Sad to report the passing of longtime referee Tony Perez at the age of 86 years old. Perez was the third man in the ring for many high-profile fights including Ali/Frazier 2, Ali/Wepner, Ali/Quarry, Quarry/Neumann, Tiger/Benvenuti, Griffith/Antuofermo, Frazier/Ellis, Alexis Arguello/Cornelius Boza Edwards, Arguello/Ray Mancini, James Scott/Yaqui Lopez behind prison walls, Cooney/Norton, Hagler/Roldan, Julio Cesar Chavez/Rocky Lockridge, Ray Mercer/Bert Cooper, Mercer/Tommy Morrison, Hasim Rahman/Trevor Berbick, Roberto Duran/Hector Camacho, David Tua/John Ruiz, Marlon Starling/Mark Breland…
PLUS many other fights with Evander Holyfield, Bobby Czyz, Vinny Pazienza, Livingstone Bramble, Julian Jackson, Azumah Nelson, Micky Ward, Frankie Toledo, Buddy McGirt, Ricardo Lopez, Oliver McCall, Gerald McClellan, Tony Tucker, Nigel Benn, Chris Byrd, Terry Norris, Zab Judah, Montell Griffin, Tim Witherspoon, Daniel Zaragoza, Junior Jones, Shannon Briggs, Arturo Gatti, Calvin Grove, Kevin Kelley, James Smith, Corrie Sanders, Al Cole, Oleg Maskaev, Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Harold Knight, Mike Weaver, Michael Dokes, Dwight Muhammad Qawi, George Foreman, and many others.
Was the referee in the ring when Roy Jones lost to Montell Griffin the first fight.
Life well lived! Rest easy Tony Perez!
Yes I remember! Wasn’t some Barbara Perez among the judges in that fight too? Any family link with Tony?
You’re actually right about that, never knew that. Barbara Perez was a judge in that fight (she had Griffin ahead) and she was Mrs. Tony Perez.
One of the greatest referee’s ever. May he Rest In Peace and may God comfort his family and loved ones…
Great Ref!!! Boricua! You’ll be missed
I always liked his style. RIP Tony!
LEGEND. R.I.P.
Sad news. Perez was a consummate professional, a great referee, and a fine person. Sad to hear of his passing. Tonight, I’m going to watch a replay of the Mercer-Morrison fight in his honor.
Very sad news right before Christmas. He was a great referee. rip.
Should be in the “Hall of Fame”
Sad news. His wiki page is worth a look. Seemed like quite a cool fellow. Pretty accomplished as well. RIP Tony Perez..
YEAH TONY WAS A GOOD REF NO DOUBT ABOUT IT… HE WAS ONE OF THE BETTER ONES AND YOU COULD TELL HE DIDN’T PLAY FAVORITES AT ALL IN THE RING…. IF YOU WON OR LOST A FIGHT IT WAS ON YOUR MERITS ALONE… THAT’S WHAT THE BEST REFS DO!!!!