Editing Ruby Goldstein (section)

== Career as referee ==
After having completed his service in the army in the 1940s where he began refereeing fights, Goldstein established himself as a trusted and experienced ring official, and refereed in many high-profile bouts. He served as a referee for 21 years, and was the "third man in the ring" for 39 world title fights.

=== Refereeing the Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Joey Maxim Light Heavyweight Championship ===
He refereed the [[Sugar Ray Robinson]]-[[Joey Maxim]] [[light heavyweight]] title fight on June 25, 1952.  The bout was held outdoors at [[Yankee Stadium (1923)|Yankee Stadium]] in the [[Bronx]], New York.  Robinson, the reigning [[middleweight]] king, was seeking to wrest Maxim's light heavyweight crown.  Temperature at ringside measured a blistering 104 degrees [[Fahrenheit]] (40 degrees [[Celsius]]), and it was even hotter in the ring under the lights.<ref name=BR />

A preview of the fight's ending occurred when Goldstein collapsed from the heat after the 10th round, and could not finish refereeing the remainder of the match.  Another referee, Ray Miller, was rushed into service so that the fight could be concluded.  In the 13th round, Robinson began wavering, and staggered around the ring on unsteady, wobbly legs.  Overcome by the heat, he could not answer the bell for the 14th round, resulting in a 14th round [[Knockout#Technical knockout|TKO]] for Maxim. Robinson, who was ahead in the scoring, was thus deprived of an opportunity to win a world title in a third division.  When asked if Maxim got lucky when Robinson collapsed from the heat, his colorful manager, [[Jack Kearns|Jack "Doc" Kearns]], replied:  "It was just as hot for Maxim in there as it was for Robinson."  Robinson commented:  "I lasted longer than Goldstein, and nobody was hitting him."

=== Refereeing the first Floyd Patterson vs. Ingemar Johansson World Heavyweight Championship ===
Goldstein also refereed the first [[Floyd Patterson]]-[[Ingemar Johansson]] world [[heavyweight]] championship fight in Yankee Stadium on June 26, 1959.  In the third round Johansson floored Patterson, who arose but appeared out on his feet.  Goldstein was criticized for not immediately stopping the match and allowing Johansson to knock Patterson down six more times before ultimately awarding the bout to Johansson.<ref name=BR />

=== Refereeing the "Kid Paret" vs. Emile Griffith World Welterweight Championship ===
{{Main|Benny Paret vs. Emile Griffith III}}
The biggest controversy involving Goldstein as a referee occurred in on March 24, 1962, when he refereed the [[Benny "Kid" Paret]]-[[Emile Griffith]] world [[welterweight]] championship fight, which was televised live by [[American Broadcasting Company]] in Madison Square Garden.  Paret was hung-up against the ropes in the 12th round when Griffith delivered a barrage of unanswered punches to the head of the seemingly helpless Paret as Goldstein looked on.  When Goldstein finally intervened, Paret slumped to the canvas, unconscious.  He died 10 days later from the injuries he suffered in that bout.  Goldstein refereed only one more fight, two years later between [[Luis Rodriguez (boxer) | Luis Rodriguez]] and [[Holley Mims]].<ref>https://boxrec.com/en/referee/12329</ref>  Before the fatal bout, Goldstein had been regarded by many as the finest referee in boxing.  His son Herb pointed out that he had often been criticized for stopping other fights too early.