Larry Hazzard

Larry Hazzard Sr. (born 7 December 1944) is a former amateur boxer, boxing referee, athletic control board commissioner, teacher and actor.

He attended Central High School, winning Golden Gloves titles each year from 1961 to 1963.

In 1963, at the age of 18, Hazzard fought Harry Conover in Elizabeth, New Jersey, winning on points over three rounds.

Although listed as a three-time Golden Gloves champion and as a New Jersey A.A.U. champion by such websites as the New Jersey's government's web-page, Boxrec.com nevertheless listed only the Conover contest as having taken place in Hazzard's career.

Hazzard was also interested in Ju-Jitsu; he earned a black belt in that sport during 1968.

Education-wise, Hazzard earned an Associate of Arts degree from Essex County College in 1970, and a Bachelor of Arts degree-cum laude- from Montclair State University in 1972.

That year, Hazzard became a teacher, working at Newark Arts High School as a physical education and health instructor and as girl's head track coach.

Hazzard's first professional bout as a referee took place on 13 June 1978 and was between Mike Quarry and Kevin Smith, at Ice World, in Totowa, New Jersey.

Hazzard was also a judge at this contest, which was scored a draw (tie) after ten rounds.

Hazzard voted for Smith by one point.

Next, Hazzard participated in a contest between Mustafa Hamsho and Bobby Watts on 21 September 1978 at the Jersey City Armory in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Hamsho won by sixth-round technical knockout.

The third bout refereed by Hazzard took place at the Rahway State Prison in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, during an era in which boxing fights were allowed at United States prisons.

That contest, between Reggie Jones and Ray Kates, took place on 10 March 1979.

Kates won by a split decision after twelve rounds.

Three days later, on 13 March 1979, Hazzard refereed his first championship bout, when future Larry Holmes WBC world heavyweight championship challenger Scott Frank boxed Guy Casale for the New Jersey state heavyweight title at Ice World in Totowa, with Frank winning by ninth-round technical knockout.

On 1 June 1980, Hazzard refereed his first world championship bout, when he shared a boxing ring with fellow member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the WBA Junior Flyweight champion, Yoko Gushiken of Japan and with challenger Martin Vargas of Chile.

This was also Hazzard's first contest abroad as a referee, as it was held in Kochi, Japan.

Gushiken won the fight by an eighth-round knockout.

The next world title fight Hazzard refereed is sometimes considered a boxing classic: it was the bout between WBA world Lightweight champion Hilmer Kenty and his challenger Sean O'Grady, at the Bally's Park Place Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City on Sunday, 12 April 1981.

In a bruising affair, champion and challenger traded blows for 15 rounds but the challenger dropped the champion in rounds two and eight en route to a fifteen-rounds unanimous decision win to capture the WBA world title.

On 5 September 1981, Hazzard returned to the Rahway Prison for a minor but still significant contest: that day, a bout took place between former inmate and future two-division world champion and fellow International Boxing Hall of Fame member, Dwight Muhammad Qawi (then known by his birth-name of "Dwight Braxton") and the then-still incarcerated, James Scott.

Qawi, as Braxton, won the ten-rounds bout by a very close unanimous decision.

The first fight involving an undisputed, or, unified, world champion in a championship defense which Hazzard refereed was the match between Marvelous Marvin Hagler, unified world middleweight champion, and challenger William "Caveman" Lee.

This contest took place on Sunday, 7 March 1982 at the Bally's Park Place Hotel in Atlantic City, Hagler retaining the title by an easy, first-round knockout.

On 7 July 1982, Hazzard refereed a fight between 3-division world champion, fellow future International Boxing Hall of Famer, Nicaragua's Alexis Arguello and American Kevin Rooney, also held at the Bally's Park Place Hotel and which was won by Arguello by a second-round, highlight-reel knockout.

On 16 September 1982, Hazzard refereed a fight for the ESPN Welterweight championship between Robert Sawyer and Dick Eklund at the Sands Casino and Hotel in Atlantic City.

At the time, ESPN, a major American sports television network, sponsored championships on bouts that were televised by that channel.

Sawyer won the contest by a twelve-rounds unanimous decision.

Hazzard continued refereeing fights, including bouts involving Michael Spinks, Gene Hatcher, Leon Spinks, Azumah Nelson, Bobby Czyz, Jeff Lampkin, a fight between future world heavyweight champions Gerrie Coetzee and Pinklon Thomas (a ten-rounds draw or tie, on 22 January 1983 at the Sands Hotel and Casino) and a fight between perennial heavyweight contenders Mitch Green and Jumbo Cummings (on 16 February 1983 at the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford) won by Green by ten-rounds unanimous decision, before receiving what was arguably the largest assignment of his career as a boxing referee: On March 18, 1983, Hazzard refereed the Michael Spinks vs. Dwight Muhammad Qawi world light-heavyweight championship unification bout, held at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, in an HBO Boxing televised contest between two fellow future International Boxing Hall of Fame members.

In round eight, Hazzard ruled Spinks as having suffered a knockdown after Qawi landed a punch to Spinks' body; the call was somewhat controversial because many felt that Qawi had stepped on Spinks' toes before the punch landed.

Faced without much of a choice, Hazzard called the fall a knockdown, but, reportedly, later admitted to thinking he got that call wrong.

In the end, Spinks won a somewhat close but unanimous 15-rounds decision to retain his WBA world light-heavyweight title and unify it with the WBC one previously held by Qawi.

Exactly one month and six days after the Spinks versus Qawi match, Hazzard again refereed a bout featuring Alexis Arguello; this time, the Nicaraguan faced Trinitarian boxer and former WBA world lightweight champion Claude Noel on 24 April 1983 at the Showboat Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City.

The fight was significant because of its ending: after being dropped in round one, Noel retired during round three, claiming a hip injury.

The fight was telecast live on NBC Sportsworld and Noel looked to be in significant pain before retiring.

He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, being inducted during 2010.

Hazzard has served as Commissioner of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board since 2014, his second stint as commissioner after serving from 1985 to 2007.

Hazzard was born in Newark, New Jersey.

Hazzard wanted to become a boxer as a youth, having idolized as a kid, among others, Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis.