Steve Smoger

Steve Smoger (August 15, 1943 – December 19, 2022)[1] was an American boxing referee from Atlantic City, New Jersey. He refereed more than 200 title bouts, and was one of the more well-traveled of his profession, holding the distinction of officiating in more states and countries than any other boxing referee in the history of the sport.[2][3][4]

Steve Smoger
Born(1943-08-15)August 15, 1943
Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
DiedDecember 19, 2022(2022-12-19) (aged 79)
Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other namesDouble S
Occupation(s)Boxing and kickboxing referee, Municipal Court judge

Smoger also officiated kickboxing matches.[5]

Background

Raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Smoger graduated from Atlantic City High School. He attended Pennsylvania State University and the George Washington University Law School.[6]

Appointed in 1980, Smoger was the first full-time city prosecutor in the history of Atlantic City, serving in that position until 1992, when he was appointed to the bench of the Atlantic County Municipal Court.[7]

From 2002 to 2005, Smoger held the position of City Solicitor of the City of Atlantic. In 2005, he entered the private practice of law.[8]

Smoger served as a member of the New Jersey Air National Guard and the United States Air Force Reserve. He held the position of Staff Judge Advocate and obtained the rank of colonel. He retired after 30 years of service.[9]

On September 23, 1982, in New Jersey Smoger was first licensed as a professional boxing referee by then Commissioner Jersey Joe Walcott. The happening marked the 30th Anniversary of Jersey Joe Walcott vs. Rocky Marciano for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the World held on September 23, 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[10]

In August 2017, he was appointed the IBA Boxing Officials Committee co-chair.[11]

Achievements

Smoger is a member of the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame – Class of 1997. In 2001, he was designated the World's Best Professional Boxing Referee by The Ring magazine. In 2010, he was recognized by the World Boxing Association as Referee of the Year. In 2013 he was recognized by the International Boxing Association as the Referee of the Year.[12]

Smoger is also a member of the Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame – Class of 2013,[13] as well as a member of the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame - class of 2014.[14]

On June 14, 2015, Smoger received the highest honor in the sport of professional boxing when he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame, Class of 2015, in Canastota, New York.[15][16]

On May 27, 2017, in Atlantic City, Smoger became the first professional boxing referee to be inducted into the newly created Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame, joining Don King and Michael Spinks among other inductees.[17][18][19]

Notable fights

Smoger officiated the bouts featuring such professional boxers as Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield, Ray Mercer, Steve Cunningham, John Ruiz, Roberto Durán, Hector Camacho, Roy Jones Jr., James Toney, Mike McCallum, Vinny Pazienza, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Marcos Maidana, Félix Trinidad, Micky Ward, Arturo Gatti, Miguel Cotto, Zab Judah, Shane Mosley, Vernon Forrest, Diego Corrales, Kelly Pavlik, Andre Ward, Gennady Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev, Denis Lebedev, Bernard Hopkins, Lucia Rijker, Christy Martin, as well as a host of Philadelphia fighters including Gabe Rosado, Danny García, among others.

The list of notable bouts Smoger officiated includes:

Officiating Kickboxing

In 2014, the World Kickboxing Network recognized Smoger as a qualified referee in kickboxing.[20][21] On November 14, 2014, he made his debut at kickboxing tournament Girl Power held live on Pay-Per-View in Liepaja, Latvia.[22]

On March 10, 2017, Smoger was expected to officiate the first kickboxing World Cup held in Tehran, Iran.[23]

From February 10, 2017, he officiated the bouts at the women's kickboxing series Girl Power live on SFR Sport 5.[24]

Television appearances

Smoger appeared on numerous television shows and networks including ESPN's Friday Night Fights, Bigger's Better Boxing on Eurosport, HBO's Boxing After Dark, ESPN Top Rank Boxing, Tuesday Night Fights, among others.

In 2015, Smoger served as official Rules Consultant for the Premier Boxing Champions Program on NBC.[25] The same year he has also appeared in Ali: Icon, Activist, Fighter documentary short dedicated to Muhammad Ali.

References
  1. Steve Smoger, Hall of Fame Referee, Passes Away at 79
  2. Fitzgerald, Mike; Morley, Patrick (2014-06-19). Third Man in the Ring: 33 of Boxing's Best Referees and Their Stories. Potomac Books, Inc. pp. 124–. ISBN 9781612342429. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  3. Don Roid. "Steve Smoger: Refereeing Is Boxing Without The Pain". Fightmag. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  4. "Boxing HOF Class of 2015 Welcomes Four More". Sports Collectors Digest. July 21, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  5. "Steve Smoger - WKN International Kickboxing Referee". World Kickboxing Network. August 3, 2017.
  6. Steve Smoger, Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Accessed December 19, 2022. "Out of the ring, Smoger, a graduate of Atlantic City High School and Penn State University, was awarded his Juris Doctor from George Washington University."
  7. Fitzgerald, Barbara (January 13, 2002). "WORTH NOTING; Municipal Court Judge Goes Down for the Count". New York Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  8. "Steve Smoger - Bigger's Better Boxing". Bigger's Better Boxing. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  9. "IBHOF inductee Steve Smoger has seen the world thanks to boxing". The Ring. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  10. "Steve Smoger New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame". New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. November 13, 1997. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  11. Iskenderov, Parviz (August 21, 2017). "Steve Smoger appointed IBA Boxing officials committee co-chair". Fightmag. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  12. "Steve Smoger biography". Boxrec. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  13. "Steve Smoger - Philly Boxing History". Pennsylvania Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  14. "Steve Smoger Philly Jewish Sports Hall of Fame". Philly Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  15. "Steve Smoger". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  16. Parviz Iskenderov. "Steve Smoger Hall of Fame Referee". Fightmag. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  17. David Weinberg. "Local trainer Bill Johnson, popular fighter Arturo Gatti among members of new Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  18. Chris Murray. "Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame inducts its first class of boxing legends". The Philadelphia Sunday. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  19. "Atlantic City Hall of Fame Kicks Off With A Big Bang". Ring TV. May 28, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  20. "Steve Smoger Qualified Kickboxing Referee". WKN. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  21. Parviz Iskenderov. "Steve Smoger: I Am Honored That WKN Has Chosen Me". Fightmag. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  22. Iskenderov, Parviz (June 15, 2017). "Throwback: Hall of Fame referee Steve Smoger makes kickboxing debut". Fightmag. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  23. "Steve Smoger Officiates WKN Kickboxing World Cup". Fightmag. November 7, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  24. "Girl Power Kickboxing". Girl Power Kickboxing. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  25. Iskenderov, Parviz (March 5, 2016). "IBHOF Referee Steve Smoger on the Top of the Score". Fightmag. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
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