Bob Hair

The son of a civil servant, Bob Hair was an excellent middleweight boxer in the latter part of the 19th century. After losing to Harry Windett in the 1885 German Gymnastic Society Championships middleweight final, Hair won the title the following year by defeating S. Limpenny. Two consecutive ABA titles followed for Hair when he beat B. Vernon in the 1887 final and Peter Maher the following year. Hair’s brother Jack (John Drummond Hair) was the ABA lightweight champion in the first of those years.

A cigar and cigarette merchant, and later a Stock Exchange clerk, Bob Hair was vice-captain and committee member of the North London Amateur Boxing Club. He was also a member of the St. James’s Boxing Club. Hair went on to become an ABA referee and judge, and between 1907-11 refereed 41 bouts and was regularly seen officiating at the ABA Championships. At the 1908 London Olympics, Hair served as a judge in 11 contests, but was referee in just one, the lightweight final between Fred Grace and Fred Spiller.