Harry Hedger

A member of the London Polytechnic club, Harry Hedger was an England international boxer in the 1930s and fought at either lightweight or welterweight. The highlight of his boxing career was in reaching the semi-final of the ABA lightweight championship in 1935 only to be disqualified for holding Charlie Evenden of Dublin in the third and final round. Hedger was twice the winner of the North-West London divisional welterweight title.

Hedger was a member of the England squad that fought Germany in December 1937 at the Royal Albert Hall. However, he was only a reserve and never got a bout, other than against one of the other England reserves. Hedger was also the honorary secretary of the Polytechnic Club in 1937.

During World War II, Hedger served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and after the hostilities he took up refereeing in 1948 and became the chairman of the National Referees’ and Judges’ Association and was also editor of their manual. By the mid-1950s, he was a much-respected ABA official both home and abroad and shortly before he went to Melbourne to officiate at the 1956 Olympics, he refereed some important contests in Moscow and Finland.

A director of a printing firm, Hedger officiated in many bouts at both the 1956 and 1960 Olympics and his refereeing highlight at that time was in being in the middle for the 1960 welterweight final between Nino Benvenuti and Yury Radonyak. Also at the Rome Olympics, Hedger was a judge for two of Cassius Clay’s contests, and referee for his quarter-final bout against Gennady Shatkov.