Expert: Lian Shoemake - 5/15/2004

Question
Hi, I was wondering how much money a professional boxing referee makes per fight. Say he was an offical for a Roy Jones Jr. fight?

Thanks!

Answer
Hi Amber,

Thanks for writing.

Referees generally are paid per card that they work, not per bout. However, the payment amount is determined in large part by how big the gate is (amount of money taken in by paying customers), whether or not the bout is televised, and if there is a championship of some kind involved.

For a regular ,local, untelevised  boxing show, an official might make $200-$400 or so, add a couple hundred for television, and for a major fight like a Jones fight, the ref could make several thousand dollars. However, to work a title fight, a referee must be a member of the sanctioning organization (such as the WBC, WBA, IBF, etc.).

Hope this helps, Amber.

Thanks again for writing!

Regards,
Lian