The Guv'nor

Excellent article, a very enjoyable read.

Thanks for posting it up.

 

Paul pulled out as he busted his hand up in a bar brawl about a week before the fight lol !!!

 

great article

 

No I haven't read either, I will probably when I get a bit of time.... there is a documentry on Paul on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWFOdENQ5TM

He was also a complete nutter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djyqbp-wlm8


Whats the Guv'nor like ? I'm always a bit wary about these Hardman/Hooligan's books because they are always a bit one sided

 

On part 5 of the documentry Paul has Delroy Showers reside over his renewing of vows with his wife lol !!

 

Paul Sykes would have defeated McLean. Waldron and Paddock and Fields done did it, as well as Shaw. Had Shaw been younger when he fought Lenny the last two times, he would have beaten Lenny all three times. McLean never credited anyone who beat him, using the logic that he never lost on the cobbles, bare fisted. To me, though, the best of the bare knucklers was Bartley Gorman who defeated the top men from the Joyce's and McGinley's, and many others. Gorman issued challenges to both McLean and Shaw, but they never fought.

Shaw, though, had talent, and even into his 60's the man has an amazing physique. The only unlicensed fighter in similar shape at that age I can think of is the 'Mad Welshman' Charles Bronson, who claimed that McLean refused to fight him as well.

BUT....the best man I ever seen fight in the unlicensed ring was ex-pro Johnny Waldron, who defeated Shaw and McLean and Paddock, etc, and he made a comeback to the unlicensed ring at the age of 40 in the early 90's and knocked out Julius Francis in one round. Not too long after that Francis won the British HW championship. So, in a sense, least of all to me, the true champion of Britain was Waldron.

 

Holy **** that video is amazing... WHat a ridiculous beat-down

Thanks for posting the story and vid, awesome.

 

I generally get alot of **** thrown at me when I talk of guys like Shaw & McLean & Gorman, because I argue the case that under their rules [least in Gorman's case] that I think not too many could have beaten them. It's comparing apples to oranges, imo. How can you say Ali was better than Sullivan when the two fought in vastly different worlds, entirely seperated under two contrasting rules in almost every way? That's my logic anyways. Most people don't give bare knuckle fighters, unlicensed boxers, any credit, more or less tossing them to the side as no more than 'tough man' fighters at the best.

Another of these I remember was Joe Savage, a man who claimed a 42-0 record in bare knuckle bouts, claiming the championship of Britain. He retired from that, though, due to his ears being so cauliflowered that there was a concern that the appendages would get torn off if he scrapped again. Needless to say, he decided to go into pro boxing, appeared on the Late Show and stated he would clear up the HW division, etc.

His first opponent was a bad choice, imo, in Bert Cooper. Cooper had more than 50 pro bouts and contended and fought for the World HW title and was one of the ALL TIME great spoilers. Savage was introduced as the 'undefeated bare knuckle champion of Great Britain, who called out Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno to fight in the same day', and Cooper was dismissed....it only went a round, Savage rushed and went to the body, but was easily countered and Cooper knocked him out.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF79w3ASXS4

Savage-vs-Cooper

 

these guys dont know how to fight, im sorry but its true.
they strong but can they fight?...NO

how about

lenny mclean vs anderson silva (not even a heavyweight)
Roy shaw vs melvin manhoef

actually thats not fair as these two amateurs will get slaughtered by proper professional fighters.

 

To say these men don't know how to fight is an injustice.

To say they don't know how to box, however, is accurate.

In all out free for alls, street brawls, bare knuckle battles, bar room brawls, on the cobbles, in secret, or in the open, these men were tough as nails, and always dangerous. They didnt care where they hit you, or how they got the job done, they just beat the **** out of one another.

Tell the many boxers and mma fighters to throw away all defense, all ring science, and just brawl, and see who comes out on top at the end of the day...thats a real good question to ask! I like how one of the Gracie's put it once, that rules limit the fighters, and because of them, we would never know who truly was the greatest fighter in the world.