EDUCATING THE REFEREE
O n November 23, 1979, middleweight boxer Willie “Macho” Classen got knocked out by Wilfred Scypion in the tenth round of a bout held in the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden. Five days later, Classen died from a subdural hematoma. The New York State Athletic Commission asked renowned neuropathologist Bennett Derby, M.D., a professor at the New York University School of Medicine, for suggestions to better protect professional boxers. The result was an instructional video conceived and narrated by the doctor and intended for referees and ringside physicians. Though the video was offered to any state boxing commission that requested it, it’s not known how many asked to see it. During my tenure as an inspector with the New York State Athletic Commission (1981–1982), I saw and was impressed by the video. In it, Dr. Derby describes an “early warning system” (explained in this chapter) that can help a referee or doctor determine whether a fight should be stopped. I had always assumed that this valuable instructional video would be required viewing for every licensed referee and ringside physician working fights in New York State and perhaps other states as well. I was wrong. As it turned out, few referees or ringside physicians had ever seen the video. In a recent phone call to a deputy commissioner, I was told the video had probably been discarded years earlier, during one of the commission’s periodic house cleanings. You should never underestimate the potential for bureaucratic incompetence and negligence in a taxpayer-funded organization. After one year [...], I left to become a licensed boxing promoter, prohibited by commission rules from also being an inspector. Before leaving the inspector job, I asked to make an audio recording of Dr. Derby’s presentation. The potentially lifesaving information it provides – including the “early warning system” – is still valid today, which is why I have decided to include it in this book. The following transcription of the audio portion of the video should be required reading for every referee and ringside physician.
The following is an excerpt from award-winning boxing historian Mike Silver’s newest book, When in Doubt, Stop the Bout. The book proposes innovative and practical solutions that will make the sport safer without diluting its primal appeal.
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