Hansen's Hundred, No. 77: Bobby Ferrara was one of world's best boxing referees

Of all the athletic accomplishments in his life, Bobby Ferrara might have hit the top earlier this month when he shot his age, 84, at the Fred Enke Golf Course and capped it off by getting a hole-in-one at the 15th hole.

That’s a knockout, to use a sports term Ferrara knows so well.

In the 60 years Ferrara has lived in Tucson, many in the community came to know him as a salesman for Gallo wine and for Copper State Liquors. But many more saw him in a different role, as one of the world’s most prominent boxing referees.

Ferrara has been the referee for 36 world championship fights, in every conceivable corner of the globe, from Argentina to South Africa to France and Japan.

He has officiated fights for George Foreman, Fernando Vargas, Michael Carbajal, Tommy Hearns, Ray “Boom-Boom” Mancini, Hector Camacho, Roberto Duran, Julio Cesar Chavez, Gerry Cooney, Oscar De La Hoya and more.

About 15 years ago, when De La Hoya produced Friday night boxing events at the Desert Diamond Casino for ESPN, I was fortunate to get to play golf with De La Hoya at Starr Pass. I asked him if he remembered Bobby Ferrara officiating his fights.

“He’s as good as it gets,” De La Hoya said. “If you get him, you don’t have to worry about anything but the man in front of you.”

Ferrara’s boxing career started in the 1950s in Pennsylvania, where he grew up. His family moved to Tucson in the 1960s, when his sister struggled with asthma. He had been a standout Golden Gloves boxer as a Pennsylvania amateur and turned pro in the 1960s.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

It wasn’t always big time. In the spring of 1967 Ferrara was part of a boxing card at the old Tucson Gardens facility on the edge of downtown Tucson. The card included “Tombstone” Smith and “Rockabye” Ross. A crowd of 523 attended. Ferrara beat LaVerne Williams in a unanimous four-round decision.

Perhaps that’s why, after becoming a world championship referee, Ferrara told me: “Refereeing a four-round preliminary is as important as a world title fight. That’s when I most need to protect the fighters and keep them safe.’’

The break of Ferrara’s career came by happenstance in 1971. While he was stocking a liquor store on Grant Road, he bumped into Maurice Dale, the Arizona Boxing Commissioner. Dale asked Ferrara if he had any interest in being a referee or a judge. Ferrara did.

“That got me started,” said Ferrara, who went on to officiate more than 1,000 professional fights.

His first world championship bout, in Japan in 1979, featured Ayub Kalute vs. Matse Kudo.

Locally, the most memorable fights of Ferrara’s career probably took place in the 1970s, which was the height of local boxing popularity in Southern Arizona. He worked the Paco Flores-Johnny Rico match at the Tucson Convention Center, which drew close to capacity crowds near 7,500.

Flores, Rico and Ferrara are probably the top names in Tucson boxing history.

Later, Ferrara was ranked as one of the top 10 referees in the world by several publications. He has been inducted into the Arizona Boxing Hall of Fame and the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame.

Several of Ferrara’s bouts featured Michael Buffer, the “let’s-get-ready-to-rumble” personality who steps into the ring and introduces the fighters. That’s when you know you have reached the big time.