The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-06-27
ollie PecOrd Will Referee
Willard Dempsey Fight
Toledo Official Chosen to
Serve as Third Man in Ring
on July 4.

TOLEDO, o, June 27-onHe Peeord,
official referee Of the Toledo boxing
commission, viii be the third man in the
ring when Jess Willard and Jack Demp-
sey meet In their heavyweight cham
pionship contest here July e.
Tex Richard. promoter of the con-
test. and Mai A, J. Dnexel- Biddie, a
wealthy sportsman Of PHILADELPHIA, were
selected to serve with PecOrd as Judges
" tbes contest. Jack Skelly, a veteran
ring official of Yonkers, n. r.. was
CHOSEN alternate referee and w. War.
timekeeper.
Record himself is a former profess
slonal boxer and ball player. He is
62 years old. Record came to Toledo
~ years III and began his professional
nexIng career here as a weltsrweight
Pecord was in the ring about five
years When James J. Corbett spent
q week here training for his last con
test with Jeffriss, Peeord donned the
gloves with him several times at his
training camp near the present site Of
the Dempsey camp.
Played With Barons
In 1898 Pecord was a member of the
Birmingham team Of the Southern
league and played with the Toledo club
o. the old Western league the follow
ing year. In 1898 he played on the
Galesburg and Rock Island teams Of
referee began in 1894 when he ~officiated
at the bout between two negroes held
IN a barn at Willlston, o., for a $3.50
side bet and 2b-T5 per cent division
Of the receipts. Bouts at that time
required a fearless referee and Pecord
procured a 3s-caliber revolver for pro-
lection before the contest began.
Since that time Pecord has refereed
about four hundred bouts. He was
appointed official referee OF the To-
ledo boxing commission when 1t was
organized a year & last April and
has offieiated at all contests held under
the direction of this body.
Last October when ii was decided
to stage the bouts in Toledo for charity
Peeord donated his services and since
then has referred without remunera-
ton. The S2.b00 he will receive for
officiating on the Fourth comes in the
nature Of a reward for his work in
Less than so pounds instead of the
heralded so or 20 pounds will be the
difference in weight between Jess Will
lard and Jack Dempsey when they
climb into the ring at Bayview park
a week from today to box for the
worlds heavyweight championship,
Willard Weighs.
The champion weighed himself be-
fore starting his workout yesterday and
to the surprise of boxing experts tipped
the beam at 243 Ia pounds. This is
six and a quarter pounds below the
weight he made for his championship
match with Jack Johnson. A week
ago the champion scaled 24S pounds.
Dempsey scaled 1877 pounds yester-
day and Jimmy De Forrest, trainer
OF the challenger, said today that he
expects to send his charge into the ring
weighing about that figure, while VIII
lard expects to scale between 240 and
245 pounds. He will weigh nearer the
240-pound mark. experts believe.
In the remaining seven days before
the contest it is regarded as more than
likely that willard, rather than Demp-
sey will reduce the most. Willard al
ways has been a heavy water drinker
and when he goes through his drying
out process for the SO hours preceding
the match he probably win take off
al least five pounds, Dempsey, his
trainers say, can hardly be expected
to lose more than a pound or two,