No-nonsense Bayless in charge of fight

MANILA, Philippines - It was Top Rank chairman Bob Arum who raised the issue of choosing the right referee for a fight when Bernabe Concepcion was disqualified for hitting WBO featherweight champion Steven Luevano after the bell ended the seventh round in their highly controversial bout in Las Vegas last August.

Arum said he has lobbied for the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to assign quicker referees like Kenny Bayless to work fights in the lighter weight divisions instead of picking burly officials like Jay Nady who should be restricted to work only the higher weight classes.

Nady was the third man in the ring for the Luevano-Concepcion match and appeared too slow in separating the protagonists even at the 10-second warning clack. Concepcion whacked Luevano with a right hook to the jaw as Nady was several feet away from the action. Nady could’ve prevented the infraction if he had stayed on top of the situation and stepped in between the fighters at the sound of the bell.

Arum’s mention of Bayless could’ve been a factor in the NSAC assigning the former All-American track star from the University of California at Berkeley to work the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto showdown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas this morning (Manila time).

Bayless, 58, was also the referee in Pacquiao’s fight against Ricky Hatton last May. It will be his fourth Pacquiao assignment after the rematches against Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez and the Hatton demolition. Pacquiao hasn’t lost in a fight where Bayless was the referee.

Bayless, a prostate cancer survivor who credits God and his wife Lynora’s support for his recovery, has worked two Cotto fights so far. He was the man in charge when Cotto decisioned John Brown in 2002 and lost to Antonio Margarito on an 11th round knockout last year.

In an e-mail to The Star, Bayless said he expects “maybe, the fight of the year” to unfold this morning. He worked 19 years as an amateur boxing referee before joining the pro ranks in 1991 and has been involved in several marquee bouts, including Bernard Hopkins vs Oscar de la Hoya, Roy Jones vs Antonio Tarver, Sugar Shane Mosley vs Fernando Vargas and the Marco Antonio Barrera-Morales rubber match.

Bayless said the most exciting fight he has ever worked was Pacquiao’s disposal of Hatton. But he might change his mind after this morning’s duel.

“I anticipated it would be tough to officiate because of the difference in style – Ricky is an aggressive fighter, always moving forward to attack, whereas Pacquiao is more tactical, a straight-up fighter who meets his opponent where he is,” said Bayless.

On the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, Bayless said he anticipates no problem in asserting his authority.

“I don’t think this fight will be difficult to referee,” said Bayless. “But it depends on the style and the pace of the fight that could make it difficult.”

Bayless said he won’t hesitate to stop the fight if a fighter is defenseless.

“I would stop a fight at any time if I felt that the fighter was taking too much punishment,” he said. “I would take the advice of the fight doctor if a fighter is badly cut on whether to stop the contest or not.”

The judges in the fight are Hall of Famer Robert Byrd’s wife Adalaide, Duane Ford and Dave Moretti.