Kenny Bayless is a famous boxing referee from Nevada who, after becoming a ref in the 1980s and gradually working his way up the ladder to refereeing professional fights, is best known for his role as ref in some of the most famous boxing matches. He’s also a famous Christian who, in his post announcing his retirement in late December of 2023, made sure to thank and praise the Lord.
In the post, he wrote about his long career in boxing and how he thinks he helped contribute to the sport as a referee and amateur while also keeping himself healthy and involved with his loving wife and family, thanking the Lord above for all that he had been blessed with by Him during that decades-long career in the sport.
Beginning, he plainly announced his retirement and then got to explaining what he did while in the sport, writing, “I’m happy to announce that I am retiring as a referee for the state of Nevada. After more than 4 decades in the ring–32 as a professional referee and another decade in the amateurs, I’m satisfied with my contribution to the sport of boxing and grateful for my accomplishments.”
Continuing, he then noted that he had been able to stay healthy while involved in the sport and that he plans on using his good health to stay involved, writing, “Over the years I maintained good health so I plan to stay involved in the sport–maybe as a supervisor with one of the 4 major boxing organizations or even as a judge. You might even see me in the ring for an international exhibition or celebrity match. I’m open to whatever comes my direction. I have a couple of opportunities in the works at the moment.”
Concluding, he thanked God for His help during his long career and for his family in supporting him during it, saying, “I want to thank God for watching over me and the fighters for these many years. I want to also thank my wife, my family and friends for their continued support, and all my boxing fans. Hope you enjoy the pictures of some of my memorable bouts! See you at the fights!”
Some of the most famous of the notable boxing matches that Bayless refereed are the Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao fight in 2015 and Deontae Wilder and Tyson Fury II match in 2020. Throughout his career as a professional referee, he was best known for his famous catchphrase, “What I say you must obey,” which he would say when instructing the fighters before the fight began.
Mr. Bayless has also used his platform to speak out about his Christian faith, such as when he recently did so on a podcast with Sports Spectrum in which he opened up about his faith and how it was impacted by growing up under a godly mother. He also spoke about why and how he gave his life to Christ.