§440-19  Referees; duties.  (a)  At each boxing contest there shall be in attendance a duly licensed referee designated by the commission, who shall direct and control the contest.  Before starting the boxing contest, the referee shall ascertain from each contestant the name of the contestant's chief second and shall hold the chief second responsible for the conduct of the assistant seconds during the progress of the contest.

     (b)  The referee may recommend and the commission may in its discretion declare the forfeiture of any prize, purse, or remuneration, or any part thereof, to which the contestants or one of the contestants may be entitled, or any part of the gate receipts for which the contestants are competing, if in the commission's judgment the contestants or one of the contestants are not honestly competing.

     (c)  Every referee shall warn competing boxers of the referee's power to recommend the forfeiture of purse or purses, should there be any apparent cause for the warning.

     (d)  In any case where the referee decides that the contestants are not honestly competing and that under the law the contestants' purses or the purse of either contestant should be forfeited, the bout shall be stopped before the end of the last round, and no decision shall be given.  A contestant earns nothing and shall not be paid for a contest in which there is stalling, faking, dishonesty, or collusion.  The commission, independently of the referee or the referee's decision, may determine the merits of any contest and take whatever action it considers proper.  In any case the executive officer or any commissioner may order the purse of the offender held up for investigation and action.

     (e)  The referee shall stop the contest when either of the contestants shows a marked superiority or is apparently outclassed.  The referee, at the termination of each boxing contest, shall render a decision. [L 1929, c 216, §22; RL 1935, §7009; RL 1945, §7570; am L 1949, c 264, §10; RL 1955, §165-21; HRS §440-19; am L 1983, c 241, §16; am L 1986, c 135, §12; am L 2004, c 135, §17]