The man in the corner: Tony Barratt and the academy
A UBBF British champion, a head coach, and the reason a New Romney gym puts on sanctioned shows with matched opponents rather than mismatches.
Micky's Boxing Academy was founded in 2025 by its head coach, Anthony “Tony” Barratt, and named as a tribute to his late father. The gym sits on the Mountfield Industrial Estate in New Romney, and the shows it puts on run from Maidstone to Cardiff.
- Record
- 5-7-0
- Title
- UBBF British
- Gym
- New Romney, Kent
- Founded
- 2025
Barratt fought bare knuckle himself and holds the UBBF British title. That matters less for the certificate than for what it changes about the coaching: the person in the corner has been in the ring, under the same rules, with the same nerves.
Matched, not mismatched
The academy's stated approach is steady progression through carefully matched events, against opponents of evenly matched ability. In practice that means a fighter's next bout is chosen to test something specific, not to pad a record.
The shows carry three rulesets — sanctioned bare knuckle, hybrid and gloved boxing — under Queensbury rules, including noncompetitive developmental skills bouts for fighters who are not ready for a decision yet.
“We tailor training programmes that meet the needs of individuals, offering mentoring programmes and skills development on a range of areas that the modern combat athlete requires for success…”
The parts that are not boxing
Alongside the training, the academy teaches the things a fighter needs outside the ropes: social media skills and presence, generating income, image rights, commission rules and safety. It is the unglamorous half of a career, and the part most gyms leave to chance.
Getting on a card
Fighters who want a tryout can apply through the contact page. The academy asks for a name, a record where there is one, a division and a way to reach them, and matches from there.
Training happens at Unit 8, Adams Court, Mountfield Industrial Estate, New Romney, Kent TN28 8LH.
