| Biography | Joe Palmer was a boxing referee, active from 1904 until 1926.
1926 saw a difficult year for the Boxing Board. This was sparked by the controversial decision to suspend senior referee, Joe Palmer. In March of the same year, he was refereeing a fight between Johnny Sullivan and Len Harvey in Blackfriars. At the end of the bout, Palmer adjudged Sullivan to be the narrow winner on points. Following press criticism of the decision, Palmer was asked to appear before the Board and explain himself. The Board decided to take his license away. |