The Nevada State Athletic Commission voted Wednesday to appoint longtime boxing referee Robert Byrd to officiate the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor on Aug. 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Steven Marrocco of MMAjunkie passed along the news and also noted Burt Clements, Dave Moretti and Guido Cavalleri were selected as judges for the bout.
Byrd, a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, will be placed in charge of one of the year’s most hyped sporting events.
His task could be more pressing than his typical assignments due to McGregor’s limited boxing experience. The UFC lightweight champion will be making his first foray into a boxing ring after skyrocketing to fame inside the Octagon.
In July, Dave Doyle of MMA Fighting relayed comments from famed MMA trainer Pat Miletich about how the UFC superstar would need to “cheat within the rules” to have a chance.
“It’s got to be that close to a street fight,” Miletich said during an appearance on The MMA Hour, via Doyle. “Get two warnings for everything before they take a point, and look, if you get a point taken, you get a point taken. It’s not like he’s winning on the cards anyway. I’m just being honest.”
In addition, the three judges will be under intense scrutiny after Waleska Roldan, Chris Flores and Ramon Cerdan shockingly gave Jeff Horn a unanimous decision victory over Manny Pacquiao last month in boxing’s most recent marquee fight.
The variables created by McGregor’s attempt to take on one of the best boxers in history puts more pressure on the referee and the judges. The NSAC’s choices made Wednesday could have a meaningful impact on the outcome in 10 days.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com