WBO APPOINTS CELESTINO RUIZ AS REFEREE FOR THE NIETES TITLE DEFENSE AGAINST RAUL ?RAYITO? GARCIA ON MAY 28
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 19 May 2016
The World Boxing Organization has appointed Celestino Ruiz of Chicago as the referee for WBO light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes? title defense against Mexico?s Raul ?Rayito? Garcia in Bacolod City on May 28.
WBO Asia Pacific head Leon Panoncillo informed The Standard that Ruiz who had previously served as third man in the ring when Nietes demolished former WBC Silver champion Sammy Gutierrez in three rounds at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on November 30, 2013.
Ruiz has refereed two, four round bouts this year and came under fire from Ted Sares on boxing.com for the manner in which he handled what Sares described as ?a historical and wonderful fight between Kohei Kono and Koki Kameda? on October 16, 2015.
Sares reported that the bout was ?tainted by the overbearing referee Celestino Ruiz when he hit a new low in the 7th round by threatening to stop the fight if either fighter committed another foul? saying that Ruiz ?may have cemented his inglorious place in the Boxing Hall of Shame with that one.?
However, the WBO clearly has faith in the ability of Ruiz and his appointment hasn?t been questioned either by the Nietes camp or that of challenger Raul ?Rayito? Garcia, the identical twin brother of Ramon Garcia Hirales from whom Nietes won the title in Bacolod City on October 8, 2011.
The judges named by the WBO are veteran Robert Hoyle of Las Vegas, Nevada, Mike Fitzgerald of Wisconsin and Thailand?s Pinit Prayabsab.
The WBO supervisor is veteran referee Genaro ?Gino? Rodriguez.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
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