The Nevada State Athletic Commission evidently isn’t taking any chances with officials for the Feb. 22 Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch in Las Vegas.
The NSAC reportedly will give a list of at least three possible referees and 10 to 12 judges to the fighters and allow them to toss anyone with whom they aren’t comfortable.
“[NSAC Executive Director] Bob Bennett promised me everybody will be satisfied,” Fury co-promoter Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com. “The truth is, unlike what happened last time, the judges here are not going to matter. If it goes to a decision, Fury wins the fight. If it goes to a knockout, the judges don’t matter.”
The officials are an issue because of the 2018 fight between Wilder and Fury in Los Angeles, which was scored a draw. Fury, who went down twice but controlled much of the fight, thought he was robbed and some agree with him.
Also, some have suggested California referee Jack Reiss should’ve stopped the fight when Fury went down in Round 12 even though he appeared to beat the count.
As BoxingScene pointed out, the referee will be from Nevada and the judges will be configured in one of two ways: one British judge, one American judge and one neutral judge, or all three neutral judges.