Boxing referee Jeff Hinds previously said that individuals are ‘treated harshly for their skin color’. On Monday, he won against the British Boxing Board of Control’s attempt to have his discrimination case dismissed.
Leading boxing referees Hinds and Ian John-Lewis were both recently reported by Sportsmail to be involved in legal disputes with the BBBofC.
However, it has come to light that Hinds’ complaint of victimization and discrimination was filed with a separate complaint for defamation in 2020. The complaint was taken before the Reading Employment Tribunal centre in a preliminary hearing after the Board appealed.
Hinds was representing himself in front of the tribunal. Tribunal judge Naomi Shastri-Hurst ruled in favor of Hinds and granted him the permission to have a full tribunal hearing on his claims at a later date by.
Lawyer Thomas Mountford who is representing the BBBofC told the tribunal that the claims should be rejected primarily because Hinds’ delays may have caused issues with the accuracy of witness statements and the ability of the organization to respond.
Mountford said: “We are talking about claims relating to decisions taking in July 2020 and November 2020, some time ago. The exercise of discretion is the exception, not the rule. This claim could have been and should have been brought much earlier.”
Hinds is a referee with over 25 years of experience and has officiated 1,615 bouts. He claimed: “For my own justice I have tried to get the matter heard. That is all I want — to get the matter heard. ‘I do not believe the court should confine itself to the reasons given by the respondents’ lawyer in his closing remarks.”
“Doing so would ignore the professional detriment and how sporting organizations treat a person particularly harshly for the colour of their skin. This is not unique to British boxing.”
When contacted by Sportsmail, Hinds and the BBBofC acknowledged that there were ongoing legal cases but declined to make any comments.