Boxing: Guardian angel for boxing's superstars

Meet the heavyweight who runs the heavyweight fights. PETER JESSUP talks to Marc Ratner, the man who keeps Nevada's wheels of boxing rolling.


When David Tua takes on Lennox Lewis for the world heavyweight title, his destiny is in his own hands, but his life will be in the hands of Nevada Athletic Commission executive director Marc Ratner.

Ratner is the man who approves the promoters' fight plans, appoints the fight chief inspector, the ref, the judges.

He rules at the weigh-in and collects the purse from backers, including casinos and television companies, to ensure it is paid to the fighters.

But he regards his main job as ensuring the health and safety of the boxers.

"People ask me what my worst moment has been, and most think it was Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield's ear. No way," says Ratner.

His worst moment was six years ago when middleweight Jimmy Garcia from Colombia collapsed in his corner after the ref stopped his fight against Gabriel Ruales. Garcia was at hospital within 30 minutes but died on the operating theatre table.

Nothing like that has happened since for which Ratner thanks God and good organisation.

"We've had plenty of controversy, but after the controversy they live to fight another day."

He is pleased most fighters these days don't have to go to hospital, even after 12 rounds for world titles, except perhaps for the odd stitch to cuts. And he will be at the Mandalay Bay Casino venue hours before the big bout on November 12 to check ice, medical aid and everything else the undercard fighters might need is available to them .

They are as important to him as the heavyweights, moneywise.

"I want to see the fighters taken care of - they're the ones that bleed, the forerunners as much as anyone, because some of them might only be getting $US100 a round."

Four doctors will be at the Tua-Lewis fight, medical equipment at the ready and an ambulance will be parked at the nearest door.

Ratner, aged 52, has been in the job since 1992.

Boxing is a huge business in Nevada and he is the man in control, charged with keeping the rules, keeping the peace, and ensuring the future of the boxers in and out of the ring.

"We are involved in every aspect of the fight except promotion and marketing. We've been working on Tua-Lewis for some time, checking security, meeting the casino managers, the promoters."

He will go to Tua's camp at Prince Ranch outside Las Vegas this week to watch sparring. Part of his job is to guard against mis-matches and stop injured fighters going into the ring just for the payday.

On weigh-in day, three days before the November 12 bout, he will be the man saying "Step on the scales please Mr Lewis ... Mr Tua."

On fight day he and his staff will check that the fighters' hands have been wrapped properly to protect their fists and the opponent's head, and set out four pairs of 10 ounce gloves.

Lewis, as champion, will select his first.

Two varieties are available, Everlast, larger and better for defence, and Reyes, better for offence. Tua would like the Reyes, but his camp believes Lewis will go for the defenders.

The ring will be 20ft by 20ft (6.096m by 6.096 m).

The champions used to be able to determine ring size, anything from 18ft to 24ft square, but that was changed to 20ft mandatory after then-champion Riddick Bowe insisted on the smallest possible so an easybeat opponent could not run from him and a poor fight resulted.

Ratner and his chief inspector will walk the ring on fight day to ensure everything is correct. Neither fighter's corner aides will be able to get near the ropes. Ratner and his men set the tension so there can be no rope-a-dope a la Ali against George Foreman in Zaire.

During that fight in 1974, Muhammad Ali's seconds loosened the ropes before the fight and during the match, so Ali could lean back out of the ring, keeping his head away from the Foreman onslaught.

When Foreman became arm weary Ali moved forward and knocked him out in the eighth round regaining the world heavyweight title at the age of 32.

Foreman said of the rope trick: "It was a hustle."

The ref and judges at the Tua-Lewis fight will all be Nevada officials, all with 100 or more world title bouts behind them. They will be named about 10 days before the fight.

Ratner is a long-time fan. On his wall hangs memorabilia from the sixties on, proud display given to a joking sparring session with then-champ Sonny Liston, who he went to see in training before his title loss to Muhammad Ali.

He is also a college football (gridiron) referee, appointed to the second-from-top grade in 1996 after years as a high school ref.

The Athletic Commission tag is a bit of a misnomer, he admits, as the commission rules only over boxing and wrestling, and only about four are World Wrestling Federation fights held in Vegas each year. Boxing is his life outside family and football.

"I'm excited about this fight. Tua gets stronger as the fight goes on, which is unusual. He can knock people out in round one or round 12.

"And Lewis is getting sharper with age. Tua has his great left hook. Lewis right is a great punch. The public are getting to know both these guys better, and that's going to make it a big fight.

Ratner is keen to see some credibility restored to the division after years of mis-matches, Tyson antics, bad press. He is pleased the two opponents respect each other.

At the weigh-in before the recent Fernando Vargas-Ross Thompson bout a brawl broke out. Ratner fined Thompson $US10,000 then told the fighters to come back separately for the weigh-in.

The sport will always be controversial, he says. Television announcers often fuel that, he feels, with half-informed comments about who won and who should have.

Judging boxing is very subjective, it is hard to judge. He cites the Evander Holyfield-Lewis draw, and Holyfield's recent bout with John Ruiz, in which many thought the result should have been reversed.

Ruiz was busier, no doubt, but Evander threw the punches that counted. He deserved the win.

Ratner's bottom line: "People bet on these fights so we have to make sure everything is done right."

Ratner will have ruled over 55 to 60 major championship bouts by the end of December, up from 42 last year. Nevada has become the home of the sport in preference to New York, then Atlantic City, because of the vast amounts of money going through and being provided by the casinos.

It is part of his job to ensure there is no disruption to the financial roll the state is on. He has no idea what the casinos make out of such fights.

Their details are kept so tight there are not even rumours about town. But they put up millions and it's a good bet they make millions more.

They will invite all their high-rollers, hand out tickets, and some of those people will drop millions in the casino.

By the time you add up what they spend on food, drink, entertainment, taxi rides, big tips, it all filters down to the wider community and it is an important business for the state now.

So how will this fight end?

"I never speculate," Ratner says. But he admits it will determine whether size matters, given Lewis' height and reach advantage.

"Hopefully they both come back, I have no favourites. I just want a clean fight and I want the guy who wins the fight in the ring to get the decision."

There could be a lot of holding in their fight, Ratner says.

Lewis knocked out his last opponent Michael Grant with his famous right while holding Grant's head still with his left.

Will Ratner tell the ref to watch for that sort of thing, and any smothering of the smaller man?

"I don't expect to have to. I expect Kevin Barry [Tua's manager] will be doing plenty of that."

A rules meeting will be held before the bout.

"I can see a tactical fight here. There's going to be some gamesmanship. Lewis is not going to stand still and let Tua land that left hook and Tua is not going to walk straight into Lewis' right.

"It's the old saying. Whoever imposes their will on the other, whoever doesn't let the other fighter play out his ring-plan, will be the winner.

Should Tua lose Ratner will have nothing to do with his ranking, when and who he fights again, when and if he gets another shot at the world title. But he is sure of a couple of things.

"I believe Tua will put on a good fight and if he goes the distance and loses or if he shows the best of his ability and it's a good, hard fight I don't expect it will hurt his ranking that much."