§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]