{{Short description|Canadian boxing referee and boxing judge (1931–2026)}} {{Infobox boxer |name = Guy Jutras |image = |image_size = |realname = Guy Joseph Jutras |nickname = Guy Jutras |weight = Welterweight |nationality = Canadian |birth_date = {{birth date|1931|03|22}} |birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada |death_date = {{death date and age|2026|04|03|1931|03|22}} |death_place = Canada |height = 5 ft 8 in (173cm) |reach = |style = |home = |total = 5 |wins = 5 |losses = 0 |draws = |no contests = |KO = }}
'''Guy Joseph Jutras''' (March 22, 1931 – April 3, 2026) was a Canadian boxing referee and judge. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2019.
==Early life== Guy Joseph Jutras was born on March 22, 1931, in Montreal, Canada.<ref name="IBHOF">{{cite web|url=http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/nonparticipant/jutras.html|title=Guy Jutras|website=ibhof.com|access-date=2025-11-07}}</ref>
==Amateur boxing career== Jutras, who grew up without a father in Montreal's east end, was known for his street fighting.<ref name="The Gazette. (1998)">{{cite news |author=Herb Zurkowsky |date=March 31, 1998 |title=Jutras has seen it all |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/425136644/?terms=Guy%20Jutras&match=1|access-date=2025-11-07 |newspaper=The Gazette |page=45}}</ref> He found discipline in Montreal's amateur boxing scene before joining the Royal Canadian Navy.<ref name="The Ottawa Citizen. (1984)">{{cite news |author=Pat Curran |date=January 26, 1984 |title=Quebec businessman doesn't pull punches as top ring official |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/464243632/?terms=%20Guy%20Jutras&match=1|access-date=2025-11-07 |newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen |page=43}}</ref>
He earned back-to-back amateur titles, winning the 1950 Maritime Provinces Golden Gloves and the 1951 Royal Canadian Navy welterweight championship.<ref name="IBHOF"/>
==Professional career== ===Boxer=== His professional debut came on September 29, 1952.<ref name="BoxRec">{{cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/226572|title=Guy Jutras|date=|website=boxrec.com|access-date=2025-11-07}}</ref> He fought four of his five professional bouts within a five-week span at the Valley Arena Gardens, winning three by knockout.<ref name="Radio-Canada">{{cite web|url=https://ici.radio-canada.ca/sports/podium/78/guy-jutras-boxe-arbitre|title=Guy Jutras - Avoir la vie des boxeurs entre ses mains|date=February 4, 2019|website=ici.radio-canada.ca|access-date=2025-11-07}}</ref>
He used earnings from professional boxing to pay for his college education.<ref name="The Ottawa Citizen. (1984)"/> At Springfield College in Massachusetts, Jutras studied to become a physical education teacher.<ref name="Radio-Canada"/> After graduating from Springfield with a B.Sc. degree in 1955, he made his way back to Montreal.<ref name="The Fight City">{{cite web|url=https://www.thefightcity.com/guy-jutras-montreal-boxing/|title=Guy Jutras: Hall Of Fame Bound - Fitting Tribute For A Life ...|date=April 3, 2019|website=thefightcity.com|access-date=2025-11-07}}</ref> His mother, the first female broker in Quebec, provided his education in the insurance industry.<ref name="The Ottawa Citizen. (1984)"/> He began working for an insurance company, a position he held for 17 years. While working in insurance, he maintained a strong love for boxing and began refereeing amateur fights.<ref name="The Fight City"/>
===Referee=== Beginning in 1969, Jutras started his career as a pro referee.<ref name="IBHOF"/> His first official event involved refereeing a fight with Donato Paduano.<ref name="Radio-Canada"/> At the Montreal Forum in 1978, he refereed his first Canadian title fight between lightweights Gaétan Hart and Cleveland Denny.<ref name="BoxRec. (1978)">{{cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/en/event/26937/122277|title=Gaetan Hart vs Cleveland Denny|date=|website=boxrec.com|access-date=2025-11-07}}</ref> The World Boxing Association recruited Jutras to referee at the professional level in 1979. After being scouted by a WBA member and invited to seminars, he officiated a bout and impressed enough officials to gain clearance from the committee.<ref name="The Gazette. (1998)"/>
Jutras earned a reputation as a fighter's referee, someone who stayed out of the way and let the boxers determine the outcome.<ref name="The Gazette. (1998)"/> He drew criticism from Montreal fans when he stopped the 1980 Gaétan Hart–Ralph Racine bout in the 11th round. His decision proved sound moments later when Racine collapsed and was rushed to hospital for emergency brain surgery.<ref name="RDS">{{cite web|url=https://www.rds.ca/combat/boxe/guy-jutras-surpris-de-son-intronisation-au-temple-de-la-renommee-de-la-boxe-internationale-1.6584788|title=Guy Jutras surpris d'être intronisé au Temple|date=January 30, 2019|website=rds.ca|access-date=2025-11-07}}</ref>
Jutras refereed the controversial Eusebio Pedroza–Juan Laporte featherweight title bout in Atlantic City on January 24, 1982. The New Jersey State Athletic Commission attempted to reverse Pedroza's decision win afterward, stating the referee should have disqualified him for repeated fouls. Justras received a six-month suspension.<ref name="The New York Times. (1983)">{{cite news |author=|date=November 8, 1983 |title=Dispute Over Referee |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/08/sports/dispute-over-referee.html|access-date=2025-11-07 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=29}}</ref> He was later exonerated at a WBA hearing.<ref name="The Ottawa Citizen. (1984)"/>
The Montrealer traveled to London, England, to serve as the referee of Frank Bruno vs. Gerrie Coetzee at Wembley Stadium in 1987.<ref name="The Gazette. (1998)"/>
Following his retirement from refereeing at age 67, he continued working as a judge for the WBA.<ref name="The Gazette. (1998)"/>
===Judge=== His judging career spanned from 1980 to 2011.<ref name="IBHOF"/> In November 1982, he served as a judge for the bout between Fulgencio Obelmejias and Marvin Hagler in Italy.<ref name="The Ottawa Citizen. (1984)"/> Jutras was originally appointed referee by the WBA for the November 1983 Marvelous Marvin Hagler vs. Roberto Duran middleweight title fight in Las Vegas but was replaced and served instead as one of the judges.<ref name="The New York Times. (1983)"/> His judging resume also includes world championship fights such as Wilfredo Gómez vs. Rocky Lockridge (1985), Barry McGuigan vs. Steve Cruz (1986), Vinny Paz vs. Gilbert Dele (1991), Pernell Whitaker vs. Julio César Vásquez (1995), Paulie Ayala vs. Johnny Tapia I (1999), and Juan Manuel Márquez vs. Manny Pacquiao (2004).<ref name="IBHOF"/>
Jutras combined his media work as a television commentator and radio host (1997–2009) with his role as co-founder and assistant matchmaker for Interbox Promotions (1997–2002).<ref name="IBHOF"/> Interbox was a boxing promotion company that organized events in both Montreal and the United States.
==Death== Jutras died on April 3, 2026, at the age of 95.<ref>[https://montrealgazette.remembering.ca/obituary/guy-jutras-1093717114 Guy Jutras]</ref>
==Legacy== Over his officiating career, Guy Jutras judged or refereed more than 75 world championship contests.<ref name="IBHOF"/> He traveled widely for his officiating duties, covering major American cities and countries such as England, Spain, France, Germany, Mexico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Panama, Thailand, and Japan.<ref name="The Gazette. (1998)"/>
Jutras was inducted into the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame in 1979<ref name="BoxRec. (2018)">{{cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Guy_Jutras|title=Guy Jutras|date=December 7, 2018|website=ici.radio-canada.ca|access-date=2025-11-07}}</ref> and into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on June 9, 2019.<ref name="CityNews Halifax">{{cite web|url=http://halifax.citynews.ca/2018/12/05/the-2019-boxing-hall-of-fame-class/|title=The 2019 Boxing Hall of Fame class|date=December 5, 2018|website=halifax.citynews.ca|access-date=2025-11-07}}</ref> He entered the Hall of Fame as its fourth inductee from Quebec.<ref name="RDS"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{boxrec|id=226572}} * {{IMDb name|13520921}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jutras, Guy}} Category:1931 births Category:2026 deaths Category:Boxing people from Quebec Category:Canadian male boxers Category:Welterweight boxers Category:Boxing referees Category:Boxing judges Category:International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen