BoxRec

When did the practice of the ref picking up the count from an official at ringside begin ? The Dempsey-Tunney long count bout didn't have such a rule for instance. No count could begin until a man was in the corner but today it begins as soon a man is down; however the ref doesn't begin the count, as we all know, but instead "picks it up."

That is a great question. I suspect that it being boxing, there were several years where it varied depending on who had jurisdiction of the fight. Guessing by the 1950s it was pretty standard.