Flash From the Past: Las Vegas Referee Mitch Hapbern Committed Suicide in August of 2000 – By Sue TL Fox

It was a sad and total shock to many in the boxing world that 33 years old Mitch Hapbern took his own life with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.  Mitch was a very respected boxing referee that had Referee’d many fights throughout his career.  I covered a female bout between Karen Bill vs. Maria Johansson when they fought a four-round bout at the Regent Hotel & Casino, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 21, 2000.  Hapbern was the referee of that fight.  About a month later we received the news on Hapbern. [photo by Sue TL Fox]

Richard Steele said, “By all measures he was the best young referee in the world, I just can’t believe this has happened.”

Dr. Elias Ghanem, the chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission said,  This is the greatest loss to us, in Nevada and in boxing, ever.  The loss to the boxing world is incredible because I felt Mitch was our best referee.   Every member of the commission and anyone who knew him is tremendously saddened.”

Halpern began his career in March 1991 and went on to referee 87 championship fights and hundreds of non-title fights around the world. Mitch also volunteered for a foundation that grants wishes for children that are suffering with life-threatening medical conditions.  Halpern was trained and mentored by veteran boxing referee Richard Steele.”