Alright, let’s talk about how much them boxing referees make, you know, the fellas in the ring makin’ sure them boxers don’t kill each other. It ain’t no easy job, I tell ya. Gotta be quick on your feet and know all them rules, more rules than my grandpappy had chickens!
So, how much they gettin’ paid for all that fuss? Well, it ain’t always the same, ya see. It depends on the fight, like if it’s some small-time match or a big TV thing. If it’s just some local boys sluggin’ it out, the referee might only get a few hundred bucks, maybe five hundred, maybe a thousand if he’s lucky. That ain’t much, considering they gotta dodge punches and all.

But if it’s one of them big championship fights, the ones on TV where everybody’s watchin’, well, then the referee, he’s gonna make some real money. We’re talkin’ thousands, maybe even ten thousand, twenty thousand, heck, I even heard some of them top guys gettin’ twenty-five thousand dollars just for one fight! Can you imagine? That’s more money than I see in a whole year!
- Small fights: $500 – $1,000
- Big championship fights: $10,000 – $25,000
Now, some fellas online, they say the average referee makes around two thousand five hundred dollars a fight. That sounds about right for them middle-of-the-road fights, not too big, not too small. But then you got those super famous referees, the ones everybody knows, they can make a whole lot more. I read somewhere that one fella, Kenny Bayless I think his name was, he made a whole bunch more, like seventy thousand or somethin’, for a big fight. That’s a lot of hay, I tell ya!
So, it really depends, ya see? It’s like farmin’. Some years you get a good crop, some years you don’t. Some fights pay big, some fights pay small. But on average, these referees, they’re makin’ a decent livin’, especially the ones at the top. They gotta be good though, gotta be fair and gotta be tough. Can’t be no softie in that ring, no sir.
I also heard tell that some of these referees, they get paid a salary, like a regular job. Like, they get paid eighty thousand dollars a year or somethin’. That’s in places like San Jose, where I hear they pay the best. Now, that sounds pretty good, steady money and all. But I reckon most of them, they just get paid per fight. That’s how it used to be with the farmhands, paid by the day, and it seems like some things don’t change much, even in the fancy boxing world.
And don’t forget, it ain’t just about the money. These referees, they gotta keep them boxers safe. That’s the most important thing. They gotta stop the fight if someone’s gettin’ hurt too bad. They gotta make sure it’s a fair fight, no cheatin’ or nothin’. It’s a big responsibility, I tell ya. More than just countin’ to ten.

So, next time you’re watchin’ a boxing match, take a look at the referee. He’s workin’ hard out there, and he’s gettin’ paid for it, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. But either way, he’s earnin’ his keep, makin’ sure them boys play fair and don’t get themselves killed. And that, my friends, is worth somethin’.
Anyways, that’s what I heard tell about how much them boxing referees make. It ain’t always easy money, but it’s honest work, and somebody’s gotta do it. Just like farmin’, I guess. You work hard, you get paid. Sometimes more, sometimes less. That’s just the way it is.
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