Kenny Bayless
American referee
ケニー・ベイレス
- Born
- 4 May 1950
- Citizenship
- United States
- Sport
- boxing
- Occupation
- boxing referee, boxer
Kenny Bayless (born May 4, 1950) is an American retired boxing referee from Nevada. He is best known for having refereed many of the sport's most well-known fights.
Bayless' catchphrase, when giving his instructions to the fighters before the opening bell, is "What I say you must obey" which was given to him by one of his sons who suggested that he'd use a catchphrase because of Bayless' long time friend Mills Lane saying "Let's get it on!"
Kenny Bayless was raised in Berkeley, California. After graduating from college, he was recruited to teach school in Las Vegas. He was happy for the job opportunity but excited for the chance to relocate to a city with a thriving boxing scene.
Awards and honours
- International Boxing Hall of Fame 2025
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q6390970 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.