Neutral Corner: Mooney’s Iacobucci working title fight

When Diego Magdaleno (27-1, 11 KOs) takes on Jose Gonzalez (24-1, 19 KOs) Friday for the vacant WBO International lightweight title, the Mahoning Valley will have a ringside presence in Hidalgo, Texas when Youngstown native Dave Iacobucci serves as a judge.

The fight, to be shown on TruTV, is the third title fight that Iacobucci has judged and will mark the fifth time one of his assignments will be televised nationally.

“I have been judging fights for 13 years now and it’s always fun when you get an assignment with a title on the line,” Iacobucci, a 1981 Cardinal Mooney graduate said. “I’ve followed boxing my whole life as my father, who was from Cleveland, was a big boxing fan and always talked about the ring exploits of Joey Maxim. Along with my three brothers, we always seemed to watch the televised fights with my father.”

Iacobucci, who has been employed with the American Heart Association for 20 years and is vice-president of finance for Western States Affiliate, credits Ohio Athletic Commission executive director Bernie Profato for assisting him, especially after his move to the Dallas area three years ago.

“Bernie was great and a tremendous help when I was just starting out. I lived in Columbus from 1987 until 2012 and after transferring to Texas, he assisted me with the right contacts in order to remain a judge in the state,” Iacobucci said. “Moving to Texas has been beneficial for my career because there are more fights staged in that area.”

A veteran who has judged over 200 fights, Iacobucci notes that area boxing icons Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Jack Loew are longtime family friends, and working with retired area international judge Tom Miller (1996-2013), who has judged 105 title fights (81 world; 21 regional) was also a thrill.

That assignment came on Nov. 26, 2011, when the two worked the Gary Russell, Jr.-Heriberto Ruiz and Adrien Broner-Vicente Martin Rodriguez super heavyweight bouts at Cincinnati’s U.S. Bank Arena.

“I have met many wonderful people over the past two decades while judging and worked with some of the very best referees and judges in the world, including Youngstown’s own Tom Miller,” he added. “I only worked with him once, but he’s a great judge and a guy from my hometown who didn’t mind spending with me when we worked that fight.”

Iacobucci considers himself a boxing fanatic who still watches as many fights as his schedule allows.

“Judges sometimes get a bad rap from fans and media, but the reality is that when you are under the lights you are intently watching every punch and scoring the round how you see it,” he said. “People that watch the fight in the comfort of their living room do not understand how different it is when you are sitting in the judge’s chair.”

He credits Woody Kelker, a highly respected official in the Ohio Boxing Commission, who provided sound advice early in his career.

“Woody told me that you score the round how you see it and then stand by that score. Nobody else can tell you what you saw,” he said. “I have lived by that statement ever since and feel very strong about every round that I judge. I treat every fighter with the same respect for getting into that ring; whether it is a 12-round world title fight or a four-round club fight. They deserve my best effort.”

On May 9, he judged the James Kirkland-Saul Alvarez super welterweight bout at Minute Maid Park in Houston, which drew 32,000 spectators and was HBO’s highest viewed fight in 10 years.

“Working the Kirkland-Alvarez fight was a great scene. The Houston fans really came out and supported the fight and were so wild and loud, nobody heard the bell at the end of the first round. I have no idea how the referee heard it,” he said. “Although the bout ended in the third round, it was all action and came just one week after the extremely disappointing Floyd Mayweather, Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight. The fight was a much needed shot in the arm for boxing.”

Like any other sport, the fight game has its share of characters and Iacobucci, like many judges, have indelible memories.

“One card that took place early in my career was not what you would call well-organized. I can remember this one night the card was delayed because the promoter was still driving around town picking up the fighters, who had failed to show up,” he said. “In spite of that delay the fans sat patiently in their seats waiting for the show to begin.”

He said his desire to judge remains at fever pitch.

“I enjoy the sport and plan to continue my involvement until I no longer have the desire,” Iacobucci said. “When I can no longer give the fighters my best effort, that’s when I will call it quits but for now it’s still a lot of fun.”

Greg Gulas covers various sporting events for The Vindicator. Email him at sports@vindy.com.