Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1908-01-29
REFEREE MUST
BE HONEST
Billy Madden Tried to Make That
a Rule But Failed Other
Fight News.


developing Gus Rubin into a good
heavyweight of the second division,
came to the conclusion some years
ago that the rules of boxing were to-
tally inadequate and that complete
revision was necessary at once. So
William secreted himself with an elab-
crate assortment of writing material,
and when he emerged. he had in his
possession a revision of the Queens
bury rules that he believed would
meet all requirements and put the
sport on the high road to success.
Madden's rules were never adopted,
or even considered, but there was one
clause of them that deserved to be
engraved in steel and kept in a con-
spicuous place forever. That clause
read:
The referee must be honest
Mr. Madden failed to illuminate the
rules with a plan for assuring the
honesty of the referee, but his intent
was so good that no fault was found
on that score.
1t is quite true that dishonest ref
erees have brought much discredit on
pugilism, but just as much harln has
been done by the incompetent ones.
Ignorant referees also have injected a
great deal of entertainment into a
form of sport that is by no means pro-
ductive of merriment. Some OF the
rulings Of modern referees have been
of a character to make Solomon turn
over in his tomb, but as the decision
of the third man in the ring is irrevO-
cable, there is nothing for the victims
to do but grin and bear it.
The most unjust decision ever rem
dered In the prize ring was that of
William Tate, who declared that John
l.. Sullivan had won from Dominick
McCaffrey in Cincinnati in 1885. Tate
was afraid to give his decision in the
ring. as Sullivan, who was a whipped
man, refused to come out of his cor
ner for the seventh round and clearly
lost the decision. SO Tate left the
ring without making decision, which
is violation of the rules, and went
to his home in Toledo. Two days af-
ter the battle Tate declared that Sui
Ivan was the winner.
Hardly second to the Tate decision
in deliberate unfairness was that rem
dered by Wyatt carp when Bob Fitz-
simmons knocked out Tom Sharkey
in the eighth round of a bout in San
Francisco in 1896. Fitz outclassed
Sharkey and had the Sailor at his
mercy at all stages of the game, but
Sharkey had an ace in the hole. The
referee was with him, and the Sailor
had been coached to yell -Four any
time he felt he was on the verge
of defeat Another angle to the bat
tie is the rather well understood fact
that Fitz and his clique had laid their
money in the pool rooms on the pro-
position that Sharkey would last six
rounds and the Cornishman was TO
play with the Sailor till after the sixth
round and the bets were won, when
Fitz was to finish Sharkey in n hurry.
1t is on record that Fftz had great
difficulty in delaying the knockout
till after the sixth round and that
several times he was compelled to
slow down in order to permit the Sail
or to recover from the effects of par
ticularly vicious blow. In the fifth
round ii Is said that Fitz deliberately
sought Sharkey when the Sailor was
about to drop and held him up, with
a feigned clinch. till the gong sent
him to his corner.
In that way Fitz managed to keep
Sharkeyg going till the end of the sixth
round and when the gong called them
to the center for the seventh round
Fitz started in to end the affair. He
gave the Sailor a terrific beating in
the seventh. but Sharkey managed to
survive till the eighth. when Old
Freckles cut loose with his left shift.
After feinting with his right few
times Fitz shifted and drove his left
to the pit Of the stomach, which dou-
bled up Sharkey like a contortionist.
Then FitZ uppercut with the same
hand to the jaw and the Sailor went
down in a heap. He was knocked out,
but as soon as he found his voice. he
yelled Four and writhed about the
ring floor in apparent agony. Fitz
eIlhHeu anu utEaH " CUuuL UP Tue
profits Of the bout.
''Sharkey wins on a foul" said
Referee carp. and F1tz turned so pale
that all his freckIes stood not like
copper pennies. There was some llti-
CATION. hut FItz did not get anything
except the short end Of the purse,
the money he won on the six round
scheme and some discordant laugh
Ter. Sharkey played sick for some
time after the fight. although 10 is
that when 70 one was near
he was lively enough. There was
some talk TO the effect that Fitz would
try his left shift on carp. but as that
gentleman was an expert in the hand /
ling Of hair trigger shooting irons. Of
which he always kept a plentiful sup
ply. II is likely that the reported in
tentions Of Fitz were exaggerated. At
any rate he did not spring the left
shift on carp.