He was an East End hell-raiser with a dodgy comb over and a tendency to stick the boot in. This is only natural and not everyone is invincible. McLean lost some face as he was challenged by the "King of the Gypsies" Bartley Gorman but did not accept the fight. He was uneducated and a product of his upbringing, traumatised by what hed been through, and probably had mental health problems as a result of all that. [DOUBLEPOST=1384552783][/DOUBLEPOST], I am a handsome kind of dude but believe me compared to some of the village idiots on here, this fellow is pretty, Gangland Britain by tony Thompson was excellent - haven't read gangs but assume its similar. After breaking both of his hands on Briggs face, McClean used his teeth to bite through Briggs windpipe, effectively killing him on the street. McLean returned later to demand his money back, but instead of refunding McLean, Mac offered to give McLean a new car in exchange for him fighting in one of Mac's unlicensed boxing bouts later that night in Mac's yard. * * * Want to know more about Cliff Field? A head butt before the bell was the worst thing Bradshaw could have done, Lenny would put him away in seconds with such ferociousness thats never been seen in a ring since. Throughout his life, Lenny has been shot twice, once in the arse, stabbed in the leg, broken nose four times and broken hands fifteen times. McLean beat Shaw in a rematch with a dramatic first-round knockout in which Shaw was physically knocked out of the ring. Fight after fight, Lenny wouldnt lose. Lenny couldnt escape the law forever and as a teenager he was caught and arrested for petty crimes, serving 18 months inside. This new-found fame launched an acting career for the bare-knuckle pugilist, whichnearly always typecast him in the role of enforcer and street tough, an identity he relished. Only because they were in the hotel 'library' where I was on holiday. This comment was left automatically (by a bot). "n 1992, McLean was working as the head doorman at the The Hippodrome in London's Leicester Square, one of the largest nightclubs in the capital, when he ejected a man named Gary Humphries who was reportedly on drugs, streaking through the nightclub and harassing young women. Mike tyson was a top level professional fighter who had a very developed skillset and on the other hand lenny mclean looks like a shitty boxer who was fat compared to mike tyson. How a life without regret can be lived and exploited to ones own benefit. Briggs would survive after surgery, and McClean narrowlyavoided prison. Joined: Dec 4, 2013 . The battle-scarred fighter sadly passed away in 2002, but in his prime he was unstoppable, fighting at camp sites, horse fairs and once even down a mineshaft. Kelly, a mother of two, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and says doctors told her that McLean likely had a version of the disorder himself. And the man from nightmare alley lost twice by KO in the 1980s to Johnny Waldron. His portrayal of Barry The Baptist in Lock, Stock and Two Smokin' Barrels is probably one of the most iconic characters of the passed thirty years of cinema. One supposed film promoter, later found to have been a conman, took more than a million pounds from McLean and disappeared. Even today it has sold 300,000 copies and is still in the top 30. Of course, theres still not much to go on other than that he could box and looked like a standard heavyweight boxer. McLeans particular talents led him to moonlight as a debt collector for organized crime families like the Kray Twins. One thing worth noting though is that he probably wasnt the best boxer in the world. It was agritty, bleak landscape of factories, poverty and a strong sense of community. Rather than have a recce in the first round and give the punters their money's worth, Mclean broke off from holding (and hitting) to unload a meaty series of one-two shots that shook Shaw's head and sent him stumbling like a drunk at closing time. And by thatI mean tough in a classic sense. [7] McLean's son Jamie later said, "My dad wasn't a born fighter. McLean's autobiography, titled The Guv'nor, written with Peter Gerrard, was published in August 1998, shortly after McLean's death. A offer of 20,000 to fight in London was turned down by T. Lenny would then come out of semi-retirement to fight Man Mountain York. He was also asked to be the fixer, or bodyguard, of the cast of EastEnders. For the size of the man, Cliff had hand speed like a middleweight; nobody on the unlicensed scene could have lasted with Cliff. We are here to provide you with news, views, high quality articles and more from a variety of disciplines. Despite clocking Adams with the very first punch of the match, Shaw pulled him up to knock him out (again) and stomp on his head. At one point, McCleans uncle Jimmy Spinks, the local tough guy and enforcer for the neighborhood bookies, had had enough. Lenny McLean was one of the deadliest bareknuckle how tall was roy pretty boy'' shaw. He would have the occasional bare-knuckle fight but after that Lenny Mclean would put his name to other things, such as Pub minding, debt collecting (even teaming up with Dave Courtney on a few jobs), minder to the stars, etc. Neighbors assisted neighbors in the absence of wealth. The new book The Guvnor A Tribute has shot straight into the top 30 and is climbing as I write this. Discussion in 'UFC Discussion' started by MMAlover123, Jan 18, 2015. With his fame as an unlicensed boxer, McLean became known as "The King of Bouncers" around many of the clubs and pubs in London. This time the veteran thug in the blue corner was going to show McLean who was mustard, and who was not. Roy Shaw - Yes, because I knew those two Mclean fights were freaks and not the real me, I carried on. This is often where the term gypsy king comes from, as champion gypsy boxers would fight for the title and bragging rights of their region or country. The in 1986, Lenny would go on to fight Brian Mad Gypsy Bradshaw (Undefeated at the time). Lenny Mclean on the Richard Littlejohn show (Show 1) Lenny Mclean - The Guvnor 709K views 7 years ago John Fury v Micky Theo - The 'Guv'nor' Lew Yates has his Say! Lenny died last year at the age of 49 after losing the one fight he couldn't win - his private battle against cancer - but Val comforts herself in the knowledge that he had finally started making a name for himself in the more respectable world of acting. Having said this for the most part, McLean was often victorious. [21], Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Lenny McLean vs. Roy Shaw: Battle of the Guv'nors", "Berlin: Bare Knuckle Fight Tale 'The Guv'nor' in the Works (EXCLUSIVE)", "How Lenny McLean became the hardest man in Britain", "Lenny 'The Guv'nor' McClean 'treated kindness with kindness and violence with extreme violence', "Daughter of 'UK's toughest' reveals why he suffered violent rages", "Novel lifts the lid on secrets of gangland", "Bare-knuckle fighter enters bestseller lists", "The Guv'nor: Lenny McLean: 9781857824575", "The Guv'nor Through the Eyes of Others: Anthony Thomas: 9781844544752", "The Guv'nor review unsettling hardman documentary", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lenny_McLean&oldid=1132332422, This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 11:01. At his peak, McLean was 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds of rock solid muscle. If this was any other fight, McLean would have been DQ'd and possibly banned for life. Shaw and McLean never met in the squared circle again. Lenny McLean is a famous English boxer. stories about famous people. Aged 26, McLean entered the world of knuckle fighting, and at that time, in the 1970s, unlicensed boxing was very popular. He wanted payback. In fact, you could argue that its now more mainstream than ever and has international coverage. So was McLean: who thumped Shaw with a four-punch combo that snapped his head and sent him through the ropes and onto the first row. However, it was determined that McLean was responsible for Humphries' broken jaw. And pity the poor Ref in these old time fights. Such was the press for the fight, that camera crews turned up to film it. Gasping for breath, down Lenny grew up in the London neighbourhood in the 1950s when it was one of the most deprived areas of the city. Who is the hardest bare-knuckle fighter? Lenny McLean is the stuff of legend and although he was a skilled boxer, theres also undoubtedly a lot of gossip and hysteria that follows him. As a nearly unconscious Shaw was helped to his feet,Mclean could be heard shouting from the ring, Im the Guvnor!. Shaw claimed in his autobiography that they only fought twice, but later he admitted on his website that there were indeed three fights with McLean of which he lost two and won one. There was no arguing with that. He then took advantage of his name to become a bouncer, local mafia henchman, bodyguard and even an actor. Lenny 'Boy' McLean certainly looked the part of an indestructible fighting machine. Required fields are marked *. He suffered two bullet wounds from separate attacks, and was attacked from behind and stabbed on two occasions. "He was a terrible bully, Lenny. Bartley Gorman, "the King of the Gypsies", head-butting on display in his encounter with Man Mountain York. McLean had a famous trilogy of unlicensed matches with arch-rival Roy "Pretty Boy" Shaw. Johnny Waldron (born East Grinstead, Sussex, on 11 January 1954), also known as "Big Bad" Johnny Waldron, was a Light Heavyweight professional boxer based in Great Britain and Germany during the 1970s and early 1980s. As Lenny McLean grew older, he began using his considerable reputation to guard doors at nightclubs across London, including Camden Palace and the Hippodrome in Leicester Square, becoming a de. That, my friend, is a great question. In the 1970s, working class English hard men settled their disputes in the boxing ring with gloves or on the cobblestones with their bare fists. After the death of McLeans father when Lenny was only 4, aviciously abusive stepfather Jim Irwinturned on the young boy and his four siblings. Not this night. Nuff said. This is dirty boxing at its best and you see fighters doing all sorts of brutal tricks. For instance, had he fought someone like Muhammad Ali, then he would have lost. It takes a tough man to tackle these questions, and the younger Lenny McLean certainly lives up to the name he bears. Whats interesting about the history of bare knuckle boxing is the mysterious culture that surrounds it. I've watched videos of his fights and he was the king, he was like lightning when he fought. His record was 9 wins, 8 knockouts and 2 losses via Lenny McLean. McLean had 2,000 fights and developed an opponent which saw him lose. I signed it 'To the REAL Guv'nor!' During the filming of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, McLean fell ill with what he believed to be flu. It was during the filming of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels that Lenny fell ill in what was later diagnosed as lung cancer. Making his ring entrance to Daddy Cool by Darts was Lenny McLean, the minted champ of the outlaw ring. Of Britains Most Destructive Fighter Thank you categorically much for downloading Nigel Benn Dark Destroyer The Autobiography Of . A third match was scheduled to bring these two powerhouses together yet again. Separately it has been stated that the murder of Dalton was ordered by a gang of East London gangsters and that McLean was uninvolved, though the murder has not been officially solved.[14]. According to McLean's autobiography, his name was useful for the smooth progress of various criminal dealings, and to warn off members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Mafia. It was then, whilst visiting Reggie Kray, that Lenny would bump into Mike Read who suggested an acting career. Sensing the power, McLean, the taller of the two men, held onto Shaw's head, pulling him down into uppercuts and right hands. McLean, the bully beef fighter, was not quite done with his course. Losing his first fight to Shaw due to an obviouslack of conditioning, McLean quickly arranged a rematch. Your email address will not be published. There are also noticeable boxers such as Jem Mace who fought hundreds of years ago into his 70s, or even Bobby Gunn who is a retired Canadian gypsy boxer. In their final bout, McLean ended the feud with a brutal first-round knockout at the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, London in September 1978. So much so that he has two bullet wounds in his back, and has been stabbed repeatedlyalways from behind. It was then in July 1998 that Lenny sadly passed away. As a result of his fighting talents, McLean was awarded the title of The Guvnor, which says it all. Lennie Mclean (iirc) had 13 unlicenced bouts losing 6 and suffering 4 first round knockouts. Arguably, you could claim that professional boxing requires more talent and skill, whereas bare knuckle boxing is more of a test of will and heart. In July 2018, McLean's daughter Kelly released the book My Dad: The Guv'nor with ghostwriter Lee Wortley.[12]. No copyright infringement is intended. Already a hardened fighter, he had been expelled from school after an unsettled childhood and joined the Staffordshire Regiment, only to be discharged for . Fast, accurate and mortar-like, McLean's boxing was more like millinga form of all-out fist fighting popular in the British Army. At Skillset, we celebrate these men that have faced insurmountable challenges and become modern legends. Nearly everyone, at some point in their lives, has imagined themselves as a real-life action star, effortlessly taking on goon. At 26,McClean entered the world of bare knuckle fighting. At the time, McLean claimed that his gloves had been tampered with (as he also fought with boxing gloves too) and demanded a rematch. One such encounter was his 1986 bout with Mad Gypsy Bradshaw. Roy Shaw had fought in a number of bare-knuckle fights with gypsies and became known as the "unofficial heavyweight champ" and "the hardest man in Britain." After receivinga vicious beating at the hands of Spinks for the pain he was inflicting on his family, Irwin disappeared for several years. McLean said that he later caught up with Dalton and punished him. Spuggy has been approached about a book but declined . There was even a film, aptly named The Guv'nor, made about Lennys life seen through the eyes of his son Jamie. Australia's Travis Grant has claimed his third Molokai-2-Oahu championship title after overpowering world number one Connor Baxter in an epic duel across the infamous Ka'iwi Channel today, setting a new race record of 3:59:52 and cementing his status as a true legend of the sport after becoming the first paddler to ever break the mythical 4-hour mark. Challenges which were given out to boxers like ex pro Heavyweight Danny McCalinden and unlicensed fighter Harry Starbuck came unanswered. Sadly, these records and stories probably died when the internet was created, meaning these stories are confined to the history books. A big, three-thousand seat arena more used to staging rock concerts than unaffiliated boxing matches between two aging hoods. The guvnor Lenny Mclean, Bare-knuckle boxer, and Doorman from Down South. McLean, unable to become a licensed boxer due to his violent reputation and criminal record, entered the world of unlicensed boxing (which, though legal, was not sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control ), and he quickly became one of its brightest stars. The teacher eventually gives up, realizing that his students are even ignorant about the existence of Nazis. 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