Man in the Middle: Ian John-Lewis reflects on his career as the third man in the ring

โ€œBROWN envelopes? Donโ€™t make me laugh!โ€ exclaims Ian John-Lewis, and then he does laugh at what he sees as an absurdity.

Rightly or wrongly, boxing is seen as a corrupt sport, with a business end staffed by gangsters, frauds, dastardly promoters and officials on the take. And one official whoโ€™s had to face such allegations more than once is John-Lewis, a vastly experienced referee and judge whoโ€™s made a number of high-profile controversial calls on both sides of the ropes.

Most recent, and most controversial of all, was his scorecard in last Februaryโ€™s world super-welterweight title fight between Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall. Taylorโ€™s arm was raised after a bout in which seemingly the only people who thought heโ€™d won were two of the judges โ€“ one of which was John-Lewis.

Such was the stink kicked up by this result that he never again worked for the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC). First, he was demoted from Star Class to A-Class, meaning he would no longer be allowed to officiate major title fights. Then, having been offered no further work since Taylor-Catterall, John-Lewis handed in his licence in September.

Some fans might say this was overdue. The 60-year-old from Strood in Kent had made a reputation for himself as someone who had โ€œgot it wrongโ€ a few too many times. Those of a less diplomatic nature have questioned his integrity, and never more so than after Taylor-Catterall.

John-Lewisโ€™s response to those whoโ€™d call him crooked?

โ€œBollocks.โ€

He adds, sarcastically: โ€œI wish I was being passed brown envelopes. People think referees get paid a fortune. I just think โ€™you wankersโ€™. Iโ€™ve come back some nights, after being away for two days, sat down and counted my money and Iโ€™ve come home with less than a hundred and fifty quid.

โ€œAnd Iโ€™ve stayed in some right shit-holes. Donโ€™t get me wrong, Iโ€™ve been put up in some very nice places, but for some Iโ€™ve had to take my own food, make sure Iโ€™ve got some chocolate in my bag and a spare blanket in the car.

โ€œThe worst was in Hartlepool one winter. It was a right dive. It had no central heating and the window wouldnโ€™t close. It was absolutely freezing. I had to sleep in my coat.

โ€œWhen I was made a Star referee, I thought thatโ€™s it, Iโ€™ll quit my job and travel the world. But nahโ€ฆ Thereโ€™s not one official who makes a living from it. Thatโ€™s what most people donโ€™t understand. Itโ€™s no more than a paid hobby. You have to do it because you love boxing.โ€

What John-Lewis does make a living from is the full-time job heโ€™s held since 1996. Heโ€™s a detention officer for Kent Police. โ€œWhen youโ€™re booked in, I take your prints, photo and DNA if needed,โ€ he explains, โ€œthen I put you in your cell and look after you until your interview.

โ€œItโ€™s a horrible, difficult job, because obviously nobody whoโ€™s there wants to be there. But sometimes they recognise me. โ€˜Are you that referee? Fucking hell, what are you doing here?โ€™ I tell them Iโ€™ve got a mortgage to pay! When they recognise me, theyโ€™re cool. Iโ€™m a cool guy, and also a tough guy if need be.โ€

The latter self-description is fair, because John-Lewis was once a boxer himself, something that evidently remains a source of pride. He is most animated when recalling his fighting days, re-enacting the moves and punches that formed the key moments, by which point Iโ€™d already unintentionally ingratiated myself with him by bringing up his boxing career before heโ€™d mentioned it.

โ€œYou know your stuff,โ€ he says. โ€œA lot of these young reporters donโ€™t even know I boxed. Theyโ€™re surprised when I tell them.โ€

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19 Feb 1992: Darren Dyer and Ian John-Lewis in action (Howard Boylan/Allsport)

Some of the boxers heโ€™s refereed were also unaware of this, but John-Lewis always makes sure to let them know. โ€œI tell them in the dressing room when I give them their instructions. Then they respect me as an ex-fighter.โ€

That respect has occasionally been lost, though. A recurring theme in his refereeing career has been of seemingly stopping fights prematurely, triggering some animated protests from the boxers heโ€™s โ€œsavedโ€. But John-Lewis says he understands, as an ex-fighter, that such reactions are often face-saving measures.

โ€œWhen 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 โ€˜Iโ€™m all right!โ€™, but I knew I wasnโ€™t,โ€ he says.

โ€œSometimes the fight gets beaten out of us, but weโ€™ve all got bravado. You sometimes see [as a referee] the fighter wants you to stop it, but they canโ€™t say so, so they kick off [when you do stop it] and then later they thank you. Then you know youโ€™ve done a good job.โ€

But while even the harshest of critics will concede the difficult balancing act referees face in making split-second decisions, thereโ€™s no sympathy when a judge gets it โ€œwrongโ€. They do, after all, have the best seats in the house, and the luxury of watching a fight without any distractions.

When debate follows a decision, there is always talk about the subjectivity of scoring boxing, that it comes down to โ€œwhat you likeโ€. For John-Lewis, what he likes is a boxer who โ€œmakes the fightโ€ โ€“ and perhaps one who reminds him of his old fighting self.

โ€œI was a pressure fighter, I was on you from the first bell,โ€ he says. โ€œThatโ€™s what you should be doing. You do get some lovely counter-punchers โ€“ if you make them miss, thatโ€™s great, but you have to counter as well.

โ€œIf you hold, thatโ€™s my pet hate. Okay, if you get hit with a good shot and need to get your bearings, thatโ€™s fair, but holding for the sake of it, thatโ€™s a foul. It ruins it for the spectator and the opponent. The referee should be on top of that, but if he isnโ€™t, we [judges] pick up on it.โ€

And apart from โ€œwhat you likeโ€, John-Lewis also argues there is a human tendency to reward whatโ€™s fresher in the memory: โ€œCrafty 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, Iโ€™ll give him the round.โ€

Ultimately it was his judging rather than refereeing that got John-Lewis in trouble with the Board, the Taylor-Catterall verdict being the โ€œfinal strawโ€. But he believes it was not so much the accumulation of his own controversies that led to his demotion, but rather that the wider Board itself was under pressure after a series of uproarious calls by a variety of officials, and had to be seen to do something.

While John-Lewis doesnโ€™t wish to criticise his peers or discuss their decisions, what heโ€™s likely referring to is a run from October 2020 to that fateful night in Glasgow last year, which began with Lewis Ritsonโ€™s highly debatable split decision over Miguel Vazquez, continued with Hamzah Sheeraz evading a disqualification despite hitting a downed Bradley Skeete three times, and reached a denouement with Taylor-Catterall.

All three were televised by major broadcasters and, accordingly, triggered an outpouring of outrage online. Of course, controversial decisions have been rendered for as long as the sport has existed, but social media has increased fan engagement and intensified the demand for accountability.

โ€œI was scapegoated, no doubt about that,โ€ John-Lewis says. โ€œI canโ€™t believe the Board bowed under social media pressure. But theyโ€™ve picked on the wrong guy.โ€

This is referring to how he is fighting back, legally, by lodging a discrimination case against the BBBofC with an employment tribunal. While John-Lewis cannot discuss the specifics of ongoing legal action, he is claiming victimisation, defamation and loss of earnings.

โ€œIโ€™m not worried, because the truth will come out,โ€ he says. โ€œIโ€™m looking forward to the hearing โ€“ not to slag people off, but to get the facts across and have people think of things a bit differently.โ€

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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 via Getty Images)

The spectre of corruption has never been helped, it has to be said, by how Board reacts to controversy. A meeting will be held, the official will explain their rationale, this will almost invariably (with John-Lewis being a vanishingly rare exception) be accepted, and that same official will be back on the beat soon after. It is all conducted behind closed doors and the Board bars referees and judges from discussing their work with fans or journalists.

But now, freed from the BBBofC yoke, John-Lewis is glad to offer insight into his methods. Taylor-Catterall is off-limits for legal reasons, but thereโ€™s nothing stopping him from talking about some other notorious nights (see sidebar).

โ€œI appreciate being able to talk about these fights,โ€ he says. โ€œYou might not agree with me, but the way Iโ€™ve explained it, itโ€™s at least given you something to think about, hasnโ€™t it?

โ€œA lot of officials do feel aggrieved when they canโ€™t explain a decision. We do all moan about that. We can understand where they [the Board] are coming from โ€“ they donโ€™t want us to dig a bigger hole for ourselves, or let reporters put words in our mouths โ€“ but weโ€™re not stupid, and we know it looks bad, that not talking to the press looks like thereโ€™s something to hide.โ€

John-Lewis promises the upcoming tribunal (no dates are yet set) will lay everything bare. But even if he wins, he doesnโ€™t want his old job back, as heโ€™s now picking up work as a free agent, and was back on TV on March 4 handling bouts on a Misfits promotion, that divisive outfit leading the โ€œcrossover boxingโ€ charge.

โ€œItโ€™s a different sort of boxing, and the purists hate it, but the punches are real,โ€ he says of the genre which puts novices in the ring because of their social media presence rather than their skill. โ€œThey train hard and they fight to the best of their ability, but theyโ€™re beginners so they donโ€™t know better than to punch lumps out of each other. You need an official with good experience to look after them.โ€

That Misfits show (in)famously featured the first ever tag team boxing match, which John-Lewis judged.

โ€œI did a double-takeโ€ฆ tag team? Like the wrestling? Shut up, no!โ€ he says. โ€œI was very dubious. But you know what? It actually bloody worked! I was mesmerised.โ€

And how on earth do you score tag team boxing? โ€œItโ€™s just the red and the blue corner, exactly the same. You score the team as one; same criteria.โ€

John-Lewis has actually been back in the ring since December, having first been licensed by the British and Irish Boxing Authority (BIBA), and then by the Professional Boxing Association, which sanctions Misfits and other events. Heโ€™s also picked up work on semi-pro, white collar and charity shows.

โ€œBefore, if you left the Board, there was nothing,โ€ he says. โ€œItโ€™s a completely different world now; thereโ€™s all sorts of boxing everywhere. I still love boxing and I still want to be involved, regardless of what it is.โ€

While the aforementioned organisations are all perfectly legal, none are recognised by the BBBofC, BoxRec or Boxing News and, with the exception of the Misfits shows, are all on a much smaller scale than what John-Lewis had been accustomed to, having officiated some of the biggest names in some of the grandest venues.

โ€œItโ€™s grassroots boxing, but they are tomorrowโ€™s champions. You need that; itโ€™s good to get back to that,โ€ he says.

โ€œOnce they heard Iโ€™d left the Board, these people started contacting me. At the veteran stage of my career, itโ€™s nice to be involved in the next generation, itโ€™s nice to be wanted. Itโ€™s all really positive; Iโ€™m really happy.โ€

It’s often said that money canโ€™t buy happiness, and John-Lewis is proof of that, as he sits, contentedly, in the cosy living room of a modest cottage, with Julie, his wife of 28 years, and their seven dogs.

Money also canโ€™t buy you love, because itโ€™s not for thick brown envelopes that he is drawn to boxing, but for the love of the sport.

And what money most certainly cannot buy, John-Lewis assures us, is him.

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