| Biography | Eugene Corri was a boxing referee. He was well-known and popular in the UK, and was himself a boxer in his youth. His father was an Irish opera singer and changed his surname from Corry to Corri to make it appear more Italian in the hopes of furthering his singing career. Corri refereed over 2,000 fights, including Mickey Walker against Tommy Milligan in 1927.
An affluent stockbroker and reputedly a decent amateur boxer in his youth, 'Genial Gene' was a popular figure who was always immaculately dressed, boasted a carefully groomed moustache and rarely had a cigar far from his lips - he joked that he had smoked enough of them to form a chain around London. He was a family man who was immensely proud of his four young sons Toodles, Mickey, Sydney and John.
Each evening at the Corri home in Essex, Gene and his wife Edna enjoyed what was affectionately dubbed Childrens Hour where, in the wide hall at the foot of the stairs, the boys, according to their father, would don the gloves and pommel each other hard and cleverly. Gene called the scrappers my young lions and said they gave him boundless satisfaction, commenting: It was not necessary for me to force them to box. They are nurslings of the noble art. Over time Toodles and Mickey became a familiar sight to spectators on the boxing circuit where they would often spar each other with youthful gusto.
On one notable occasion the two boys, then aged around eight and seven, boxed in front of Lord Lonsdale as he dined with Gene at the Savoy Hotel. His Lordship, synonymous today with British championship belts, was so impressed that he put up a silver cup for the pair to fight for at Wells Club in Bond Street. The subsequent bout was refereed by their father, who decided they were so evenly matched that he ruled it a draw to the fury of Mickey, who raged: Dad, youre a rotten referee! Lonsdale smoothed ruffled feathers by giving both lads a cup.
Genes refereeing duties regularly brought the brothers into contact with some of the most famous names in the sport. In 1914 for example one newspaper said the pair provided a very entertaining contest during a night of exhibition boxing held at the Theatre Royal in Rochdale which also featured luminaries such as Jimmy Wilde and 'Peerless' Jim Driscoll.
Eugene's son, Toodles, tragically died during the war at sea at age 16 (18 June 1918).
Gene continued as a boxing referee. However, he later fell on hardtimes, and was declared bankrupt by 1921.
He makes an appearance as himself in Alfred Hitchcock's silent movie The Ring (1927), introduced to the audience by the MC. He was one of the original members of the National Sporting Club. He published several books, including Fifty Years in the Ring, which appeared the summer before he died. |