ARLINGTON, Texas – Mark Calo-oy, an experienced referee from Texas, has been selected to officiate the upcoming fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, as reported by USA TODAY Sports, which obtained a copy of the official assignments.
Calo-oy, 64, is no stranger to Paul, having previously refereed his match against MMA star Nate Diaz on August 5, 2023, in Dallas. In that highly anticipated 10-round bout, Paul emerged victorious by unanimous decision.
The heavyweight clash between Tyson, 58, and Paul, 27, is scheduled for Friday at AT&T Stadium and will be broadcast on Netflix. Calo-oy is well-acquainted with high-stakes fights in front of large audiences in Texas.
He officiated the world title match between Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders in 2021 at AT&T Stadium, where a record crowd of 73,126 witnessed Alvarez’s victory when Saunders did not return for the ninth round, marking the largest attendance for an indoor boxing event in the United States.
Damon Zavala, Vice President of the Association of Ringside Physicians, emphasized the crucial role a referee would have due to Tyson’s age. His comments came before USA TODAY discovered that the referee would be Calo-oy.
“There are variations in refereeing styles and how they assert control in the ring,” Zavala, who specializes in internal medicine, explained to USA TODAY Sports in late October. “Some referees might get caught up in the excitement and could be just a moment too late in halting the action.”
Calo-oy’s history suggests he is not afraid to stop a fight. Of the 48 bouts he has refereed this year, he has stopped 11 of them, according to BoxRec, the official registry for boxing.
During a career that started in 2003, Calo-oy refereed 445 bouts, according to BoxRec. More than 20 of them were world title fights.
Tyson, the former world heavyweight champion, has not fought in a sanctioned pro bout since 2005. In 2020, Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition, and they fought to a split draw as scored by celebrity judges.
The judges for the Tyson-Paul fight are David Iacobucci of Dallas, Laurence Cole of Dallas and Jesse Reyes of Plano.