Reno ref tapped for ‘Grand Finale’

Former football player Vic Drakulich will be the referee for the rubber match between Manny Pacquiao and Erik Morales at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Nov. 18 and fans can be sure of a fair fight because of his history of no-nonsense officiating.

Drakulich, 52, made his debut as a world championship referee when Troy Dorsey stopped Alfred Rangel in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) featherweight title bout in Nevada five years ago. He has since worked 22 more world title matches.

The lanky Reno native has worked fights involving top-caliber stars like Lennox Lewis, Roy Jones, Oscar de la Hoya, Sugar Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather and Joel Casamayor.

Although he is known as a strict enforcer of the Marquess of Queensberry rules, the downside is he has never worked a fight where a Filipino won. Drakulich was the third man in the ring when Rodel Mayol lost to Eagle Kyowa in a World Boxing Council minimumweight title fight in Tokyo last May, when Reynante Jamili was knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in Reno in 2000 and when Jesus Salud was outpointed by Kennedy McKinney for the IBF superbantamweight crown in Stateline in 1993.

Pacquiao is the fourth Filipino whose fight will be refereed by Drakulich after Salud, Jamili and Mayol. 

In contrast, Drakulich has worked two Morales fights and the Mexican won them both, decisioning Jesus Chavez and Carlos Hernandez in 2004.

Drakulich has a reputation of keeping order in the ring. Last year, he slapped a point deduction on Hussein Hussein for holding Jorge Arce’s head down in the preliminary to the first Pacquiao-Morales bout in Las Vegas. Also last year, he deducted a point apiece from the scorecards of Rodney Jones and Terry Reid for hitting on the break in a North American Boxing Federation superwelterweight title bout.

Last September, Drakulich docked a point off Jorge Barrios for a low blow in a close contest against Joan Guzman for the World Boxing Organization superfeatherweight title in Las Vegas. The deduction proved to be decisive as Guzman beat Barrios on a split verdict. Without the deduction, the outcome would’ve been a split draw.

Drakulich doesn’t hesitate to deduct a point from a fighter who violates the rules and is expected to keep Pacquiao and Morales in line when they face off.

Drakulich attended Hug High in Reno and played varsity football for his father Duke who coached the school team from 1968 to 1970. He is a popular figure in the celebrity lecture circuit.

Angeles City-based New Zealand arbiter Bruce McTavish described Drakulich as competent, efficient and an A-class referee.

"I know him quite well," said McTavish. "I think he’s a lawyer. He’s very fit, trim and in good shape. He looks 20 years younger than his age. He works out diligently in the gym."

McTavish said Drakulich must enforce the rules firmly because if he backs off, it will be to Morales’ advantage. Morales is likely to use every trick in the book to stymie Pacquiao’s relentless attack. In their first meeting, a Morales headbutt caused a nasty wound over Pacquiao’s eye but referee Joe Cortez ruled the cut was opened by a legal blow.

  The judges for the "Grand Finale" are Guido Cavalieri of Italy and Americans Glenn Trowbridge and Doug Tucker. Both Trowbridge and Tucker were assigned their first world title fight in 2001.