Harry Gibbs
British boxer (1920-1999)
- Born
- 3 October 1920
- Died
- 16 November 1999
- Sport
- boxing
- Occupation
- boxing referee, boxer
Henry William Gibbs OBE (3 October 1920 – 16 November 1999) was an English boxing referee and judge.
Born in Bermondsey, London, Gibbs took charge of numerous world title fights, and officiated in bouts involving Muhammad Ali, Roberto Durán, Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson, Thomas Hearns, Mike Tyson, Barry McGuigan and Joe Frazier. He was the referee and sole judge of the fight between Henry Cooper and Joe Bugner in 1971, awarding the fight to Bugner by a quarter of a point, which remains one of the most controversial decisions in British boxing history. He was also the referee when Wilfredo Gomez beat Carlos Zarate in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Awards and honours
- International Boxing Hall of Fame 2025
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q5669080 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.