“BROWN envelopes? Don’t make me laugh!” exclaims Ian John-Lewis, after which he does chortle at what he sees as an absurdity.
Rightly or wrongly, boxing is seen as a corrupt sport, with a enterprise finish staffed by gangsters, frauds, dastardly promoters and officers on the take. And one official who’s needed to face such allegations greater than as soon as is John-Lewis, a vastly skilled referee and decide who’s made quite a lot of high-profile controversial calls on either side of the ropes.
Most latest, and most controversial of all, was his scorecard in final February’s world super-welterweight title combat between Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall. Taylor’s arm was raised after a bout in which seemingly the solely individuals who thought he’d received have been two of the judges – one in every of which was John-Lewis.
Such was the stink kicked up by this consequence that he by no means once more labored for the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC). First, he was demoted from Star Class to A-Class, which means he would not be allowed to officiate main title fights. Then, having been supplied no additional work since Taylor-Catterall, John-Lewis handed in his licence in September.
Some followers may say this was overdue. The 60-year-old from Strood in Kent had made a status for himself as somebody who had “got it wrong” a number of too many occasions. Those of a much less diplomatic nature have questioned his integrity, and by no means extra so than after Taylor-Catterall.
John-Lewis’s response to those that’d name him crooked?
“Bollocks.”
He provides, sarcastically: “I want I used to be being handed brown envelopes. People suppose referees receives a commission a fortune. I simply suppose ’you wankers’. I’ve come again some nights, after being away for 2 days, sat down and counted my cash and I’ve come dwelling with lower than 100 and fifty quid.
“And I’ve stayed in some proper shit-holes. Don’t get me flawed, I’ve been put up in some very good locations, however for some I’ve needed to take my very own meals, ensure that I’ve obtained some chocolate in my bag and a spare blanket in the automobile.
“The worst was in Hartlepool one winter. It was a proper dive. It had no central heating and the window wouldn’t shut. It was completely freezing. I needed to sleep in my coat.
“When I was made a Star referee, I thought that’s it, I’ll quit my job and travel the world. But nah… There’s not one official who makes a living from it. That’s what most people don’t understand. It’s no more than a paid hobby. You have to do it because you love boxing.”
What John-Lewis does make a residing from is the full-time job he’s held since 1996. He’s a detention officer for Kent Police. “When you’re booked in, I take your prints, photo and DNA if needed,” he explains, “then I put you in your cell and take care of you till your interview.
“It’s a horrible, difficult job, because obviously nobody who’s there wants to be there. But sometimes they recognise me. ‘Are you that referee? Fucking hell, what are you doing here?’ I tell them I’ve got a mortgage to pay! When they recognise me, they’re cool. I’m a cool guy, and also a tough guy if need be.”
The latter self-description is honest, as a result of John-Lewis was as soon as a boxer himself, one thing that evidently stays a supply of delight. He is most animated when recalling his combating days, re-enacting the strikes and punches that fashioned the key moments, by which level I’d already unintentionally ingratiated myself with him by mentioning his boxing career earlier than he’d talked about it.
“You know your stuff,” he says. “A lot of these young reporters don’t even know I boxed. They’re surprised when I tell them.”
19 Feb 1992: Darren Dyer and Ian John-Lewis in motion (Howard Boylan/Allsport)
Some of the boxers he’s refereed have been additionally unaware of this, however John-Lewis all the time makes positive to allow them to know. “I tell them in the dressing room when I give them their instructions. Then they respect me as an ex-fighter.”
That respect has sometimes been misplaced, although. A recurring theme in his refereeing career has been of seemingly stopping fights prematurely, triggering some animated protests from the boxers he’s “saved”. But John-Lewis says he understands, as an ex-fighter, that such reactions are sometimes face-saving measures.
“When I got stopped against Trevor Smith [l rsf 8 in 1989], even after I got up for the fourth time I said to the ref ‘I’m all right!’, but I knew I wasn’t,” he says.
“Sometimes the fight gets beaten out of us, but we’ve all got bravado. You sometimes see [as a referee] the fighter wants you to stop it, but they can’t say so, so they kick off [when you do stop it] and then later they thank you. Then you know you’ve done a good job.”
But whereas even the harshest of critics will concede the tough balancing act referees face in making split-second selections, there’s no sympathy when a decide will get it “wrong”. They do, in spite of everything, have the finest seats in the home, and the luxurious of watching a combat with none distractions.
When debate follows a call, there may be all the time discuss the subjectivity of scoring boxing, that it comes right down to “what you like”. For John-Lewis, what he likes is a boxer who “makes the fight” – and maybe one who reminds him of his previous combating self.
“I was a pressure fighter, I was on you from the first bell,” he says. “That’s what you ought to be doing. You do get some beautiful counter-punchers – for those who make them miss, that’s nice, however you must counter as properly.
“If you hold, that’s my pet hate. Okay, if you get hit with a good shot and need to get your bearings, that’s fair, but holding for the sake of it, that’s a foul. It ruins it for the spectator and the opponent. The referee should be on top of that, but if he isn’t, we [judges] pick up on it.”
And other than “what you like”, John-Lewis additionally argues there’s a human tendency to reward what’s brisker in the reminiscence: “Crafty pros have that clock in their head and after two minutes will up their game, and some judges will think that was a good round. But if the other guy won the first two minutes, I’ll give him the round.”
Ultimately it was his judging quite than refereeing that obtained John-Lewis in bother with the Board, the Taylor-Catterall verdict being the “final straw”. But he believes it was not a lot the accumulation of his personal controversies that led to his demotion, however quite that the wider Board itself was beneath strain after a collection of uproarious calls by quite a lot of officers, and needed to be seen to do one thing.
While John-Lewis doesn’t want to criticise his friends or focus on their selections, what he’s seemingly referring to is a run from October 2020 to that fateful evening in Glasgow final yr, which started with Lewis Ritson’s extremely debatable cut up resolution over Miguel Vazquez, continued with Hamzah Sheeraz evading a disqualification regardless of hitting a downed Bradley Skeete 3 times, and reached a denouement with Taylor-Catterall.
All three have been televised by main broadcasters and, accordingly, triggered an outpouring of shock on-line. Of course, controversial selections have been rendered for as lengthy as the sport has existed, however social media has elevated fan engagement and intensified the demand for accountability.
“I was scapegoated, no doubt about that,” John-Lewis says. “I can’t believe the Board bowed under social media pressure. But they’ve picked on the wrong guy.”
This is referring to how he’s combating again, legally, by lodging a discrimination case in opposition to the BBBofC with an employment tribunal. While John-Lewis can not focus on the specifics of ongoing authorized motion, he’s claiming victimisation, defamation and lack of earnings.
“I’m not worried, because the truth will come out,” he says. “I’m looking forward to the hearing – not to slag people off, but to get the facts across and have people think of things a bit differently.”
Referee Ian John-Lewis catches a Badou Jack left hook when he jumped in to separate Jack from Adonis Stevenson at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on May 20, 2018 (Steve Russell/Toronto Star by way of Getty Images)
The spectre of corruption has by no means been helped, it needs to be stated, by how Board reacts to controversy. A gathering will probably be held, the official will clarify their rationale, it will nearly invariably (with John-Lewis being a vanishingly uncommon exception) be accepted, and that very same official will probably be again on the beat quickly after. It is all performed behind closed doorways and the Board bars referees and judges from discussing their work with followers or journalists.
But now, free of the BBBofC yoke, John-Lewis is glad to supply perception into his strategies. Taylor-Catterall is off-limits for authorized causes, however there’s nothing stopping him from speaking about another infamous nights (see sidebar).
“I appreciate being able to talk about these fights,” he says. “You won’t agree with me, however the manner I’ve defined it, it’s not less than given you one thing to consider, hasn’t it?
“A lot of officials do feel aggrieved when they can’t explain a decision. We do all moan about that. We can understand where they [the Board] are coming from – they don’t want us to dig a bigger hole for ourselves, or let reporters put words in our mouths – but we’re not stupid, and we know it looks bad, that not talking to the press looks like there’s something to hide.”
John-Lewis guarantees the upcoming tribunal (no dates are but set) will lay all the pieces naked. But even when he wins, he doesn’t need his previous job again, as he’s now selecting up work as a free agent, and was again on TV on March 4 dealing with bouts on a Misfits promotion, that divisive outfit main the “crossover boxing” cost.
“It’s a different sort of boxing, and the purists hate it, but the punches are real,” he says of the style which places novices in the ring due to their social media presence quite than their talent. “They train hard and they fight to the best of their ability, but they’re beginners so they don’t know better than to punch lumps out of each other. You need an official with good experience to look after them.”
That Misfits present (in)famously featured the first ever tag group boxing match, which John-Lewis judged.
“I did a double-take… tag team? Like the wrestling? Shut up, no!” he says. “I was very dubious. But you know what? It actually bloody worked! I was mesmerised.”
And how on earth do you rating tag group boxing? “It’s just the red and the blue corner, exactly the same. You score the team as one; same criteria.”
John-Lewis has really been again in the ring since December, having first been licensed by the British and Irish Boxing Authority (BIBA), after which by the Professional Boxing Association, which sanctions Misfits and different occasions. He’s additionally picked up work on semi-pro, white collar and charity exhibits.
“Before, if you left the Board, there was nothing,” he says. “It’s a completely different world now; there’s all sorts of boxing everywhere. I still love boxing and I still want to be involved, regardless of what it is.”
While the aforementioned organisations are all completely authorized, none are recognised by the BBBofC, BoxRec or Boxing News and, with the exception of the Misfits exhibits, are all on a a lot smaller scale than what John-Lewis had been accustomed to, having officiated a few of the greatest names in a few of the grandest venues.
“It’s grassroots boxing, but they are tomorrow’s champions. You need that; it’s good to get back to that,” he says.
“Once they heard I’d left the Board, these people started contacting me. At the veteran stage of my career, it’s nice to be involved in the next generation, it’s nice to be wanted. It’s all really positive; I’m really happy.”
It’s usually stated that cash can’t purchase happiness, and John-Lewis is proof of that, as he sits, contentedly, in the cosy front room of a modest cottage, with Julie, his spouse of 28 years, and their seven canines.
Money can also’t purchase you like, as a result of it’s not for thick brown envelopes that he’s drawn to boxing, however for the love of the sport.
And what cash most definitely can not purchase, John-Lewis assures us, is him.
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