Joe Cortez was born on October 13, 1945 in Harlem, New York. He had a successful amateur boxing career that included several Golden Gloves titles. In 1963, he turned pro and compiled a record of 10-1 before retiring. He spent many years as a hotel executive before starting to referee fights in 1977.
He quickly became a top referee in New York and in the 80’s refereed bouts for Mike Tyson and Roberto Duran. His popularity continued to grow and he was the third man in the ring in over 170 world title bouts. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011 and retired in September of 2012. His famous line “I’m fair but firm!” is still recalled today. One of the all-time great boxing refs, Joe Cortez.
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