A life in the ring

Arthur Mercante: A life in the ring

Referee for more than 120 world title fights, the last one on Sept. 29, 2001, when he was 81. Mercante was the third man for championship bouts featuring Floyd Patterson, Emile Griffith, Carlos Ortiz, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Wilfred Benitez, Jeff Fenech, Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Ike Quartey, Roy Jones Jr., Shane Mosley and others.

His notable fights

March 8, 1971: Third man at the first Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier bout. After 15 rounds, Frazier retained the undisputed world heavyweight title by unanimous decision.

Sept. 28, 1976: Referee for Ali vs. Ken Norton for the heavyweight title. Norton lost after 15 rounds by unanimous decision.

March 1, 1992: Referee for Azumah Nelson vs. Jeff Fenech II for the WBC super-featherweight title in Melbourne, Australia. Nelson retained the title on an eighth-round TKO.