Steele the man for Saturday’s fight between Tyson and Botha

Dean Juipe

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 1999 | 10:23 a.m.

As the third man in the ring, a boxing referee inevitably plays a significant role in a prize fight.

There are snap decisions that have to be made and judgment calls that have to be rendered. Conditioning, a sense of fair play and experience are crucial characteristics.

There is also a corresponding link between the stakes and the pressure. When the former is high, so is the latter.

Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden, the stakes will be extremely high. And the man who will referee the main event between Mike Tyson and Frans Botha realizes there's no escaping the pressure.

"I know the eyes of everyone watching will be on the fighters and myself," Richard Steele said Monday at the Nevada Partners Gym. "This is a very big fight and I take my responsibility very seriously."

Steele, who turns 55 later this month, has worked 151 world-title fights. While Tyson vs. Botha is "only" a 10-round fight and not for a world championship, it's a crossroads fight for the former world champion and a prestigious assignment for a referee.

For Steele, it's a chance to underscore his position as one of the finest referees in the history of the sport.

"Just like the fighters, a referee has to be in top shape for a big fight," he said. "I hope to be at my peak Saturday. I want to be able to get in there between the fighters when needed, and I want to be able to get out of the way when needed.

"Being in physical shape also conditions you mentally. You think a little differently when you're in shape.

"If you're not in shape, that's another worry to take into the ring."

Steele has been jogging and doing calisthenics in preparation for a high-profile fight that will be seen around the world on pay-per-view. And while he has worked several Tyson fights, he said he didn't expect to do this one until the Nevada State Athletic Commission selected him for the task last week.

"I was, like, very surprised," he said. "Even though I've been doing some great fights with guys like (Julio Cesar) Chavez and (Oscar) De La Hoya, the simple fact is I haven't done a heavyweight fight in awhile. And a heavyweight fight is different."

His last heavyweight fight was Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon on Sept. 7, 1996, at the Grand Garden. That was the night Seldon walked into the ring petrified and was floored twice by Tyson in the opening round, once by an errant elbow and once from a crushing left hook.

When Seldon didn't appear cognizant of what Steele was asking following the second knockdown, Steele stopped the fight.

"It can be overwhelming when you get a fight with Tyson or a fight of this magnitude," he said. "But that's part of the mental preparation for a referee."

Included in that preparation is film study. For instance, Steele has spent some time reviewing tapes of Tyson's disqualification loss to Evander Holyfield two years ago.

"I went back and looked at that and some other things that have happened in the past," he said. "You always want to be able to react properly in the event something happens like it did when Tyson bit Holyfield's ear.

"By the same token, as a referee you don't want to dwell on the bad things that can happen in a fight. If you do, you might overreact."

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