Long before the boxing world witnessed the rise of modern icons like Tyson Fury, Floyd Mayweather, and Gervonta Davis, it was shaped quietly by figures like Tom Kaczmarek—men who stood in the shadows, yet laid the foundation for what the sport has become today. Tragically, the sport lost that steadfast pillar on Wednesday evening at the age of 96, leaving behind a legacy etched quietly into the fabric of boxing history.
Born on August 10, 1928, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Tom Kaczmarek—known in the ring as ‘Tommy Kaye’—began his journey in boxing as an amateur in 1947. He quickly made his mark with a record of 8 wins and just 1 loss before stepping into the professional arena later that same year. His professional career, though modest, came to an early end in 1949 with a record of 11 wins, 5 losses, and 3 draws, as a damaged nose forced him to retire at just 20 years old—but his bond with boxing was far from over.
33 years later, in 1982, Kaczmarek entered the boxing world once again as a professional judge. During this time, he judged over 2,000 bouts, including 110 world championship and 86 regional championship fights across the United States, Mexico, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Kaczmarek was licensed by multiple state and tribal boxing commissions, as well as the World Boxing Council (WBC) and North American Boxing Federation (NABF).
As a result, he was part of the officiating team for some of history’s most iconic boxing matches, including Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Tommy Hearns II (1989), Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman (1991), Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather (2007), and Lennox Lewis vs. Vitali Klitschko (2003). He eventually retired as a judge in April 2009, with his last fight between Kassim Ouma and Gabriel Rosado in New Jersey.
After Kaczmarek’s passing, professional boxing judge Tom Schreck said, “I met Tommy when I was just starting out in judging; he went out of his way to be friendly and supportive. He was a great teacher and had a great framework for how he approached his craft. He was one of the best and won’t be forgotten.” However, his contributions to the sport didn’t end there!
You see, what Kaczmarek learned during his time as a judge is that his profession came with a huge downside. In one of his fights in Asia, he witnessed his fellow judges carrying umbrellas even though there wasn’t a drop of rain pouring outside. He questioned why, which revealed that people would throw coins at them if they didn’t agree with their scoring in a fight.
Perhaps, this motivated Kaczmarek to author a book titled ‘You Be the Boxing Judge.’ The book was a guide to scoring professional boxing using the 10-point must system, which was published in English and Japanese. This book, alongside a 2.5-hour training DVD, served as the foundation for numerous judging seminars he conducted globally, representing the WBC in Tunisia (1992), Manila (1996, 1998), Moscow (1999, 2003), and Chengdu, China (2008), among others.
In fact, his career took him to six continents, as he accumulated 600,000 miles of travel on Continental Airlines, often accompanied by his wife of 61 years, Agnes Donovan. The couple had three children, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Perhaps the ideal image as a parent instilled a sense of impartiality and fairness in Kaczmarek, as he stayed away from fighters, managers, or promoters to maintain objectivity.
“It’s part of the job,” Kaczmarek said. “I’ve been booed, I’ve been told to bring a seeing eye dog the next time I judge, and to use braille scorecards. It’s something that comes with the job, and it never bothered me.” He judged over 40 fights for the controversial Don King, but their conversations never evolved beyond ‘Hi & Hello.’
“If I get friendly with a fighter and I go to lunch with him and somebody sees that, things are up,” Kaczmarek said. “There’s a little prejudice involved. He’s going to be leaning a bit. My policy was to not mix.” Regardless, beyond boxing, his life saw him take up many roles!
Tom Kaczmarek: A legend beyond boxing
Tom Kaczmarek lived a life marked by service, dedication, and impact, both inside and outside the boxing ring. He served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953 before running a children’s shoe business from 1949 to 1976. His commitment to community extended into public service, where he served as a councilman in Clark, New Jersey, from 1965 to 1968, followed by a term as the town’s mayor from 1968 to 1972. He later served as a Union County Freeholder from 1972 to 1974.
Adding to his impressive civic résumé, Kaczmarek was appointed commissioner on the New Jersey Violent Crimes Compensation Board, a role he held from 1974 to 1991. While his public contributions earned widespread appreciation, it was his work in boxing that cemented his legacy. In recognition of his decades-long dedication to the sport, he was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Atlantic City Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019.
In 2005, he was named Honorary Lifetime Chairman of the WBC Ring Officials Board, and in 2010, he received the prestigious Rocky Marciano/AIBA Ring Official Award.
Tom Kaczmarek truly lived a life many only dream of. Though his passing is deeply felt, his legacy endures. As he often signed off in his emails—“Keep punching”—the boxing world continues to honor and remember him for his invaluable contributions both in and out of the ring. What are your thoughts on his incredible journey?
The post Boxing World Receives Sad News as HOFer, With Floyd Mayweather on His Judging Résumé, Passes Away at 96 appeared first on EssentiallySports.
