Boxing Career
Douglas was an excellent Middleweight boxer becoming Olympic champion at the 1908 Games held in London. All three of his bouts, including the final, described by The Times as “one of the most brilliant exhibitions of skilful boxing, allied to tremendous hitting, ever seen.”, were held on the same day. Supporters of the silver medal winner, Snowy Baker, later claimed that Douglas' father was the sole judge and referee.
Baker himself never publicly contested the close points verdict which Douglas, who scored a second-round knockdown over him, won in their Olympic final. But, in a 1952 interview, he claimed that Douglas’s father had refereed the fight, leading to widespread suspicion of a dodgy decision, but in fact John Douglas senior was only at ringside, from where refs worked in those days, to present the medals, in his role as president of the ABA. The real ref was Eugene Corri who did not have to give a casting vote as the two judges agreed that Douglas was a narrow winner. Douglas Jr, his father and his younger brother, Cecil ('Pickles') were all prominent referees and officials in the ABA, the last also being the leading referee in the professional sport in the 1930s. Douglas also won the 1905 ABA Middleweight title.
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