Usually here at Boxingtalk we bring you breaking news, cutting edge interviews, and boxing video interviews that go unmatched by anyone.  Today, we bring you an interview from the third man in the ring's perspective.  Professional boxing referee Bill Clancy has refereed 7 world title fights, and he looks to add to that total in the coming years.  Known as a fair, but very firm referee, Clancy's reputation as a top notch referee is rapidly climbing. You can bet he'll be seen in many future world title fights in the future.

 

BT  I wanted to give our readers a different perspective.  You have been in the game for a long time, tell the fans how you got your start in boxing as a professional boxing referee.

BC – I tell you it's been a heck of a road.  I grew up in upstate New York, and my grandfather was a New York City police officer, and an avid boxing fan.  He did some fighting himself, and my grandfather on my mothers side was a heavyweight champion in the merchant marines. I was always around boxing growing up in New York, I became friends with Billy Costello, and then he goes on and becomes a world champion.  Twenty two years ago I am down in North Carolina, and there was no boxing commission.  I was an avid boxing fan, I saw the small boxing shows going on, and one day I was talking to a promoter, and he had no official, no referee, and he asked if I could help him out.  He asked me if I could be a referee, and I did it, I did it just with the knowledge of boxing I got from my grandfather.  I did that from 1982 until we finally got a boxing commission here in North Carolina in 1996. 

BT – When was it that you first realized that refereeing boxing matches was what you wanted to do with your life?

BC – In 1982 I was in the ring working a fight, and I just realize that this was really, really cool.  After that  night I started reading up, and I wanted to meet Mills lane, and I wanted to meet Larry Hazzard.  I started going to boxing conventions, and getting more involved, and it's been crazy, it's a dream come true.

BT – Talk about the first world title fight that you were asked to referee.

BC – Let me tell you something Brad,  I don't have the experience as the Joe Cortez's, or a Kenny Bayless.  I have been very fortunate to have refereed some high profile fights, and that's were people recognize me.  I have only had 7 world title fights though, but people have to realize that boxing is very political.  If you don't happen to live in a state like Nevada, or New Jersey, or New York, it's very political in nature.  I have been fortunate to get the seven that I have had.  The first world title fight that I was able to get was the Manny Pacquiao vs Jorge Julio fight witch was the co main event of Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis in Memphis. 

BT – Were you nervous at all when you refereed your first world title?

BC – Actually no, and I will tell you why.  I was caught up in a very big political controversy in Tennessee.  It's a southern state, and if you listen to guys like Teddy Atlas, and no knock on Teddy, but I got a call from Wally Mathews (New York Post) he called me an wanted to do an interview.  Tennessee was very confident in my ability, and I was assigned the Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis fight.  Nobody knew who Bill Clancy was, and I got caught up in this political nightmare.  I didn't live in the right area of the United  States where I was getting a lot of visibility, and nobody “new me.”  Now the focus was on the referee, and after all of that controversy, I just took myself out of the fight, I told the commissioner that there was too much focus on me.  They assigned me the IBF world title fight with Pacquiao vs Julio.  I was upset that nobody, “new me.”  I decided to go out there and set the tone for what I think a referee should do.  Eddie Cotton ended up getting the Tyson vs
Lewis fight, and I told him before the fight that I hoped everything worked out for him.  It worked out great for me, and Eddie had a tough time that night, it was a tough fight for him to referee.  I was mad that night, and I wanted to get my name out there, and I think I was able to do that.

BT – Would you do the same thing over, looking back?  Would you remove yourself from the Tyson vs Lewis fight if you had to do it all over again?

BC – No I wouldn't do the same thing, I kick myself in the butt ever since I did that.  It was a huge payday, probably 8 to 10 thousand dollars.  I probably would have stood my ground if I had to do it all over again.  I am a fighters referee, I let them fight.  I let them fight, and they respect me, and that means a lot to me.  It's water under the bridge now, the WBC has been good to me, and I am hoping that it continues.

BT – Lets shift gears and talk about quick stoppages in fights.  Some people complain that fights are stopped to quickly, and some complain that referees wait too long to make a stoppage.  Give me your thoughts on that.

BC – We could spend all night talking about that subject.  Here's how I see it, referees are a special breed.  What I mean by that is, if you want to be a doctor, you could be the brightest person in the world.  You could go through all of the schools, ace tests, and do all of the work to graduate.  When you get the knife in your hand, you find out that you just don't have what it takes to be a surgeon.  I equate that to being a referee, you either have the ability to recognize and understand, or you don't.  You can't teach somebody when someone is hurt to the point where you need to stop it.  It's just like a surgeon, it's an art, it's not a science.  There are a lot of good referees out there, but they just don't know when to pull the trigger.  That is truly, truly one of the key things as a top referee that you have to possess, that ability to know when to pull the trigger, and when not to pull the trigger.  Glen Johnson is a good example, he likes to lay on the ropes and let th
em bang on him for awhile. Some refs that may not know his style may see that and decide to jump in there and stop it if he does that.  You can't teach someone to be a good referee, I think you either have it or you don't, and I think that's what separates the good referees from the great referees.

BT – Tell me about a time where you knew you messed up as a referee, and then tell me about a time where you knew you aced a boxing contest as the referee.

BC – To answer the first part, and I will never forget this to this day.  I am probably still a hated man in Australia because of this.  Danny Green vs Markus Beyer, I believe it was August of 2003, and the fight was in Germany.  Markus Beyer was the WBC Super Middleweight champion, and Danny Green was 17 and 0 from Australia.  Danny Green's trainer Jeff Fenech was a wonderful champion from Australia, he was worried about the referee.  Everyone was telling him that Bill Clancy was a good and fair referee, don't worry about getting screwed.  I knew I had a lefty verses a right hander.  They had this big huge production, a big world title fight.  Danny Green was kicking the daylights out of Beyer, he had him cut in the eye because of a head butt. I had to take a point away, and that went over like a lead balloon, then Markus Beyer comes out and starts taking the fight from Danny Green. All Green had to do was maybe hit the guy in his damaged eye 3 or 4 more times.  What does he do? H
e drops his gloves, he drops his shoulders, and head butts the guy right on the eye brow!  He opens the cut even worse.  So your question was, what do I regret?  Well I had kayos in the ring, I had a Spanish supervisor who spoke no English, an Italian co supervisor who spoke no English, and thank God one American who spoke English.  I called time out and took 2 points from Danny Green for the intentional head butt.  I screwed up, and I am so glad you asked this question so I can get it out in the open.  I hope those in Australia read this so I can explain.  Here is where I screwed up, I lost my composure, it was my mechanics.  I lost my cool, instead of immediately taking the two points from Danny Green, I should have called time out and took Markus Beyer to the corner and let the doctor look at it.  When I took the two points it was communicated to the fans, and to Danny Green's corner that the fight would continue.  They thought Danny would only suffer a two point penalty, and th
e fight would go to the cards.  I screwed up the mechanics of my refereeing, and I wish like Hell it never happened.  I apologize for that happening, and I should have been on top of my game.  I had to disqualify Danny Green for that flagrant foul.  To your second part, when I was referring Rafael Pedro vs Adam Richards in Biloxi, MS.  I warn the fighters in the dressing room about hitting in the back of the head.  That's there formal first warning, if they do it in the ring, I give one warning, if they do it again, it's a point.  If they do it again, the run the risk of being disqualified.  Adam Richards was getting the best of Pedro, and Pedro started resorting to dirty tactics, he fouls him.  He punches over the top of me when I called break.  He actually hit me after a break.  Thank God I have a thick scull (laughs). It's unfortunate, because it wasn't the first time he has fought like that.  I took a point in the second, and ended up disqualifying him in the fourth round.  I a
m not going to tolerate bad sportsmanship, and unsportsmanlike conduct.  He was so blatant that I could have disqualified the guy a few rounds before that.

BT – Boxing as in other sports has a history of referee's being payed off, corruption.  Have you ever been approached, or experienced that in any way?

BC – You know I personally never been approached, and I hope to God that I never do.  I have heard stories, but they are stories, so you don't know if they are true or not.  The last name Clancy means more to me than 25 million dollars.  I would never ever disgrace my name.  Gill Clancy, the great trainer is a distant relative of mine, so there is history with my name.  I respect this sport so much... I have been a referee in 6 different countries, and 10 different states.  I have never ever been approached, and thank God I haven't.   If I ever do get approached, I will do the right thing.  I firmly believe that most guys have the integrity that is needed to referee this sport.  I am sure it comes up, but I firmly believe that the people that I have met, I would never question their integrity.

BT – What was the worst knockout that you ever saw?

BC – I have seen several.  Roy Jones vs Glen Johnson was one, I was asked by someone why I counted?  When Roy got hit, he hit the back of his head when he landed.  The back of his head hit the canvass.  What I saw was Roy still having the presence of mind to lift his head, and his shoulders off of the canvass.  That's the reason I continued to count, but it scared the daylights out of me, because I don't know if he will recover.  As a referee my worst nightmare is I stop the fight, and the guy jumps up and he's ready to go.  I had it happen to me about 10 years ago.  The guy got caught with a lucky punch, the guy was gone!  He was gone, no need to count.  As soon as I waved it off, the guy sprung out of a jack in the box.  He was fine, and I had that same vision with Roy Jones that night.  He was down, his leg was stiff, but he was fighting it, he was fighting it.  There was no imminent danger, the doctor was right there.  Roy just told me again that he tried to fight off that punc
h, but he couldn't. 

BT – Bill thanks for the stories.  Is there any closing thoughts that you would like to say to the fans in closing?

BC – I would, the UFC is an up and coming sport, and we are sharing our audience.  Please don't give up on boxing, it's the best sport in the world bar none.  I want to thank everybody who supports boxing, and who supports these boxing websites.  I want to thank everyone who asks me for an autograph, it's the most humbling feeling in the world.

,M

Send questions and comments to: bradcooney1@bellsouth.net