"all of which concerned referees who fixed matches for gamblers. Many sports writers have speculated that in leagues with high player salaries, it is far more likely for a referee to become corrupt since their pay in such competitions is usually much less than that of the players. On December 2, 1896, former Old West lawman Wyatt Earp refereed the Fitzsimmons vs. Sharkey boxing match, promoted as the Heavyweight Championship of the World. Earp was chosen as referee by the National Athletic Association the afternoon of the match after both managers refused to agree on a choice. In the eighth"
"considerable sums of money; each may have engaged in extramarital affairs. Josephine could also be controlling, and a relative of Wyatt joked that nobody could convict him of cold-blooded murder because he had lived with her for almost 50 years. Earp was a last-minute choice as referee for a boxing match on December 2, 1896 which the promoters billed as the heavyweight championship of the world, when Bob Fitzsimmons was set to fight Tom Sharkey at the Mechanics' Pavilion in San Francisco. Earp had refereed 30 or so matches in earlier days, though not under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules"
"with 20 knockouts. He had already fought Corbett on June 24, 1896 in San Francisco, but the match was ruled a draw after four rounds due to police interference. Promoter Jim Coffroth promoted the match between Fitzsimmons and Sharkey as the World Heavyweight Championship. Although boxing was illegal, the fight between Fitzsimmons and Sharkey was very popular, and the title fight was attended by city and police officials who bet on the outcome like everyone else. Nationwide, the public believed Fitzsimmons would win. In the days prior to the fight, Fitzsimmons was favored 3/1, until a late surge of betting"
"and ex-Navy man Tom Sharkey acting as referee, Abe claimed to have knocked out the bear, who fell from the ring damaging a grand piano, infuriating the Museum's manager and amazing the large audience who included several Tammany Hall politicians. Sharkey had held the World Heavyweight Championship from 1896-98, and was arguably the greatest boxer the Navy produced at the turn of the century. Abe boxed or wrestled a kangaroo in an exhibition in Australia during his first world cruise with the Navy around 1907-8, but was thrown out of the ring by a swing of the animal's tail. These"
"also called the heavyweight fight between Corbett and Tom Sharkey on November 22, 1898, in New York, which ended in controversy when one of Corbett's cornermen jumped into the ring in the ninth round. Kelly announced that although Corbett had lost the fight on the foul, all bets were off. On July 3, 1899, in Buffalo, New York, Kelly refereed the bout in which Frank Erne won a 20-round decision to take the world lightweight title from Kid Lavigne. Kelly died in Malba, Queens, at the age of 69, and is interred at the Calvary Cemetery in Woodside, New York."
"round of a fight dominated by Fitzsimmons, Sharkey suddenly went down, clutching his groin, yelling foul. Referee Earp conferred with both corners for a few seconds before he disqualified Fitzsimmons for a foul that virtually no one saw. Fitzsimmons went to court to attempt to stop Shakey from taking the purse, but failed when the court ruled that the match was illegal and it had no jurisdiction. Eight years later, Dr. B. Brookes Lee was arrested in Portland, Oregon. He had been accused of treating Sharkey to make it appear that he had been fouled by Fitzsimmons. Lee said, ""I"
"as both men were known for their straightforward style. Another well-known boxer of O'Rourke's is Sailor Tom Sharkey, who was managed by O'Rourke when he lost the heavyweight title bout with James J. Jeffries in 1889. The number one fighter that he began managing was George Gardner, once the Light Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1903. Gardner won the title from Jack Root and lost the title to Bob Fitzsimmons. It is often thought that the Fitzsimmons match was a publicity stunt, possibly a bribery making Fitzsimmons the first triple title champion in boxing history. O'Rourke died after collapsing"
"if struck is entitled to the stakes."" Very few witnessed the foul Earp ruled on. He awarded the decision to Sharkey, whom attendants carried out as ""...limp as a rag."". Sharkey claimed the heavyweight title until Corbett resumed his fighting career, who was recognized as the champion until he was knocked out by Fitzsimmons in a title bout. Sharkey was involved in another controversial fight when he faced Corbett on November 22, 1898. In this bout Sharkey manhandled the shifty and elusive Corbett. He threw him to the ground, hit him with hard punches to the body and head and"
"his retirement in 1897 and resumed his fighting career, he was generally recognized as the still-reigning heavyweight champion. On March 17, 1897, in Carson City, Nevada, Fitzsimmons knocked Corbett out in round 14, gaining the heavyweight crown. Corbett, hoping to record a win that would put him in contention for the heavyweight title once again, met Sharkey again on November 22, 1898. Sharkey was on the verge of victory when Corbett's cornerman McVey entered the ring in the ninth round. Referee Kelly promptly declared , disqualified Corbett, and awarded the bout to Sharkey. Fitzsimmons and Sharkey met again on July"
"was greeted with loud boos and catcalls. Earp based his decision on the Marquess of Queensberry rules, which state in part, ""A man on one knee is considered down and if struck is entitled to the stakes."" Very few witnessed the foul Earp ruled on. He awarded the decision to Sharkey, who attendants carried out as ""...limp as a rag."". In 1896, Fitzsimmons won a disputed version of the World Heavyweight Championship in a fight in Langtry, Texas, against the Irish fighter Peter Maher. On 17 March 1897, in Carson City, Nevada, he knocked out American Jim Corbett, generally recognised"
"Cochise County Sheriff Johnny Behan had a ""deadly feud"". It described Behan as ""an honest man, a good official, and possessed many of the attributes of a gentleman"". Earp, on the other hand, ""was head of band of desperadoes, a partner in stage robbers, and a friend of gamblers and professional killers... Wyatt was the boss killer of the region."" On December 2, 1896, Wyatt refereed the Fitzsimmons vs. Sharkey boxing match. He called the match in Sharkey's favor, even though Fitizsimmons had dominated the match and Sharkey was down. Newspaper accounts and testimony over the next two weeks revealed"
"accused him of accepting a payoff to throw the match. The story about the fight and Earp's contested decision was reprinted nationwide. Earp left San Francisco soon after and when he died in 1929, he was perhaps more well-known for his decision in the title fight than his actions at the O.K. Corral gun fight. In 1905, Dr. B. Brookes Lee confirmed the fight had been fixed and confessed he had treated Sharkey so it would appear that he had been fouled, although it's unclear if Earp had prior knowledge of the scam. In 1896, James J. Corbett, the first"
"24, 1900, and Fitzsimmons won with a knockout. Fitzsimmons retained the title until May 13, 1905, when he lost to James J. Jeffries. Eight years later, Dr. B. Brookes Lee was arrested in Portland, Oregon. He had been accused of treating Sharkey to make it appear that he had been fouled by Fitzsimmons. Lee said, ""I fixed Sharkey up to look as if he had been fouled. How? Well, that is something I do not care to reveal, but I will assert that it was done—that is enough. There is no doubt that Fitzsimmons was entitled to the decision and"
"to head referee) always has the final say. What he says goes. The only way for a call to be changed is for one of the competitors to ask for a review (protest). If the Director acknowledged his own error, he may change the call. Though it was universally used, this method had serious limitations. This is described by the London newspaper, the ""Daily Telegraph & Courier"", on June 25, 1896: On Tuesday night, a 10 Warwick Street, Regent Street, the Salle d’Armes of the veteran fencing-master M. Bertrand, an exhibition was given of an exceedingly clever invention. Every one"
"hits the two men exchanged clearly. What was obvious to everyone watching was that Fitzsimmons hit Sharkey with his famous ""solar plexus punch,"" an uppercut that struck under the opponent's heart and could temporarily leave the opponent helpless. Different sources describe the alleged foul. In the much-criticized and disputed biography """", Stuart N. Lake wrote that Sharkey ""stumbled forward instead of back. Fitzsimmons' right, coming up, struck Sharkey in the groin."" Sharkey later testified Fitzsimmons hit him below the belt. Sharkey went down, clutched his groin, and rolled on the canvas, screaming foul. Earp stopped the bout, and after conferring"
"Sharkey below the belt, but virtually no one witnessed the punch. Earp awarded the fight to Sharkey, whom attendants carried out as ""limp as a rag"". The 15,000 fans in attendance greeted his decision with loud boos and catcalls. It was widely believed that no foul had occurred and that Earp had bet on Sharkey. Several doctors verified afterward that Sharkey had been hit hard below the belt, but the public had bet heavily on Fitzsimmons and they were livid at the outcome. Fitzsimmons went to court to overturn Earp's decision, and newspaper accounts and testimony over the next two"
"but under the older and more liberal London Prize Ring Rules. The fight may have been the most anticipated fight on American soil that year. Fitzsimmons was favored to win, and the public and even civic officials placed bets on the outcome. Fitzsimmons dominated Sharkey throughout the fight, and he hit Sharkey with his famed ""solar plexus punch"" in the eighth round, an uppercut under the heart that could render a man temporarily helpless. Then, at Fitzsimmons' next punch, Sharkey dropped, clutched his groin, and rolled on the canvas screaming foul. Earp stopped the bout, ruling that Fitzsimmons had hit"
"the fight on points. The crowd of 50,000 ... amazed that Farr had not been knocked out or even knocked down, booed the decision."" It seems the crowd believed that referee Arthur Donovan, Sr. had raised Farr's glove in victory. Seven years later, in his published account of the fight, Donovan spoke of the ""mistake"" that may have led to this confusion. He wrote: As Tommy walked back to his corner after shaking Louis' hand, I followed him and seized his glove. ""Tommy, a wonderful perform—"" I began ... Then I dropped his hand like a red-hot coal! He had"
"broadcasts on WOR-TV, Channel 9 and the MSG Network. His 1972–73 partner was Sal Marchiano, and from 1973–81 he was paired with Jim Gordon. Bill Chadwick William Leroy ""The Big Whistle"" Chadwick (October 10, 1915 – October 24, 2009) was the first US-born referee to serve in the National Hockey League (NHL). Despite having complete vision in only one eye, his on-ice officiating career spanned the greater part of the 1940s and 1950s, during which he pioneered the system of hand signals for penalties which is now used in all hockey games internationally. He later was a popular broadcaster for"
"a lot of attention when he had to be disarmed. He later said he forgot he was wearing it. Fitzsimmons was taller and quicker than Sharkey and dominated the fight from the opening bell. In the eighth round, Fitzsimmons hit Sharkey with his famed ""solar plexus punch,"" an uppercut under the heart that could render a man temporarily helpless. The punch caught Sharkey, Earp, and most of the crowd by surprise, and Sharkey dropped, clutched his groin, and rolled on the canvas, screamed foul. Earp stopped the bout, ruling that Fitzsimmons had hit Sharkey when he was down. His ruling"
"(keep track of players' scores) in a local pub which was the start of his long career in darts. Shortly after refereeing a youth match in Essex, darts player Bobby George asked Fitzmaurice if he would referee for him in exhibition matches when his regular referee Freddie Williams was unavailable. The two ended up working together for around five years. Then at the World Masters in 1985 regular caller Jack Price was taken ill, Bobby George's persistence with the BDO to use Fitzmaurice paid off and he stood in to fulfil the role. Fitzmaurice was a chalker at the 1986"
"of having a financial interest in the outcome. Earp was parodied in a caricature by ""The New York Herald"" as a ""cackling, washed-up ruffian pointing a gun at Fitzsimmons with his right hand while slipping a bag of cash to Sharkey with the left"", wearing a sombrero with a knife in his teeth. It was reprinted in ""The San Francisco Call"" on December 12, 1896. The image and the attacks by the press dogged him the rest of his life. The stories in newspapers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego were reproduced nationwide and read by a public"
"Canada, one of boxing's first championship televised bouts. Moore came off the canvas three times in the first round, and again in the fifth round, to knock out Durelle in the eleventh round. Sharkey also refereed the rematch at The Forum, in which Moore knocked down Durelle four times in the third round before knocking him out on August 12, 1959. Both bouts were world televised in black and white from Canada, with commentary and post-fight interviews. Jack Sharkey Jack Sharkey (, October 26, 1902 – August 17, 1994) was an American world heavyweight boxing champion. He was born Joseph"
"not exceedingly rare in this era of boxing. With the demanding schedule many boxers kept, where injuries and fatigue were both common, boxers would on very rare occasions perform more than box. The bout's original referee Fitzgerald left the ring after the third of ten rounds declaring the bout was a ""frame-up"" and that the boxers were refusing to fight. That a World Champion might fix a fight was rare but not unheard of in this era, as sometimes organized crime exerted major influence on the outcome of fights. A Police Chief Cowles warned both fighters to box, and finally"
"Harry Gibbs (referee) Harry Gibbs OBE (1920–1999) was an English boxing referee and judge. In a career spanning four decades, Gibbs took charge of numerous world title fights, and officiated in bouts involving Muhammad Ali, Roberto Durán, Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson, Thomas Hearns, Mike Tyson, Barry McGuigan and Joe Frazier. He was the referee and sole judge of the fight between Henry Cooper and Joe Bugner in 1971, awarding the fight to Bugner by a quarter of a point, which remains one of the most controversial decisions in British boxing history. His name was put forward to be"
"at age 62. Toss Kelly Thomas B. ""Toss"" Kelly (May 6, 1862 – November 2, 1924) was a professional baseball umpire. Kelly, born in Massachusetts in 1862, was a long-time umpire in the minor leagues, including twelve years in the Eastern League (which later became the International League). In 1905, Kelly was signed as an American League umpire by Ban Johnson. Kelly made his major league debut on April 15, and worked a total of 67 games (49 as the home plate umpire) through July 11. He issued 8 ejections during that time, including outfielder Jim Jackson of the Cleveland"
"in seventh place. Kelly became a championship boxing referee, officiating Jim Corbett's only successful defense of his heavyweight title against Charley Mitchell on January 25, 1894, in Jacksonville, Florida. In the second round, after Mitchell had begun the fight with constant slurs directed at Corbett, the champion landed a blow to Mitchell's head after he had been knocked to the mat. Mitchell's corner called for a foul, but the presence of numerous spectators brandishing guns and eager to defend their bets led Kelly to dismiss the complaint; he later confided that he had been lucky to leave Jacksonville alive. He"
"College in that city. He did postgraduate work in Italy. Rottanzi was also a pharmacist, and in 1895 he was living at 301 Third Street, where he was operating the Old South Park Statuary Drug Store. He was a partner there with Giosue Rottanzi, ""a prominent member of the Swiss Italian colony."" He was one of the ""physicians of prominence"" who examined boxer Tom Sharkey after his December 1896 ""world championship"" fight with Bob Fitzsimmons in Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, a day after Sharkey had to quit the fight because of an injury. In May 1898, Rottanzi was a member"
"Kick Kelly John O. ""Kick"" Kelly (October 31, 1856 – March 27, 1926), also nicknamed ""Honest John"" and ""Diamond John,"" was an American catcher, manager and umpire in Major League Baseball who went on to become a boxing referee and to run gambling houses in his native New York City. He made a notable impact on the development of umpiring, helping to pioneer the use of multiple umpires in games in the 1880s. By the time he initially retired in , he held the record for most games umpired in the major leagues (587); he returned to work the last"
"Kick Kelly John O. ""Kick"" Kelly (October 31, 1856 – March 27, 1926), also nicknamed ""Honest John"" and ""Diamond John,"" was an American catcher, manager and umpire in Major League Baseball who went on to become a boxing referee and to run gambling houses in his native New York City. He made a notable impact on the development of umpiring, helping to pioneer the use of multiple umpires in games in the 1880s. By the time he initially retired in , he held the record for most games umpired in the major leagues (587); he returned to work the last"
"worked Virginia League and the Atlantic League. William Betts (umpire) William G. Betts ([?] 1865 – September 9, 1936) was a Major League Baseball umpire. He was born William G. Betz. Betts officiated 121 National League games from to . He led the league in ejections with five in . He then umpired in the American League in the and seasons. A machinist, Betts designed a new umpire indicator for National League umpires prior to the season. In 1896, he became the first umpire to use a small wisk broom to clean home plate during games. In between his stints"
"1994 and died a few months later, on August 17, age 91, due to respiratory arrest. After Max Schmeling, the man he beat to become Heavyweight champion, Sharkey is the second longest-lived Heavyweight champion in history. While demonstrating fly fishing at the New York Sportsman Show in 1965, he was asked if he preferred fly fishing to boxing. ""It doesn't pay as much"", he replied, ""but then the fish don't hit back."" Ex-world heavyweight champion Jack Sharkey refereed the world light heavyweight title defense by Archie Moore against Yvon Durelle on December 10, 1958, at The Forum, in Montreal, Quebec,"
"William Betts (umpire) William G. Betts ([?] 1865 – September 9, 1936) was a Major League Baseball umpire. He was born William G. Betz. Betts officiated 121 National League games from to . He led the league in ejections with five in . He then umpired in the American League in the and seasons. A machinist, Betts designed a new umpire indicator for National League umpires prior to the season. In 1896, he became the first umpire to use a small wisk broom to clean home plate during games. In between his stints in the National and American leagues, Betts"