George Vize

Biographical information

RolesReferee
SexMale
Full nameGeorge Henry•Vize
Used nameGeorge•Vize
Born24 April 1845 in London, England (GBR)
Died21 November 1914 in Putney, England (GBR)
NOC Great Britain

Biography

An excellent all-round sportsman, George Vize took up swimming on the Serpentine in London’s Hyde Park at the age of 15. He subsequently joined the German Gymnastic Society and in 1866 won the silver medal in the National Olympian Association’s half-mile race on the Thames at Teddington Lock. The following year, Vize won the National Swimming Club’s 560 yards Open race on the Serpentine, and that same year won the London Swimming Club’s 1,000 yards gold medal. He was at the time an honorary swimming master at both the London SC and German Gymnastic Society SC.

At the age of 24 in 1869, Vize took up rowing seriously and joined the Thames Rowing Club. After winning the Senior Fours at the Maidenhead and Marlow Regattas, he was then a member of the Thames four that won the 1871 Wyfold Challenge Cup at Henley. He retained the Wyfold with Thames the following year, and then won it for a third successive year in 1872. Also that year, Vize was in the eights that won the Thames Challenge Cup, which they retained in 1873. In later life, Vize was a rowing umpire.

Vize took up boxing late in life in 1876, and within three years had won the Queensberry Heavyweight Championship by beating Robert “Brickey” Frost-Smith in the final, thus avenging defeat by Frost-Smith the previous year.

Vize was one of the famous boxing quartet known as “The Fighting Four”, made up of Jack Angle, Frost-Smith, and Reg Wakefield, and all four played an important role in the formation of the Amateur Boxing Association. Vize was appointed president in 1893, and held the post for 13 years. He later became a vice-president of the association, a position he would also hold at the Thames Rowing Club and Belsize Boxing Club.

Vize also became a much-respected boxing judge and referee. At the 1908 London Olympics, he refereed three of the four featherweight quarter-finals. Some famous professional encounters he refereed included Peter Jackson v. Jem Smith (1889), when Vize disqualified Smith in the second round, Nunc Wallace v. George Dixon (1890), and Jack Burke v Ted Pritchard (1891). One of the most unusual bouts Vize was engaged in was the contest between Australia’s Frank Slavin and the American Joe McAuliffe at the Ormonde Club, London in 1890. Slavin wanted Jack Angle to referee while the McAuliffe wanted Vize in charge. A compromise was reached, when the bout was refereed by both men. Slavin won with a second-round knockout.

Vize, who was a poultry and game salesman by trade, was a collector of fine porcelain and ceramics, and also had a collection of more than 900 ancient Greek and Roman coins, some dating back to 700BC.

Referee

Games Sport (Discipline) / Event NOC / Team Phase Unit Role As
1908 Summer Olympics Boxing GBR George Vize
Featherweight, Men (Olympic) Match #1 Tom Ringer — Louis Constant Referee
Featherweight, Men (Olympic) Match #2 Dick Gunn — Edmond Poillot Referee
Featherweight, Men (Olympic) Match #3 Hugh Roddin — John Lloyd Referee