THEY broke the mould when they made Jackie Poucher, who passed away on Saturday.
With so much scrutiny on your every decision, becoming a referee in one sport is an arduous enough ask for most – but the Newry man rose to the top ranks of officialdom in two codes, featuring on the international stage in both boxing and soccer.
A respected figure during a distinguished career in the Irish League, Poucher also refereed the 1984 British Championship match between Scotland and Wales at Hampden Park – with goals from Davie Cooper and Mo Johnston sealing a 2-1 win for Jock Stein’s sides.
And that calm assuredness displayed on the field of play transferred effortlessly to the ring, where he became a familiar figure between the ropes at all levels of amateur boxing during decades of service to the sport.
That ability was identified early, as he officiated at World and European Championships and Commonwealth Games before being recruited to the officiating teams at the 1984 and 1992 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and Barcelona respectively.
And, as well as refereeing eight fights in LA, he was also a judge as two future stars announced their arrival on the biggest stage of all.
Poucher was ringside as Pernell Whitaker beat Jeon Chil-Seong on the way to claiming lightweight gold – the man known as ‘Sweat Pea’ beating Puerto Rico’s Luis Ortiz in the final before embarking on a stellar professional career that saw Whitaker become a four-weight world champion, emerging as one of the top talents to emerge from the States in that era.
Another was future heavyweight world champion Evander Holyfield, with Poucher a judge for his win over Sylvanus Okello as he looked bound to go all the way to the top of the podium.
However, Holyfield’s charge came to a controversial end when he was disqualified at the light-heavyweight semi-final stage for punching New Zealand’s Kevin Barry after a stop in the action.
Fast-forward eight years, and Poucher’s services were called upon again for the memorable 1992 Games - from an Irish perspective at least - as Michael Carruth claimed the country’s first-ever gold medal, with Wayne McCullough taking silver.
This time he was in the middle for 14 bouts, and ringside judge as Cubans Joel Casamayor, Felix Savon and boxing’s future ‘Golden Boy’, Oscar de lay Hoya, strutted their stuff.
Poucher landed a big one too, taking charge of the middleweight final between Cuban Ariel Hernandez and eventual gold medallist Chris Byrd – the highly-rated American who would rise through the weight classes to become a two-time heavyweight world champion, going on to beat a faded Holyfield before losing out to Wladimir Klitschko.
In a Belfast Telegraph piece from 2002, renowned boxing writer Jack Magowan remarked that the late Eddie Thompson, himself an Olympic referee/judge, used to say that Poucher “had X-ray vision” inside the ring.
“Naturally, no referee escapes criticism,” Poucher told Magowan, “but I like to think I have not made any lasting enemies.”
Among those to pay tribute to Poucher was the Holy Trinity club in Belfast, describing him as “a referee/judge of the highest calibre and integrity, in boxing and in soccer, and one of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet” in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Those sentiments were echoed by Eugene Duffy, current vice-president of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association and the longest-serving official in Ireland.
“I had the privilege of working with Jack for many years,” said the respected Derry man.
“In my opinion, he was one of the top referees in world boxing at that time, and that was reflected in the fact he went to two Olympic Games. He always had an encouraging word for any young R&Js coming through in Ireland, and was well liked throughout boxing.
“Jackie was a charismatic sort of a guy, and he had a great way about him in the ring – boxers respected him, which is half the battle, because he was assertive and everybody knew where they stood.
“Above all else, he was a lovely man, and it’s a sad loss for everybody involved in Irish boxing.”
*************
PARIS OLYMPIANS HEAD TEAM SET FOR STRANDJA TEST
AN exciting Irish team is currently in Bulgaria preparing for the prestigious Strandja multi-nations tournament, which gets under way next Monday.
Paris Olympians Jack Marley and Dean Clancy are the most established names on an 18-strong team packed with potential, as Ireland bids to add to the 12 medals - half of which were gold – won in Sofia since 2020.
Also hoping to catch the eye are reigning Ulster and Irish elite champions Louis Rooney and Rhys Owens.
Star man Rooney is coming off the back of a superb 2024 that also saw him claim European U22 gold, while Erne powerhouse Owens cemented his number one spot at lightweight with victory over Commonwealth Games gold medallist Dylan Eagleson last month.
There is another Ulster elite finalist onboard too, though not in a fighting capacity. Immaculata veteran Colm McCrory, a paramedic who lost out to Holy Family’s Garyn McAllister in the heavyweight final at Girdwood Community Hub, travelled as team medic for this tournament.
The men’s team have been in the Bulgarian capital since Saturday, with Gavin Ryan and Roy Colgan joining up with the camp at a later date in due to other commitments. The draw will be made on Sunday, with preliminary rounds getting under way on Monday.
“Performances are key,” said Irish head coach Zaur Antia.
“I am looking for the best performances from each boxer, regardless of the outcome of the bout. This is a very exciting opportunity for this team – Strandja is a very high standard tournament, the oldest international amateur boxing competition in Europe. Some of the best boxing nations in the world will be there, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.”
Ireland team - 48kg: C Walsh (Smithfield); 50kg: S Sweeney (St Anne’s); 54kg: C Gabriel (Dublin Docklands); 57kg: N Fay (Phoenix); 63kg: L Desmond (Rylane); 48kg: L Rooney (Star); 54kg: P Joyce (Olympic, Mullingar); 60kg: R Owens(Erne); 60kg: A Hession (Monivea); 63.5kg: J Nevin (Olympic, Mullingar); 63.5kg: D Clancy (Sean McDermott); 67kg: D O’Connor (Olympic, Galway); 75kg: G Rafferty (Dublin Docklands); 75kg: J Olaniyan (Jobstown); 80kg: J Whelan (Dublin Docklands); 86kg: B Kennedy (St Brigid’s); 92kg: J Marley (Monkstown); 92+kg: G Ide (Crumlin)
*************
IRELAND TO FACE WALES IN DERRY
IRELAND will take on Wales in a youth international at Derry’s Guildhall on Saturday, March 1.
The 13-bout clash will be the first youth international to take place in Ireland since March 2023, when Ireland faced England following a training camp in Ballina. The last elite international, when Ireland met Ukraine, took place in Castlerea last April, also after a training camp.
Two Castles coach John Gallagher, father of Paris Olympian Jude, is team manager as a talented young Irish team bid to go one better than their last meeting with the Welsh three years ago, which finished in a 5-5 draw.
Doors open at 7pm on March 1, with ticketing information to follow.
Ireland team - 46kg: A McCabe (Jobstown); 48kg: A Molloy (Sacred Heart, Dublin); 52kg: K Byrne (Gorey); 54kg: E Barry (Setanta); 57kg: G Conway (Tredagh); 51kg: M Reilly (St Paul’s, Waterford); 54kg: J McCann (St Monica’s, Newry); 57kg: S McCusker (Dealgan); 60kg: D Hunter (Corpus Christi, Belfast); 67kg: J Donoghue (Olympic, Westmeath); 71kg: R Abulzade (Togher); 75kg: J Whelan (Dublin Docklands); 80kg: C McDonnell (Whitechurch)
