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Sporting Witness: The boxing referee who started a riot

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The referee that started a riot

02/03/2023 GMT

The boxing referee who started a riot

BBC World Service - Sporting Witness, The boxing referee who started a riot

A New Zealand referee quit after starting a riot during the Summer Olympics of 1988

How New Zealand referee Keith Walker unintentionally started a riot during the Summer Olympics of 1988 in South Korea, which led him to make the decision to quit refereeing.

In 1988, New Zealand referee Keith Walker facilitated a fight between South Korean boxer Byun Jung II and Bulgarian boxer Aleksandr Khristov. The Bulgarian won the match 4 -1, but when the bell rang, the ring erupted into chaos, with the referee defending himself from the punches that were being thrown his way. 

Soon afterwards, he decided to quit refereeing. Vicky Carter spoke to Keith Walker.

(Photo: South Korean assistant boxing coach Lee Chung-Ha grabs New Zealand referee Keith Walker. Credit: Staff/AFP via Getty Images)

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