REFEREES.

NZ Truth, Issue 998, 10 January 1925, Page 11

REFEREES.

And Their Systems.

The action of Referee Frank Burns allowing Purdy to leave the ring at Auckland recalls one famous fight the Auckland referee controlled at Hastings m 1920. This was. a preliminary to the Tommy Uren and Jim Clabby return bout, and the boys interested were Dick Meale and Wiri Gray. To illustrate what futile actions some referees are capable of, I quote ouf report on the fight:

"Mealo (Wellington) and Gray (Takapau) saw the dawn of a new era m fight lore, for m this fight the spectators w%re treated to two m one. In the first round Meale did not fight with his customary confidence, which was probably due to the fact that his tutor, Tim Tracy, was not m his corner, and the first round belonged to Gray, who is a pretty rugged customer. Halfway through the second round the "Wellington man was floored with a short right, and to all intents and purposes was 'out,' which caused the referee to 'take upon his shoulders the responsibility of assuming that he would not 'get up again, and evidenced this contention by hailing Gray the winner immediately after the count had proceeded to 'six.' Imagine the consternation of all and sundry when the log at his feet commenced to roll and! bobbed up with surprising energy, his face resembling a note of interrogation, and asking 'whaffor?' Meanwhile the heralded winner was having his gloves untied. Referee Burns was now m a quandary, but his subtle imagination came to >the rescue and he ruled that the gong had sounded. Meale, after, the minute interval, resumed the fight and produced his latent right and 'kinged' the milkman from Takapau half-way ; through the fourth round."

There you are. Two winners m one fight! So there is no need to be surprised over the Purdy affair.