Lenny McLean "The Guv'nor" challenged Muhammad Ali back in the day

Crude brawler who would have had his head handed to him in a boxing match by most moderately skilled pros.

 

I doubt Lenny McLean challenged Ali.

Lenny McLean's autobiography was proven to be untrue. He was beaten up a few times by other 'hardmen' in unlicensed boxing or street fights.
A man called Cliff Fields definitely beat him.

 

He was beaten up by a light heavy named Johnny Waldron.MaClean was a poor boxer according to his cousin ,the promoter Frank Warren, who cut his teeth on unlicenced bouts before becoming legit.

 

Fields was the real deal as far as," on the cobbles," is concerned.

 

He lost the first fight with Roy Shaw too.
Shaw was scary and tough but he was about 12 years older than Lenny, and about 7 inches shorter, 60 or 70 pounds lighter.

 

Read his book. Yer, sure, he was a tough guy in his own right and handy to have on your side.. Ever.!
But taking on Ali! His face would have being mashed.

 

McLean was formidable in a street brawl against other street brawlers where he was free to punch, kick, headbutt, bite and jump on them until they stopped moving. In a ring against anyone with a semblance of boxing abilty, he wasn't so formidable. He was knocked out by Johnny Waldron, a semi-pro light-heavy, and lost twice to Cliff Field. In a pro bout, Field got knocked out by Richard Dunn in a few rounds.

Shaw once fought Ron Stander in an unlicenced bout, but got lucky because Stander had recently cracked a few ribs. Shaw admitted that but for that injury, Stander would have mullered him. He said he landed his best punch flush on Stander's chin and Stander didn't even flinch.

 

Lenny is a goose, you could pit him against a champion level flyweight and he’d be shredded to mince meat.

Lenny is a punk and a bully who couldn’t actually box and made a name off fights we couldn’t see against overweight bare knuckle “boxers” who where likely pub tough guys and construction workers glorified idiot he is got too much attention, also let it be known the man ducked Britain’s most violent Prisoner Charles Salvador (formerly Bronson)

 

He did make a squeak of noise about Ali but squeaking and getting in the ring with Ali are two different things... it’d be like me prancing about my street saying I’d fight Tyson Fury why would he care and who would believe me?

 

Facts I learned from Lennys autobiography.

- Lenny was the type who didn’t go looking for trouble but never backed down if it arose.

- Lenny hated bullies but was a gentleman to your granny.

- Lenny never lost a fight on the cobbles.

- Lenny beat the Mafia heavyweight champion in a fight in the USA.

- Lenny didn’t mention losing to Fields or Waldron so it can’t have happened.

- Lenny challenged Ali and Mr T and neither had the stones to meet him.

- Lenny was sketchy on the first Shaw fight which makes one conclude that he was drugged.

- Lenny set Roy Shaw to rights in the rematch and the final fight of their mighty trilogy.

- Lenny was extremely fond of Lenny but less fond of reality.

 

Wasn’t Brad Pitt in a movie that was loosely based on that underground British fight scene ??