Joe Cortez

Joe Cortez (born 1945 in New York, New York) is a Puerto Rican boxing referee who has officiated in many important world title bouts.

Cortez had a good amateur boxing career, winning various Golden Gloves tournaments from 1960 to 1962. In 1963,Joe turned pro at the age of eighteen. Cortez had a record of eighteen wins and one defeat as a professional boxer that loss was to Georgie Foster from Ohio. Unable to secure a world title shot, he retired from boxing after only nineteen professional fights. Cortez moved to Puerto Rico in 1969 working at The El Conquistador Hotel and worked his way up to Executive Assistant manager. Living there, he became fluent in Spanish. In 1977, he moved back to New York where he started work as a Casino Operations Manager for the El San Juan Hotel, one of the three properties in Puerto Rico.

Beginning in the 1977, Cortez started working as a referee. During the 1980s, he took on the responsibility to referee some major Championship fights. During this time he was the third man in the ring in several professional Mike Tyson and Roberto Duran fights.

As eminent referees Richard Steele and Mills Lane retired at the dawn of the 21st century, Cortez became one of Nevada and New York's preferred boxing referees for world title fights. He has refereed over 170 world title bouts, among which figure the first Oscar De La Hoya-Julio César Chávez meeting, Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe's first title fight and the match that saw 45-year-old George Foreman become the oldest World Heavyweight Champion in history. Asked by Telemundo personnel to give a prediction about the first de la Hoya-Chávez meeting prior to the fight taking place, he simply answered "I can't make any predictions", as referees are not allowed to do that before a fight (doing so might indicate favoritism towards one of the combatants).

Cortez still referees major boxing events, and his catchphrase during pre-fight instructions, "(I am) fair but firm!" (also said as "I'm fair but I'm firm!") is now a registered trademark. Cortez also gives boxing classes and has a website www.Fairbutfirm.com, which teaches someone how to become a referee and talk show host.

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