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Besides operating across Europe
as a top-class referee and
judge, something he has done
through several decades, Ernst
Salzgeber is a very valued
member of the World Boxing
Federation (WBF) Directory where
he occupies the position of Vice
Chairman of the Executive
Committee.
Salzgeber was born in March of
1952 in Lillienfeld, Lower
Austria, approximately 100
kilometers south-west of Vienna.
Twin brother to a girl who died
at birth, he grew up as an only
child in Hohenberg, and had what
he calls a truly harmonic
childhood.
At the age of fourteen, he moved
to Vienna to attend technical
college and after completing his
education he was employed by
Austrian Telekom where he worked
as a manager until retiring in
2001, not yet fifty years old.
Salzgeber was bitten by the
boxing bug when his uncle, a big
boxing enthusiast, started
taking him to the big events
headlined by Austrian hero Hans
Orsolics (AKA Johann Orsolics),
who held European titles at
Light Welterweight and
Welterweight between 1967 and
1970.
While he never had any bouts
himself, Salzgeber enjoyed
boxing training, and did so most
consistently between 1970 and
1972 at the Am Mittersteig
Athletic Center in Vienna. As
was the case with so many in
those days, his big idol was
Muhammad Ali, whom he had the
honor of meeting years later.
Since he had no real desire to
be an active boxer, Salzgeber
found another way to be involved
in the sport he loved, as he
eventually decided on becoming a
referee and judge. Taken under
the wing of very accomplished
referee, and former professional
boxer, Kid Rado, he was in good
hands.
“In
1983 I started my education as a
referee under my teacher, the
late EBU and WBC referee Kid
Rado”, says Salzgeber, who was
married for seven years but is
now divorced and living with his
German girlfriend Martina.
“For
eight months he taught me once
every week at the Athletic
Center, and I learned a lot from
him, a referee with so much
experience.”
A true professional, always
thriving to be even better,
Salzgeber hasn’t allowed himself
to become complacent over the
years:
“During
my career I have taken every
opportunity to learn more by
attending seminars offered by
various organizations, including
FVA (the Austrian national
federation), European Boxing
Union, WBC, WBA, IBF and of
course WBF.”
As time has passed, Salzgeber
has worked numerous championship
fights for different
organizations, as Referee, Judge
or Supervisor. In 1993 he was
asked to join the World Boxing
Federation, at the time headed
by American Ron Scalf, and he
immediately jumped at the
chance.
He mentions German hero Rene
Weller, along with World
Champions Nikolay Valuev, Regina
Halmich and the Klitschko
brothers when asked to name some
of the prominent names he has
either shared a ring with as
referee, or judged.
But the list is far more
extensive, and also includes the
likes of former or current world
champions Marco Huck, Henry
Akinwande, Alexander Povetkin,
Myriam Lamare, Jan Zaveck, Billy
Joe Saunders, Herbie Hide, Yoan
Pablo Hernandez, Cecilia
Braekhus and Arthur Abraham, to
mention only a few.
As the World Boxing Federation,
for various reasons, went
through a period of inactivity
between 2004 and 2009, Salzgeber
continued to build on his
officiating resume. When the WBF
was restructured in 2009, with
Howard Goldberg as President,
Salzgeber was almost immediately
back on board in an
administrative role.
“I
am with the World Boxing
Federation with all my heart and
soul”, he says. “Competence and
friendship amongst us is second
to none, and a word is a word.”
“I
would like to see more respect
between all people in boxing,
and we have that within the WBF.
Especially boxers should be
treated with respect, not as
commodities, and that is a
priority for me, and the World
Boxing Federation.”
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