REFEREE Mark Nelson has the biggest job in boxing tonight.
The American is set to take charge of Tyson Fury’s huge clash with Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia.
Fury and Usyk have been on a collision course to fight for months and were originally scheduled to clash back in February.
A cut to Fury in sparring put the fight back but tonight they’re finally going to do battle.
Nelson will be out to make sure the two behemoths in the ring with him keep in line throughout a potential 12 rounds of action.
Nelson, 59, has been a boxing referee since 1992 and is in the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame.
Nelson has taken charge of various world title fights over the years, including Manny Pacquiao‘s loss to Jeff Horn back in 2017.
He was also the man in the middle for Tim Tszyu’s clash against Brian Mendoza.
Known for his quick reaction times in the ring, he was lauded by former world champion Maurice Hooker from stopping his fight against Jose Ramirez back in 2020.
Hooker was the man who got stopped in that fight but he had no qualms with the decision Nelson made.
“Two fighters died that week and I didn’t want to be the third. The ref did the right thing because I was hurt,” Hooker said.
Nelson added: “I just knew that if he took one more punch that he’d probably be leaving the ring on a stretcher.
In an interview with the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame, Nelson revealed what he says to fighters in the dressing room before they go out to fight.
“I promise I’ll be fair,” he said.
“I don’t care who wins, but I care about you. I am here for you and your family. Safety comes first.’’
