| Variations of Name | Vernon Joshua Vanriel | Josh Vanriel |
| Biography | Vernon Vanriel was a professional boxer who rose to prominence in the UK in the 1970s. He came to Britain with his family aged 6 in 1962, under the 1948 Commonwealth Nationality Act which afforded citizens of former British colonies permanent residency and citizenship (part of the Windrush Generation).
After leaving school he trained as an electrician and set up his own business. By night, he trained as a boxer and rose up the lightweight ranks. At 21, he turned professional, and went on to be managed by Terry Lawless. Fans called him The Entertainer and the Tottenham Tornado. He entered the ring in a sombrero and flamboyant costumes, bigged himself up in verse, and was every inch the showman. I was a flash geezer. Id buy cars with the stripe down the side. Ford Capris. Flash, thats how I was. And that was a side of me that got me in trouble, too. I couldnt keep my mouth shut.
His fight in January 1982 at the Albert Hall, when he knocked out American lightweight Sammy Lee Young, was a significant event in boxing history. This was the first time a Black British Boxer had stood his ground against the promoters to ensure that ticket prices were at a level that ordinary men and women (including members of his own Afro-Caribbean community) could afford.
In 1982, he gave an interview to Boxing News in which he talked about how exploitative the sport was. His manager, Lawless, then told him he could look for a new manager. Having defeated Des Gwillam in 1984 Vanriel was officially ranked Number 2 in Britain but his outspoken criticism of the White Cartel that ran boxing led to the British Boxing Board of Control blocking his opportunity to fight for the title. Vanriel, robbed of his opportunity to fight for the championship, fell into despair. He became a drug user, his relationship with the mother of his children fell apart and he was sectioned twice. In around 2005, a former girlfriend got in contact and said she had given birth to his child and invited him to live with them in Jamaica. Vanriel found brief success as a boxing coach. However, this relationship failed and his health deteriorated.
He tried to return to the UK, but because of a change in Home Office immigration regulations he was denied the right to return to the UK for 13 years. Although he had a Jamaican passport, he did not qualify for benefits or healthcare. He was homeless and living in a disused church. One evening he set a fire to keep warm, which got out of control. When police offiers arrived they put a gun to his head, but were called away before they killed him. He spent about 6 months in prison for arson.
After the Windrush scandal came to light. the British government, under pressure, relented and issued Vanriel a ticket to return to the UK. However, his troubles were not over. The government had introduced a requirement that people had to have been in the UK five years before they made the application for citizenship, which was impossible for Vanriel, who had been locked out of the UK unlawfully. Despite having been flown over at huge expense, he was denied residency. In 2021, he and Eunice Tumi (another member of the Windrush generation refused citizenship under the five-year rule) took the government to court. The high court ruled that their human rights had been breached when the Home Office refused to grant them citizenship.
In 2023, he co-wrote the play, On the Ropes, which explored his life, divided into 12 rounds. |