you fight and he didn’t fall for the modern diva mentality in the ring.
Thank you Steve for all of the great memories, and for your honest refereeing. They don’t make them like you anumore. You will be incredibly missed. GOD Bless you brother. Rest In Peace.
RIP Steve Smoger One of the best referees ever! My favorite all time. You are not forgotten. Never!
One of the trademarks of a great boxing referee is when you barely notice that he’s in the ring during the fight until he’s needed. Smoger was so superb in this regard, and his excellence is something I strive to achieve in my own life and profession. Steve Smoger was a great man and a superb referee. So sorry to hear of his passing. As a longtime fan of the sport, I want to express my deepest condolences to his family. Steve Smoger was highly regarded and will be missed.
All of us who have watched boxing forever all agree- when the ref was Steve Smoger you knew there wouldn’t be any problem with how the fight would be handled in the ring. He always struck me as a fair third man in the ring who had everyone’s respect. He did his job and did it as good as any who ever have been in the ring. God bless his soul with peace
Perfectly stated, Christian.
Always a top professional. Rest in Peace…
Alongside Artur Mercante Sr. and Mills Lane, Steve was the greatest referee of all time, and I’m not just saying that because he passed.
Not only did he let fighters go to work, he also felt so much compassion and sympathy for fighters when he had to step in and stop a match. He was always consoling fighters in their defeat. He’d go as far as giving them hugs and kisses on the cheek. He was definitely a class act. The ref of all refs. Everything a professional should be.
There will never be another one like good ole Steve Smoger!!!
10 count moment of silence. ding. ding. ding. ding. ding. ding. ding. ding ding. ding.
RIP Champ!
A very cordial, considerate man. He once told me, “You can’t have a great fight if you don’t let them fight.
Steve was up there with the best of them, including Mills Lane. May they both rest in peace.
First Mills Lane, now Steve Smoger R.I.P boys
A great one. RIP.
steve a very compsionate referee, never forgot he kissed brian nielsen, and said i love you brian ,but i am stopping the fight, great great man
The best referee since Arthur Donavan in the 1930s and 1940s. He let the fighters FIGHT.
Wow. Very sad to learn of Steve’s passing. I saw more of Steve (on television) than I did of many in my own family. He earned a ton of respect in his chosen profession, and performed marvelously. He must go down as one of the best ever — without a shadow of a doubt. Oh, those years when he was in the ring in the 70’s and 80’s on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights (before he got super famous). Steve (in the ring) and Al Bernstein (behind the mic) kept countless people entertained with great contests. To his family, I join countless people in remembering him fondly.