IRISH champion turned top class referee Joe Lowe has appealed for more ex-boxers to become officials in future.
In a quirk of fate, Lowe was the man in the middle for the Irish elite welterweight final between Darren O’Connor and Malo Davis earlier this month - 35 years after beating fellow Belfast man Jim Webb to take his first national senior crown in the same weight class.
Lowe went on to win two more Irish titles at light-middleweight, and hung up his gloves after narrowly missing out on qualification for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
However, after a decade away from the sport, Lowe eventually returned – joining dad Brendan, also a respected referee, at a few shows before undertaking judging and refereeing courses.
Earlier this year Lowe attained his one star R&J qualification from the International Boxing Association, which allows him to referee on the international stage.
However, there are not enough following in those footsteps in his opinion – even though boxing in Ulster and Antrim could benefit greatly from the expertise of some of those who have previously stepped between the ropes.
“Boxers know the importance of getting the right winners, and also knowing the small margins in the close bouts,” he said.
“I know the sacrifices boxers are making, particularly at the higher level. I know rightly there’s boxers who have given up their summers to get ready for the seniors, put their heart and soul into it, so you know the importance of getting decisions right and making sure they’re looked after.
“Also, the first criteria of being a referee is the safety of the boxer, and we can see when things are going south, to try and protect the kids and not lose them to the sport.
“That’s what happens unfortunately - some have maybe had a bad experience and doesn’t ever want to do it again, so it’s up to the referee to get them out unscathed as far as possible.”
Lowe is also heavily involved in Bridges Beyond Boxing.
Since being established in 2016, the programme has provided young boxers from Belfast and beyond with an opportunity to experience a different world Stateside as teams travel back and forth across the Atlantic.
Yet the hands-on involvement in the boxing ring is a route Lowe is glad he pursued.
“I love it
“Look, I could write a book on the politics of this sport, and the skullduggery that has gone on, but it’s always red and blue to me, and that’s the way it should be.
“Guys with loads of potential have left the game after they hang the gloves up, but you don’t have to walk away, the option is there to stay involved, give something back. The doors are open; we need more referees and judges.
“There’s great comradery, you get to see the world once you reach a certain level, and there is a pathway. Things I wouldn’t otherwise be able to do, I get to do through boxing. It’s a bit of a community, and there’s a lot of good people.
“The Antrim and Ulster boards run programmes every year for new referees and judges to come through but, like everything, they maybe get 15 or 20 who go to the course, but from that you might get one or two who stick it out, turn up to the shows and try and progress.
“I know rightly there’s ex-boxers who should give their time, and probably if they were spoken to, taken by the hand a wee bit, they would - because we could use them.”
However, Lowe feels the negative publicity the sport endures at times, particularly in the wake of questionable decisions like some of those at the summer’s Olympic Games, is a contributing factor when it comes to recruitment.
“It is, there’s no getting round that.
“And I know that, for most people, time is the most precious thing they have. It is a commitment, but anybody I have talked into giving it a go hasn’t regretted it.
“Ultimately, boxing has so many moving parts but, at the very heart of it all, coaches are changing lives by bringing kids into their gym.
“So while people might focus on the likes of those big decisions at the Olympics, for a lot of kids the Antrim 3s might be their Olympics. They may never make it down to the National Stadium, but you’re giving them something to focus on, and you can see the change in them as a result.
“The coaches do the really hard work, whereas we have the privilege of just turning up and doing the shows.”
