"I'm leaving happy": Boxing referee Frank Garza talks retirement after nearly 40 years
(CBS DETROIT) - Frank Garza is not only one of the best boxing officials in Michigan but is one of the best in the world.
Garza sat down with CBS News Detroit and talked about his retirement this August and walking away from boxing.
"I entered boxing with nothing, and I've taken so much from it. There is no other way to say I'm leaving happy," said Garza.
For nearly 40 years, Garza, now 71, served as the third man in the ring for some of the biggest names to command the main event.
But it is his role outside of the four corners that grabbed national attention. One of those moments was when he came to the aid of 88-year-old Ralph White, of Canton, Ohio, who was brutally beaten in 2021 after a road rage incident.
Garza spearheaded gifts from the WBC to honor White for his survival and bravery and expected nothing in return.
"I didn't know how people valued me. That wasn't my concern. My concern was to protect the integrity of the sport. It was always about the game," Garza said.