- This article is about the character in general, for specific characters serving this role, see Arm Candy and Mario.
| “ | It's over, it's over! TKO! | „ |
| ~ Referee (Wii) |
In boxing, a referee (often called the ref for short) is the person who enforces the rules of boxing within the ring.
In the Punch-Out!! series, the referee's main job is to initiate the fight between the two boxers, and to begin counting when one of the boxers falls down. They will also declare who the winner is, either by knockout, technical knockout, or a split decision.
Mario acts as the referee in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, and subsequent re-releases of the game. In every other Punch-Out!! game, there is either a generic referee or no visible referee on-screen.
The referee carefully considers the winner in Punch-Out!! (Wii).
In the Wii game, the referee has grey hair and a small brown mustache and beard and is very considerate when he's deciding the winner. He also has trouble with controlling some of Mac's opponents who want to fight immediately. In fact, Aran Ryan, Bald Bull, and Super Macho Man actually attack the ref.
According to the SNES Super Punch-Out!! manual, there are no illegal moves or punches, so the ref does not disqualify some boxers who would be in actual boxing. As in the case of Aran Ryan, Great Tiger, Bear Hugger, King Hippo, Bald Bull, Hoy Quarlow, Dragon Chan, and Soda Popinski, as they use illegal moves and objects, as Aran Ryan uses a homemade flail from rope and a broken boxing glove and sometimes attacks with elbows and headbutts, which are forbidden in boxing, King Hippo having a manhole over his stomach, Bald Bull doing the Bull Charge, Bear Hugger using a squirrel as a partner, Hoy Quarlow using a staff to attack, Dragon Chan using kicks, Soda Popinski using his soda as some sort of steroid, and Great Tiger using magic to teleport around the ring, which would all be forbidden.
Quotes[]
Punch-Out and Super Punch-Out (Arcade)[]
- "Fight!"
- "Get up! Get up!" (When the opponent gets up from a knockdown)
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!
- "Knockout!"
- "Great fighting! You're an up-and-coming boxer!" (When the challenger wins a match against someone other than the champion.)
- "Come on, stand up and fight!" (When the challenger loses a match.)
- "Ladies and gentlemen! This is the main event! Introducing in the left corner, the champion of the world, Mr. Sandman!" (Introduction to Mr. Sandman the first time he is fought.)
- "And he down for the count!" (When an opponent gets knocked down.)
- "Ladies and gentlemen, we got a new champion!" (After defeating the champion.)
- "Ladies and gentlemen! Super Macho Man!" (Introduction to Super Macho Man as the champion.)
Super Punch-Out (SNES)[]
- "Fight!"
- "One! Two! Three! Four! Five! Six! Seven! Eight! Nine! Ten!"
- "Knockout!" (regardless of if it's a KO or a TKO)
- "Time up!" (when time expires)
Punch-Out (Wii)[]
- "Fight!"
- "Come on, come on. Fight!" (When opponent gets up)
- "Let's go. Fight!" (When Little Mac gets up)
- "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, NINE, TEN! Knockout!"
- "Knockout!"
- "TKO!" (when activating a special KO animation on an opponent's third KD)
- "It's over, it's over! TKO!" (when the opponent falls normally on their third KD)
- "Come on, back up! Back up!" (Aran Ryan Title Defense pre-Rounds 2/3 cutscene)
List of game appearances[]
This is a list of game appearances for the Referee. Punch-Out!! titles are in bold.
| Title | Year | System | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Punch-Out!! | 1984 | Arcade | Supporting character |
| Super Punch-Out!! | 1984 | Arcade | Supporting character |
| Arm Wrestling | 1985 | Arcade | Supporting character (as Arm Candy) |
| Punch-Out!! | 1987 | Nintendo Entertainment System | Supporting character (as Mario) |
| Super Punch-Out!! | 1994 | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | Supporting character (voice only) |
| Fight Night Round 2 | 2005 | GameCube | Supporting character in the bonus game Super Punch-Out!! (voice only) |
| WarioWare: Smooth Moves | 2006 | Wii | Playable character in microgame (as Mario) |
| Punch-Out!! | 2009 | Wii | Supporting character |
| NES Remix 2 and Ultimate NES Remix | 2014 | Wii U | Cameo in mini-games (as Mario) |
| WarioWare: Move It! | 2023 | Nintendo Switch | Cameo in microgame (as Mario) |
Trivia[]
- In Japanese versions of the arcade games, the referee counts faster.