By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

New York-based world championship referee Charlie Fitch talks to Fightnews.com® about his career as the “third man in the ring.”

Where were you born and when did you become interested in boxing? Were there any boxers in your family?

I was born in Brooklyn, NY, but we moved to the Finger Lakes region of New York State while I was still a baby. For the most part, I grew up in the city of Syracuse, NY and that is where most of my family still live.

The only other member of my family who boxed was my Grandad, Dr. Eugene Murphy. He boxed briefly in the amateurs, as a kid growing up in Syracuse, NY during the 20s.

I first became aware of boxing in the 70s. There was a comic bookstore and one of the comics was giant sized with Superman fighting Muhammad Ali. The premise seemed ridiculous to me that any human being could fight Superman. I was even more astounded, after flipping through it for the result and seeing Ali had won! I thought, “Who is this real person, Muhammad Ali, that could fight Superman?” That is one of my first memories of boxing. The other is my father having friends over to watch Ali-Spinks II. I snuck down the stairs (age 7) and secretly listened to all the excitement. Maybe some of that rubbed off on me.

The biggest early influence on my interest in boxing was a local fighter from the Finger Lakes region of New York, Rocky Fratto. He won the NABF title in 1981 and there was plenty of excitement surrounding Rocky. For sure I caught some of that fever. His fights were selling out Rochester and Syracuse arenas, and he came very close to winning a World Championship. Rocky Fratto was one of my first heroes and I’m privileged today to have him as a friend.

It was around this time that I first picked up a Ring Magazine and have been hooked on boxing ever since. I began boxing when I was 14, after speaking with a friend and unintentionally bragging about wanting to do some boxing over the summer. So… I then had to live up to that and began going to the gym.

I was never what I would consider to be a “good” fighter but had some minor accomplishments that I’m proud of. For sure boxing has treated me very well. At the lowest points in my life, I’ve been able to go the gym and be welcomed with open arms. What I’ve experienced in boxing is your background, ethnicity, mistakes, etc. – none of that matters. All that mattered was your willingness to get in the ring and fight. Do that and you got respect and made friends.

You boxed in the amateur ranks and as a professional. Do you think having had experience as a boxer helps referee’s during a contest?

For sure it has helped me as a referee, but there are some excellent referees without a boxing background, so I don’t think it’s a necessity. I feel very comfortable in the ring, and that probably comes from having boxed off-and-on from age 14 to 27 (38 amateur fights and one professional). I know from experience what it feels like to be hurt and what it looks like. There really is nowhere more exciting to be than inside a boxing ring. The thrill of combat is there, regardless of whether it’s a 12-round world championship or 4-round preliminary.

Tell me how you started as a referee in New York in 2001?

I began refereeing in the amateurs in 1997 and was soon encouraged by others to turn professional. How I first refereed though is kind of funny. My last amateur fight was in the 1996 NYS Golden Gloves. I was stopped in 3 rounds by a future pro named, Tyrone Jackson (6-8 [1]). My coach, Don Simkin, recognized that I was beginning to get hurt in fights, something that previously even when losing did not happen. He encouraged me to stop boxing and become an amateur referee. I told him I’d do so. The training came up a few months later and I’d forgotten about it and did not want to go. The coach called that Saturday, and I was worn out from a full 60-hour week of manual labor and had a hangover.

My wife answered the phone and I said, “Just tell him I’m not going.” We had been married for less than a year at the time and she says to me, “You know, you have a bad habit of telling people you are going to do something and then not doing it.” That was all she said before handing me the phone. I can still see the disapproving look on her face when she said it. Well, that was enough for me to get my ass out of bed and go to the training. Maybe it was divine intervention, but soon as I reluctantly arrived at the training something clicked. I realized, “This is what I want to do!”

As a fighter, I was never going to be anything special, but I also am certain I could have been much better had I made more disciplined choices. I made the decision that day, “I don’t know how good I’ll be at this, but whatever that is or isn’t, it’s not going to be like fighting, where I had all those starts and stops. Refereeing will get my full effort continuously.” I’ve gone all out ever since to be the best referee I’m capable of being.

There was controversy in 2014 when you were appointed to referee the Carl Froch v George Groves for the WBA, IBF super middleweight titles at Wembley stadium in London. Tell me about working as the referee to this fight.

Both of these fighters have retired, so I’m comfortable with sharing my thoughts now on this fight. Most perfect right hand I’ve ever witnessed during a fight was the Carl Froch nuclear bomb that exploded in round 8 to end it. What a spectacular way to end your career! I’m very happy for Carl Froch with his recent selection into the IBHOF. It is a well-deserved honor and I look forward to seeing him inducted in Canastota during Hall of Fame Weekend (June 8-11).

Memory from that fight that stands out above all others for me is the sound of 80,000 people in unison reacting to that punch landing. There was a huge TV jumbotron at Wembley Stadium and the knockout punch was repeatedly replayed on it. Each time the blow landed the crowd would go, “OOOOOHHH!!!!!” I can still hear that sound in my head. This fight is the second favorite memory I have in my life and probably refereeing it is what I’ll most be remembered for when I die. It was a special night. I’m not even sure how to articulate it, but it felt like the crowd, the fighters, and fight itself were one, despite there also being a legitimate tension with real animosity in the air. Each fighter had passionate fans cheering deeply for them, but it was also somehow co-mingled with respect. Above all, the fans wanted a conclusive ending, and they got it. A uniquely special fight.

Who have been your biggest influences as a referee?

Wayne Kelly is #1. He always gave me great advice, but also kept it simple enough for me to understand. He said, “It’s a fight. Don’t overcomplicate things. When you need to be involved do your job and take care of it. When you don’t need to be involved, let them fight and stay out of the way. Nobody is paying to watch you!”

I was extremely fortunate early on in my career to be trained by 2 IBHOF referees. My first 2 pro referee training sessions were taught by Arthur Mercante Sr. and I still refer to notes from those sessions. I was also heavily influenced by several referee trainings taken early in my career from NJ Commissioner Larry Hazzard. Current active referees who I’ve learned plenty from in training or working with are Benjy Esteves, Mark Nelson, and Jack Reiss. There are some excellent referees today and I always try to learn and improve by watching them work.

Which contest you worked as referee was the most action-packed fight?

There have been several, but the 2017 David Lemeiux KO3 Curtis Stevens fight stands out to me. For three rounds they basically stood in front of one another and traded bombs. It was like, “Here is my best, now show me yours. Okay, not bad. Now I’m going to show you mine again.” They just took turns ripping one another. It was a brutal fight. Tremendous power on display. I don’t recall breaking them ever in it or having to be involved until the fight ended. A very clean and professionally fought match. Both fighters represented themselves with much fistic honor in that battle.