Oral history interview with Joe Cortez conducted by Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez on November 29, 2018 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. In this interview, Cortez discusses his early life in New York City, New York and growing up in the Spanish Harlem. He talks about Puerto Rican traditions he participated in, his early interest in boxing, competing in the Golden Glove tournaments, and becoming a boxing referee. Cortez recalls some of the biggest fights he refereed, and being inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011. Lastly, Cortez discusses the boxing rivalry between Mexican and Puerto Rican boxers, and the future of boxing.