The Puerto Rican referee Roberto Ramirez Jnr will referee the rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia. The three scoring judges are Gerardo Martinez, also of Puerto Rico, Chicago’s Pat Morley, and Miami’s Fernando Barbosa.
Like their first encounter, the world-heavyweight title rematch will be commissioned by the Middle Eastern Professional Boxing Commission and not the British Boxing Board of Control, who again oversee the undercard. BoxingScene understands that Team Usyk, from Ukraine and fighting a British boxer, requested an independent commission for the first contest, which was agreed by all parties. The same arrangement is in place for the sequel. The BBBoC, however, will provide the doctors, timekeeper, and inspectors.
Ramirez, the son of the retired referee Roberto Ramirez Snr, is a veteran of 412 bouts after beginning his refereeing career in 2003. He’s not courted a great deal of controversy but he was criticized by Chantelle Cameron, and her then-trainer Jamie Moore, following defeat by Katie Taylor in their rematch.
This will represent the first time that Ramirez has refereed a world-heavyweight title fight, though he is experienced in championship bouts in lower weight classes. The most noteworthy contest he’s previously officiated in the banner division came in 2014 when he oversaw Deontay Wilder blowing away Malik Scott.
Martinez, meanwhile, is into his 12th year as a judge and has scored 470 bouts. He’s been a key player in big fights involving British fighters in the recent past, as he scored Canelo Alvarez a wide winner over John Ryder and saw his card made redundant when Artur Beterbiev stopped Callum Smith.
Barbosa, also a production manager and distributor for Disney, will judge his 285th bout and he has been scoring bouts since 2013.
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