SUBMITTED PHOTO Wade Peterson stands outside the ring in Minsk, Belarus last month where he was officiating boxing at the European Games. The Medicine Hat referee is off to Lima, Peru this week for the Pan-American Games.
srooney@medicinehatnews.com@MHNRooney
Of all the places boxing has taken Wade Peterson, being in the centre of the ring with Vladimir Putin looking on has got to be one of the most unexpected.
The 53-year-old from Medicine Hat is off to Peru this week to referee at the Pan-American Games, fresh off a busy time at the European Games in Belarus where he officiated the last fight of the competition June 30.
It was a heavyweight final between Russia’s Muslim Gadzhimagomedov and Belarus’ Vladislav Smyaglikov, and both countries’ presidents were in attendance.
“You can’t look around, you’ve got a job to do,” said Peterson, who only found out he was the referee a couple minutes before the bout. “Your job is these two 200-pounders.
“The last thing you want to do is start looking in the crowd for somebody.”
It was the 14th fight Peterson refereed in nine days, though he also judged 44 contests at the European Games as well. Much like athletes, referees are ranked too, so the fact he got to work the last bout of the event is a major accomplishment.
Peterson fought until 1986, and started officiating as soon as his days as an athlete were through. He’s worked pretty much every major event in Canada, including the Canada Winter Games, but international assignments have started to enter his sphere now that he’s retired from working at Goodyear.
“The European Games would probably be bigger, but the Pan-Am Games will have all your North American athletes which is huge, with Cuba. Cuba and the States are really good,” said Peterson.
As a result, he feels his proficiency in the ring has improved. The biggest difference between him now and a decade ago? It’s probably confidence.
“Even four years ago, it’s totally different what I’m doing now,” he said. “I’m just so relaxed in there, so much confidence in the ring.
“Timing is timing, you have to know when to call an eight-count, you have to know all your calls and stuff like that and not to be panicked in the ring. Total control, that’s what I’ve got now.”
And that may benefit Gas City Boxing Club members, who get to learn from Peterson’s first-hand experience.
“Right now I’m watching the best boxers in the world, I’m reffing them,” he said. “I know what’s working, what’s not working. It’s a big asset to the local club if they use me like that.”
As for what’s on the horizon, it ought to be the Olympics in Tokyo next year. But the International Olympic Committee stripped AIBA’s Olympic status last month, the 2016 Games in Brazil were fraught with corruption in the sport and it may be smarter to avoid that highest rung on the proverbial officiating ladder for now.
“Olympics becomes very, very political because countries are out for medals, they’ll pay for medals for any reason,” said Peterson. “Everybody says it’s the end of the totem pole but they’ve corrupted it so bad, I’m not sure if I want to do it or not. Everybody in the 2016 Olympics, all the officials are banned. I don’t want to have that stigma.”
