Coronavirus claims the life of referee Eddie Cotton

By Scott Shaffer

17/04/2020

Coronavirus claims the life of referee Eddie Cotton

The WBA is reporting the sad new that retired referee Eddie Cotton has passed away from the coronavirus. Besides being well-liked, Cotton was a strong and capable referee, thus earning key assignments in boxing's heaviest weight classes, where he was physically capable of separating the boxers when circumstances required. Cotton's biggest assignment was Lennox Lewis' heavyweight win over Mike Tyson, but Cotton worked many other big fights, including Tyson Fury vs. Steve Cunninghham, Chad Dawson vs. Bernard Hopkins, Wladimir Klitschko vs. Ruslan Chagaev and Marco Huck vs. Denis Lebedev. Cotton, a New Jersey resident, was also a former IBF board member.
 
Paco Valcárcel, the WBO's president, joined those paying tribute to Cotton: "A great human being passed away today... Eddie Cotton was a great WBO and IBF referee, also IBF board member. Good friend of mine and golf partner... We are going to miss Eddie forever." Boxingtalk joins the boxing world sending its deepest condolences to the friends and family of Eddie Cotton.