By David Martinez / Boxing Historian / dmboxing.com

In my over sixty years of involvement in boxing, since 1961, I have truly been blessed to meet an array of boxers and other related members of the boxing circuit 왕은 사랑한다 다운로드. There are many that stand out, but let me single out one: Hall of Fame referee Arthur Mercante.

I met Mercante twenty years ago during my time as a Board of Directors member and Boxing Historian for the World Boxing Hall of Fame 전참시 다운로드. Arthur was such a gentleman … he was nothing less than a class act and truly respected at the highest level.

Mercante was born on January 20, 1920, in Brockton, Massachusetts, before later moving to New York at the age of seven 다운로드.

At the age of sixteen, he began boxing as an amateur and made it, as a welterweight, to the Golden Gloves finals in 1938. After graduating from New York University in 1942, he served four years in the Navy under former heavyweight champion Gene Tunney as a training and physical rehabilitation instructor, with one of his assignments to referee service bouts 다운로드.

After serving in the Navy, he refereed many amateur and college matches. He became a varsity boxing coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy radiant 무료 프로그램.

His talents as the third man in the ring propelled him to obtain a professional license in 1954. His first world title bout was the second Ingemar Johansson – Floyd Patterson heavyweight championship on June 20, 1960.

Mercante refereed many notable bouts, with arguably the most famous being the “Fight Of The Century” between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali on March 8, 1971.

Some other notable bouts that he worked were Ernie Terrell vs. Bob Foster, Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman I, Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton III, Jerry Quarry vs. Earnie Shavers, Alexis Arguello vs. Alfredo Escalera I, Wilfredo Gomez vs. Lupe Pintor, and Edwin Rosario vs. Hector Camacho. Over six decades, Mercante officiated 145 championship bouts that spanned from 1954 to 2001.

He also had a very successful career working as a beer salesman for Rheingold Beer Company and when the company shut down in 1976, he moved to the Schaefer Brewing Company.

Mercante was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the International Boxing Hall of Fame 1995. He received the James J. Walker Memorial Award from the Boxing Writers Association of America in 1988 for “long and meritorious service in boxing.”

Arthur Mercante passed away at his home in Westbury, New York on April 10, 2010 at the age of 90.