Ringside No More: Kenny Bayless Announces Retirement from Refereeing

American referee Kenny Bayless has hung up his gloves, declaring the end of his career on his Facebook page.

Bayless steps out of the ring, saying, "I'm hanging up my referee's shirt in the State of Nevada. After over four decades in the squared circle (32 years waving off the pros and a decade playing ref with the amateurs), I'm proud of my time in the ring and thankful for the milestones I've hit. I've kept in fighting shape over the years and ain't planning to throw in the towel on the sport just yet. I'll take the corner as the big boss of one of the four major boxing bodies or even keep calling the shots as a ref. Don't be surprised to spot me refereeing some exhibition scraps or star-studded showdowns. I'm game for anything I set my sights on.

Big shoutout to the Man Upstairs for keeping me and the pugilists out of harm's way all these years. Hats off to my better half, my kin, and my buddies for sticking by me, and a tip of the glove to all you fight fans. Hope my highlight reel bouts gave you a thrill! Catch you on the flip side!" Bayless penned.

At 73, Bayless, who stepped into the Nevada State Athletic Commission's ring in 1985 and started refereeing pro bouts in 1991, has been the third man in the ring for Floyd Mayweather's bouts and has called the shots for Deontay Wilder, Manny Pacquiao, Erik Morales, among others.