The times., 1898-01-23
A REFEREES DUTIES.
Siler Says That Their Lot Is Not q
Happy Cne.

Siler Says That Their Lot Is Not
Happy Cne.
Referee George Siler has expressed
and answer the charges preferred
against him by the eX-champion. No
one who witnessed the battle between
FitZsimmons and Corbett at Carson
City last st. Patricks day or who has
ever had any dealings whatever with
Siler believes that he is dishonest. His
strong point in refereeing is that he
hardly lets anybody know that he is
in the ring. He conducts matters SO
smoothly that there is rarely any oc-
Casion to make himself prominent and
the result is that spectators invariably
remark that bouts that he referees are
very easy ones to conduct 1t does not
always seem to them that the bouts
were easy to referee because Siler made
them so.
In a talk on his end Of the pugilistic
business Siler said: The public rarely
appreciates how much there is To
refereeing a boxing match Nothing
looks easier from the outside, unless il
is to umpire a ball game. yet it is
very difficult task to suit all parties
concerned 1 have often thought that
1 would write an article on the referee
from three different standpoints-wha
the public wants, what the fighters
want him to do, and what he wants TO
do himself
Some people do not think referee
is doing his work unless he keeps going
between the boxers and breaking them
away Now, that is something | very
seldom do: never, in fact, unless man
hangs on to his opponent. In the first
place. il is useless: then, 1t is mani
festly unfair, and it is hard work. If
the boxers know you are going to rush
in between them and break them away
they will wait for you to do it. IL they
know they must break when they are
told TO they will do that. 1t would be
easy for a referee to be unfair in break
ing away without its being apparent.
He could elbow the man he wanted to
see loose in a sore spot, push him or
annoy him in a dozen ways. Every
one will admit that there are stages at
which a very slight push or little
rough handling could make decided
difference in the result Of a contest.
Il never touch a man if / can help
ft In fact. / think it is against the 1
spirit and letter of the rules to have /
any one touch the contestants while /
lhey are fighting, and a referee should l
not be excepted
talk a great uedl " lbS bOASiS
while in the ring and constantly keep |
warning them if / see inclinations to /
foul. accidentally or otherwise. Trou- |
ole is often avoided by anticipating I
fouls. and a referee who is well up in |
the game is frequently able to do this. |
The first thing for referee to do Is TO |
become absolutely deaf to the audience /
No matter how strong a favorite a man
is. he is entitled to none the better of |
a laaiCipr1 IIT1lnGS he IT. There I
are some people who cannot see any
thing that goes on that is not to the
of their man. inexperienced |
seconds are this way, and they are Of
zen honest in their belief that they
have been robbed by the referee.
Many fighters, too, oYerestlmate the
damage their blows are doing, and can
not see that they are getting weak
themselves. These men are often very
sincere i'm their belief that they have
been robbed.
Il think that boxing as sport is
very clean and honest. and have rarely
known of crookedness where people OF
any reputation were concerned. A ref
cree who, cares anything for his stand
ing would not dare give bad decision
1t would do him ten times
as much damage as what he could
make out of ii would do him good. For
that reason it pays to have men in
the ring who have something of a rep
utation TO sustain. The position is not
an enviable one at best. A little mis-
take might overthrow years of excel
ent work. When / went into the ring
at Carson | knew mistake would not
only end my career as referee. but
my career as a mortal as we'll. Yet L
had perfect confidence in myself. / am
glad. however that the result was so
decisive that there was no room for
1oubt."