Refs and MNA

[ali2013]

Why do Boxing Referees lift the arm of the winner of a bout and the also point to them. They do this in cage fighting which I understand because people generally associated with this dog fighting are that bit stupid however the average boxing fan would know the winner when the Ref lifts the arm. Also it's bad to see a boxer climbing onto ropes claiming he's the winner before a decision..... he should be deducted 25% of his purse. Another thing that annoys me is these ''cutmen''. They Maule all over boxers during rounds with their Vaseline instead giving him plenty of air And don't get me started with these '' serious'' looking Security men leading them into the ring and pointing out where they are to goz....anyway...that's my rant

[HomicideHenry]

Perhaps the short answer is that it's tradition. Once Upon a Time in boxing you did not have judges the only man who rendered the verdict was the referee. Probably a good example of this was when former heavyweight champion Jim Jefferies was the referee for the Tommy Burns versus Jack O'Brien fight and Jefferies ruled it a draw.

Plus I'm pretty sure that referees are still used in certain countries or certain jurisdictions as being the third judge in fights. I might be wrong but I think over in England the referee is oftentimes a third judge adding in his scorecard at the end.

Furthermore in the world of MMA I'm pretty sure that they announce who the winner is before the referee raises their arm as well so I'm not quite sure why you act as though boxing is the only sport that does this.