Boxing Referee’s Salary- All About Boxing Referee

Boxing Referee's Salary

Boxing referees are a crucial part of any boxing match. They make tough decisions during the fight are also keep a keen eye on the boxer’s move. Some referees officiated with a famous boxer tend to earn in six digits. Boxing referees are appointed by the fight promoters also get paid by them. The pay of boxing referees depends on their experience in professional matches. Here, we’ll know about Boxing Referee’s Salary.

How is Boxing Referee Paid?

A boxing referee gets paid per fight. The fight promoter assigned a referee to help the boxer. Usually, boxing referees earn $150 to $25,000 per fight, and that depends on the boxer and the promoter. A well-experienced referee assigned for high-profile matches like a champion or famous boxers generally earns higher. Here are the kinds of boxing referees and how they get paid:

  • Professional Boxing Referees: A professional boxing referee has years of experience. This kind of referee is selected for the main card or main pay-per-view fights. The salary they earn ranges from $10,000- $25,000. As per the record, the highest salary earned by a boxing referee is up to $10,000. The yearly income of any professional referee is $350,000.
  • Entry-level Boxing Referees:  A boxing referee with 1-2 years of experience is refereed as an entry-level referee. They are selected for under-card fights, and they earn a maximum of $12k by the end of the year. The salary per match for this kind of referee is $500. If they get assigned for high-profile fights they earnings rises to a maximum of $25k.
  • Women Boxing Referees: There are women boxing referees too, and they earn just like men referees. When a women boxing referee is contacted for the main card fight, they earn a maximum of $1,500. Women boxing referees earn around $35,000 yearly.

Salaries of Referees per Match:

Category Per Match FeeYearly Earnings
Professional Boxing Referees$3,000- $5,000$350,000
Entry-level Boxing Referees$500$12,000
Women Boxing Referees$800- $1,500$35,000

Categories of Payment:

There are various ways a boxing referee gets paid. They can be paid per match fee, high profile fee, etc. Here are the details.

  • Per Match Fee:  A boxing referee gets paid for the fights he is assigned. He gets paid a per match fee. This fee depends on the level of experience of the boxing referee, and it varies from referee to referee. A professional boxing referee is intended to earn in a higher range.
  • High Profile Matches: They also are referred to as PPV main card fights. Such kinds of matches are the best to earn a healthier amount of money. Usually, entry-level boxing referees do not get the chance to be part of main card fights. The women referees earn less as compared to professional boxing referees. The best in the business usually earns higher.

Salaries of Boxing Referees for PPV Main Card Fights:

  • Professional Boxing Referees: Are paid $10,000 to $25,000.
  • Entry-level Boxing Referees: Are not contacted for such matches.
  • Women Boxing Referees: Are paid $2,500.

What do Boxing Referees do?

A boxing match always has three people in the ring: The two fighters and a referee. Boxing referee has a huge role in the fight, his decision could make or break the match. The referee’s job is to look out that the boxers have a fair fight, he informs the fighters about the rules of the fight. One of the important parts of the referee is to determine that the match is over. He usually gives a count of 10 to the knocked-out fighter. The speed of the count is what results in the winning and losing of a match.

Responsibilities of Referee:

During the boxing match, referees have some responsibilities, and they make sure that the fight is clean and fair. Here are some of their   important responsibilities:

  • A referee has to determine fouls and have a count of them. Also, he needs to give a warning to the fighter.
  • A referee has to signal around at its time up.
  • A referee has to have counted on the boxer in the match to call it a knockdown.
  • The referee must stop a fight if there is an unwanted situation like an injury.

How Much Does MMA Referees Earn?

Mixed martial arts also include boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, and martial arts. In this kind of boxing, the gloves are not used, but just like traditional boxing, the referee sets the rules in the ring. An MMA referee earns an amount ranging from $200 to $1,200 per event. The payment of an MMA referee depends on the revenue expected for an event. An athletic commissioner sets the fee and also hires a referee, just like traditional boxing. 

Salary of MMA Referee:

An MMA referee gets paid by the state athletic commissioner, who hires an official from the commission. The half portion of this money goes into the account of the referee. Here is how referees get paid:

  • A pro referee earns $2,500 per fight fee. For a PPV fight, he earns $10,000 while his yearly income ranges to $400,000.
  • Entry-level referee earns about $500 per fight. He has not been contacted for a PPV fight, and his yearly income is unknown.
  • A female referee earns $1,000 per fight. Her earning for a PPV fight ranges to $4,000. While the yearly income is $80,000.

Conclusion:

Boxing matches rely on referees as they make the fight clean, safe, and fair. The earning of a boxing referee depends on the fights he is part of. A referee earns per match if they are part of high profile match, then the pay range is higher. Also, a professional boxing referee with many years of experience has a chance to make a global name and earn high while traveling the world to officiate various world matches. Whereas an amateur boxing referee tends to have a low pay range due to the lack of experience.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  1. Do referees have a day job?

Answer: Referees are paid well for matches, but some might still have day jobs. While a professional referee might not think about a job. But throughout the off-season, they like to work a job. Also, referees can work during the weeks. 

  1. Do amateur boxing referees get paid?

Answer: Amateur referees are those who have the least amount of experience. They get paid, but their pay range is lesser than a professional boxing referee. Usually, the fee of amateur referees depends on the status of the fight since they are trained if they pass the examination, then only they are allowed to referee the match. An amateur boxing referee earns about $150 to $25,000 per fight.

  1. How much do boxing referees make in a year?

Answer: The pay of the referee depends on the fights. If he is a part of high-profile fights or the PPV main fights, then he is expected to earn high. A boxing referee makes about $25,000 a year. But those parts of main events are about to make $350,000 a year.

  1. What does a boxing referee hug mean?

Answer: When a boxing referee grabs and holds the boxer, he prevents them from continuing any attempt to fight. The referee creates a barrier of himself between the two fighters and prevents them from moving forwards towards each other. The boxing referee hug indicates that is fight is at a halt or over.

Boxing Referee’s Salary- All About Boxing Referee

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to top