October 6, 2006

Tribute to Arthur Mercante Sr.


Big Boxing Night/Tribute to Arthur Mercante Sr. | TheSweetScience.com Boxing

Bob Duffy and Tony Mazzarella’s Ring Promotions will host a grand night of boxing, as well as a stirring tribute to legendary referee Arthur Mercante Sr., at the Plattduetsche Park restaurant in Franklin Square, Long Island, New York, on Thursday, October 19, 2006.

The 86-year-old Mercante has been a professional referee since the 1940s. Besides officiating Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier I, he has been the third man in the ring for championship bouts featuring Floyd Patterson, Emile Griffith, Carlos Ortiz, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Wilfred Benitez, Jeff Fenech, Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Ike Quartey, Roy Jones Jr. and Shane Mosley, among others. The last bout he refereed was between Zab Judah and Reggie Green when he was spry 81-year-old.

Mercante’s wonderful autobiography, “Inside the Ropes,” was published earlier this year by McBooks Press. Fans will be able to purchase books at the event, and Mercante will be on hand to autograph them, as well as regale them with colorful anecdotes from his decades in boxing. see details | buy this book