The third man in the ring for the most lucrative fight of all time has been named.
Let’s hope the occasion doesn’t get to Robert Byrd, who was selected by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to referee the upcoming super-fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather.
Byrd is one of the most respected officials currently working and was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2006, having acted as the man in the middle for over 100 world title bouts.
Interestingly, Byrd was the man in the middle for the light heavyweight title fight between Sergei Kovalev and Andre Ward earlier this year. Kovalev’s team issued a complaint about Byrd’s officiating of the fight claiming he let things get too physical during their fighter’s unanimous decision loss.
With many analysts suggesting McGregor needs to ‘get dirty’ to beat Mayweather, Byrd’s appointment could prove to be a good booking for the Irishman.
Referee Kenny Bayless had been taken out of consideration by the NSAC after complaints from Conor McGregor, Dana White and John Kavanagh due to Bayless’ less-than-favourable comments about McGregor vs. Mayweather in a past interview.
The options were whittled down to Russell Mora, Tony Weeks and Byrd, with the latter winning out at a hearing on Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas.
Byrd has only taken charge of one Mayweather bout, his unanimous decision victory over Robert Guerrero in 2013, and he has a reputation for letting fighters fight their way out of situations, rather than interfere.
The judges for McGregor vs. Mayweather were also picked on Wednesday and it was decided that Burt Clements, Dave Moretti and Guido Cavalieri will score the 12-round contest.
