Joe Cortez Biography

Joe Cortez began working as a boxing referee after a successful amateur boxing career in which he won numerous Golden Gloves titles from 1960 to 1962. In 1983 he turned pro and posted an 18-1 record before abruptly retiring and moving to Puerto Rico, where he served several years as an executive assistant manager at The El Conquistador Hotel in Puerto Rico from 1969 to 1977. In 1977 he began pursuing a career as a referee and worked his way up the ladder, eventually becoming a perennial referee for title fights around the world in the 1980’s. Cortez served as a referee for nearly four decades before retiring in 2012. Known for his catchphrase, “I am fair but firm,” he is respected for his quick decision making abilities in the ring. Cortez was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2012 he joined the ESPN broadcast team as an expert boxing analyst. 

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