Michael Van Norman better known as Mickey Vann (born 29 December 1943 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

) is a former

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

boxing referee The referee in boxing is the individual charged with enforcing the rules of that sport during a match. The role of the referee The referee has the following roles: *Gives instructions to both boxers before the fight *Determines when to start or ...

. Vann was a 'Class A Star' referee and

boxing judge A boxing judge is responsible for judging the results of a boxing match, with as many as three judges typically present at ringside to score the bout and assign points to the boxers, based on punches that connect, defense, knockdowns, and other, mor ...

."Mickey Vann"
, BritishBoxing.net, retrieved 5 April 2008 He arbitrated his first professional bout on 14 January 1985, and since has refereed many World, regional, and national title fights.

Life as a Fighter

Before becoming a referee, Vann was a

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

. He fought 11 times, as a

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

, winning two and losing nine. His first fight was on 24 April 1969 and his last was on 11 November 1970.

Life as Referee and Autobiography

In September 2002 he disqualified challenger Stephen Smith as

Ricky Hatton Richard John Hatton (born 6 October 1978) is a British former professional boxer who competed between 1997 and 2012, and has since worked as a boxing promoter and trainer. During his boxing career he held multiple world championships at li ...

defended his

WBU The World Boxing Union (WBU) was a boxing sanctioning body. The original WBU was founded in January 1995 by IBF European representative, boxing journalist, actor and former holder of the title of Britain's heaviest man Jon W. Robinson. It sa ...

light welterweight title. Smith's father pushed Vann in the second round."Hatton wins farce"

BBC Sport BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside flag ...

, 28 September 2002 Mickey's autobiography, ''Give Me a Ring'' was published 2003 by Mainstream, revealing the colourful story of his childhood. Mickey was the son of Hal Denver (a friend of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

)-who once threw knives at

John Major Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...

's mother-and the grandson of The Silver King, a showman with The Elephant Man among his sideshows. Mickey's childhood was spent in fairs appearing as the giraffe necked woman, and at a Dickensian foster home. His career in boxing has seen him take charge of many great champions. He was in charge of the world heavyweight 'Battle of Britain' in Cardiff between Lennox Lewis and

Frank Bruno Franklin Roy Bruno, (born 16 November 1961) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1996. He had a highly publicised and eventful career, both in and out of the ring. The pinnacle of Bruno's boxing career was winning ...

. In his sixties, Mickey qualified to coach rugby league and has worked with Leeds Rhinos Academy. He also hopes to make it onto the veterans over 65 athletic team, having competed in events over 60 and 100 metres.

Retired and Still A Championship Referee

Mickey was force retired from by the

British Boxing Board of Control The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. History The British Boxing Board of Control was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff. ...

regulation stating referees over 65 are no longer allowed to referee. However, continues to referee international contests and is still regularly used as a judge by major world boxing bodies. On 14 July 2012, at Upton Park in London, Vann was still active refereeing in the professional ring in Great Britain despite the ban, serving as man in the middle for Liam Walsh versus Domenico Urbano vacant WBO European Lightweight title 12 round contest on the undercard of

David Haye David Deron Haye (born 13 October 1980) is a British former professional boxer who competed between 2002 and 2018. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, and was the first British boxer to reach the final of the World Amate ...

versus Derek Chisora. The card was sanctioned by Luxembourg Boxing Federation to the defiance of British Boxing Board of Control. At the start of the sixth round, Vann, still a strong referee, took a point from Urbano for illegal headbutting in the previous round, with Urbano bleeding from a facial cut. The cut was caused by a proper blow. Vann stopped the bout at 2:10 in the eighth round with Walsh giving Urbano a one-sided beating on his feet.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vann, Mickey Boxing judges British boxing referees Featherweight boxers English male boxers 1943 births Living people Sportspeople from Leeds