What year did "judges" become part of boxing?
What year did "judges" become part of boxing?
I know in the earliest years the referee was the decision maker when a fight went "the distance". Even when the ref didn't decide there were "News Paper Decisions". When did Judges become part of the boxing game?
Re: What year did "judges" become part of boxing?
Early 70s?
Roughly same time they stopped scoring rounds to fighters and went ten point must.
Roughly same time they stopped scoring rounds to fighters and went ten point must.
Re: What year did "judges" become part of boxing?
I was curious. I recall Mercante Snr scored the first Frazier/Ali fight by rounds, he wrote about it in his book saying the fight wasn't anywhere near as close as he scored it, due to scoring by rounds.
Looking at that fight again, two others scored it so it wasn't the first heavyweight title fight with 3 judges. In fact if you go back further the Liston/Ali fight appears to be the first heavyweight [world] title fight scored with 3 judges. Ali has several fights before that going back to his pro debut in '60 that were scored by 3 judges.
Looking at that fight again, two others scored it so it wasn't the first heavyweight title fight with 3 judges. In fact if you go back further the Liston/Ali fight appears to be the first heavyweight [world] title fight scored with 3 judges. Ali has several fights before that going back to his pro debut in '60 that were scored by 3 judges.
Re: What year did "judges" become part of boxing?
Dempsey Willard seems to be the first heavyweight world title fight with 3 judges (albeit one being the referee), although not sure having your promoter as one of the judges would wash today.
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Re: What year did "judges" become part of boxing?
This is an interesting question, 584029 ! 
As orbastic mentioned, 1919 does look to be the first time a heavyweight title with more than the just the referee scoring the fight.
Different stats and jurisdictions had different rules. It looks like it started becoming more common throughout the 1920s. (Though notably Dempsey-Gibbons only had the referee scoring the fight.)
The 1931 Max Baer-Uzcudun fight only had the referee scoring it. (That would Jack Dempsey as the ref, sole judge and promoter of the fight.
)
After that, it seems like it was rare for a fight to have the judge scoring it; though I think as late as at least the 1970s it was still happening.
As orbastic mentioned, 1919 does look to be the first time a heavyweight title with more than the just the referee scoring the fight.
Different stats and jurisdictions had different rules. It looks like it started becoming more common throughout the 1920s. (Though notably Dempsey-Gibbons only had the referee scoring the fight.)
The 1931 Max Baer-Uzcudun fight only had the referee scoring it. (That would Jack Dempsey as the ref, sole judge and promoter of the fight.
) After that, it seems like it was rare for a fight to have the judge scoring it; though I think as late as at least the 1970s it was still happening.
Re: What year did "judges" become part of boxing?
The ref only can judge the fight even in the modern time. Fury-John McDermott I was like that.
Re: What year did "judges" become part of boxing?
The Dempsey/Tunney fights are odd - They are ten rounders (from memory) and I believe it was down to a particular set of rules enforced at the time. Can't remember the details.
In England/UK, the ref was the sole scorer of British title fights for some years, this persisted until the 00s I believe and persisted beyond that in English title fights as DrDuke points out. Famously, the Cooper/Bugner fight was decided by a quarter (one round) point by the ref/judge Harry Gibbs, Cooper refused to speak to him for decades after that. The Commonwealth title fights were the same (although quite common for titles to be on the line at the same time as British).
In England/UK, the ref was the sole scorer of British title fights for some years, this persisted until the 00s I believe and persisted beyond that in English title fights as DrDuke points out. Famously, the Cooper/Bugner fight was decided by a quarter (one round) point by the ref/judge Harry Gibbs, Cooper refused to speak to him for decades after that. The Commonwealth title fights were the same (although quite common for titles to be on the line at the same time as British).