A kickboxer has to obey the referee in the ring for several reasons. Firstly, the referee is responsible for ensuring the safety of the participants. By enforcing the rules of the sport and making sure that the competitors are following them, the referee can prevent serious injuries from occurring.
Secondly, the referee is responsible for maintaining fairness in the match. By ensuring that both kickboxers are following the same rules, the referee can prevent any unfair advantages from being gained by either.
Finally, the referee’s decision is final in the ring. This means that if a kickboxer does not obey the referee, they risk being disqualified from the match. Therefore, it is in the kickboxer’s best interest to listen to and follow the referee’s instructions in order to avoid penalties and ensure a fair and safe match.
But even worse, disobeying the referee can lead to an arrest as one unlucky kickboxer came to realize.
Recently a video of Alpha Kickboxing FL event went viral. This bout in particular featured Dion James and Cory Jones.
Even though the ref tried to intervene early on to call for a reset, Cory Jones opted to not obey. Referee Billy McCombs handled it perfectly considering it was his first time refereeing an event.
Initially Billy McCombs reacted by physically lifting Cory Jones from his opponent. He tried leveling with him but Jones seemed to be in his own world and reluctant to even engage with the ref.
He quickly side stepped the referee and tried to engage Dion James yet again. This led Billy McCombs to utilize jiu-jitsu and secure a submission hold on Jones. Even though he tried talking to Jones and placating him it wasn’t enough and a police officer had to join in on the action and restrain and arrest him.
Ultimately, Dion James was awarded the victory by way of disqualification. His opponent was disqualified and even arrested.
Interestingly, Referee Billy McCombs is also a law enforcement officer when he’s not serving as a combat sports referee.
Allegedly, Cory Jones tried to justify his actions in the clip but we were unable to authenticate his response.
