Longtime Boxing Referee Kenny Bayless Retires at Age 73

After over three decades in the professional ranks, Kenny Bayless announced Thursday that he is retiring from his role as a boxing referee.

TalkSport.com's Michael Benson took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to tweet Bayless' Facebook post on his retirement:

Bayless, who is 73 years old, noted that he has been a professional boxing referee for 32 years, and when factoring in his time as a referee in the amateur ranks, he has officiated for over 40 years.

While Bayless wrote that he would no longer officiate professional fights, he left the door open to be the referee for exhibition and celebrity boxing matches and also expressed a desire to remain involved with boxing in other areas, such as judging.

Kenny's twin brother, Kermit Bayless, is a longtime boxing judge, and they were both inducted into the National Boxing Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Aside from the late Mills Lane, Bayless is arguably the most recognizable referee in boxing history.

He is known for his pre-fight motto of "What I say, you must obey," and he has officiated some of the biggest fights in boxing since the early 1990s.

The bouts Bayless officiated include Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s fights against Oscar De La Hoya, Canelo Álvarez and Manny Pacquiao. He also refereed Álvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin I, Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder II and a host of other major matchups.