McLean, unable to become a licensed boxer due to his violent reputation and lengthy criminal record, entered the world of unlicensed boxing (which, although legal, was not sanctioned by the British Boxing Board of Control), and he quickly became one of its brightest stars and had a fearsome reputation. Lenny McLean earned a reputation as Britains hardest man - and for good reason. great item for any boxing fan. It was upon filming this that Lenny was struck ill. What he thought was a dose of the flu, would turn out to be Cancer of the brain. He also held joint ownership of a public house in the East End of London named the "Guv'Nors" along with Charlie Kray, elder brother of the Kray twins, reputed to be the "most legitimate" of the three brothers. Born in Hoxton, right in the middle of the east-end, Lenny had a good upbringing until his father died when he was young. It could have been so different for Roy Shaw. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Yes, McLean may have been the "King of the Cobbles" but the nightclub doorman was an unlicensed boxer with a so-so record. 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. 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With Roy winning the first fight, Lenny picking up the second, this fight was the decider. They weren't legit boxers per se. He was also known in the London nightclub scene as a bouncer, where he often managed security. Lenny Mclean lost the first fight, and called for an immediate rematch, going on to. In brief, he was a gigantic man with a passion for violence. Lenny Mclean, the greatest bare-knuckle street fighter of them all. Over the years, there have been many who claim to be the best bare knuckle boxer. For instance, had he fought someone like Muhammad Ali, then he would have lost. Also his book sounds like shit, the usual "I was the small one getting bullied then one day i chinned them all" shit. If you are or represent the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have a problem with the use of said material, please feel free to contact me via my email in the \"about\" page on my channel. As soon as he fights anyone who doesnt fear him and has even decent skills he probably loses. With his fame as an unlicensed boxer, McLean became known as "The King of Bouncers" around many of the clubs and pubs in London. They later had two children, a son named Jamie and a daughter named Kelly. Guys that have a hard upbringing, face almost unbelievable odds throughout their lives, always fighting back. The end result of the abuse was a welling hate that grew inside the young lad. On Buzzlearn.com, Lenny is listed as a successful Boxer who was born in the year of 1949. 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. A third match was scheduled to bring these two powerhouses together yet again. Charged with, and found guilty of, grievous bodily harm, McLean subsequently served an 18-month prison sentence. He picked up a nice little wage and two broken hands as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_McLean. who beat his prize-fighting partner Leonard MacLean, causing him to lose a 15,000 bet on his own success, which led to a London Bankruptcy Court hearing. McLean travelled to Hollywood to discuss the matter with film studio executives, but their preference for Sylvester Stallone for the part caused McLean to discontinue negotiations. After receivinga vicious beating at the hands of Spinks for the pain he was inflicting on his family, Irwin disappeared for several years. Despite toxic levels of personal animosity between the two thugs, their life stories were almost identical. As you can imagine, this was a man surrounded by violence and boxing. 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. She told The Mirror in 2018: There were times I hated him and I looked at him like he was a bully. Something went wrong, please try again later. It was his series of fights with The Mean Machine Roy Shaw that became legendary. 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. He claimed "The King meets The Guvnor. Lenny McLean Leonard John "Lenny" McLean (9 April 1949 - 28 July 1998), also known as "The Guv'nor," was an East End of London bareknuckle fighter, bouncer, criminal and prisoner, author, businessman, bodyguard, enforcer, weightlifter, television presenter and actor, and has been referred to as "the hardest man in Britain". His father died when Lenny was young and an abusive stepfather took his place. His lead single "Blue Suede Shoes" failed to break into the top 200 and the album was subsequently scrapped. In August 1991 Duffy's life came to a violent end when he was stabbed during a brutal street brawl in Marton Road, Middlesbrough aged just 26. In July 2018, McLean's daughter Kelly released the book My Dad: The Guv'nor with ghostwriter Lee Wortley.[12]. He wanted payback. He used to say he'd had 3,000 fights, which was crap. Detailed by Lenny Mclean in his book "The Guv'nor", Sykes took on four bouncers in his hometown of Wakefield, causing their British title fight to be cancelled. Re: Lenny Mclean v Roy Shaw, who actually won there fights? There was no bobbing, weaving or countering. As for the street fighting bit, was he King of the Cobbles or King of the Cobblers? Shaw and McLean never met in the squared circle again. My final fight was against Kevin Paddock who I beat on points. Upon his release, he became an underworld enforcer and unlicensed boxing powerhouse. Already a hardened fighter, he had been expelled from school after an unsettled childhood and joined the Staffordshire Regiment, only to be discharged for . It is that violence thatcreates an unflinching profile of a complex man. Put another way, Lenny McLean could easily handle 99% of men, but he may have struggled against the worlds best at the time especially in a certain ruleset. Leonard John McLean (9 April 1949 - 28 July 1998) was an English unlicensed boxer, bouncer, bodyguard, businessman and actor. Born in Hoxton, right in the middle of the east-end, Lenny had a good upbringing until his father died when he was young. Not your modern rules, padded gloves and ring-girls type fights. His reputation for being a psychopath apparently had no ill effect on his career. [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. McLean declined to fight Pearce, he later commented that was the only time in his career he had doubts.[11]. The arse over elbows finale cost Shaw a bit more than his rep. Shaw beat McLean in their first fight, but lost in two other matches to McLean. McLean's charge was reduced to manslaughter, of which he was cleared at the Old Bailey when it emerged that Humphries had been in a scuffle with the police after being ejected from the nightclub. After one fight, he was meant to put his opponent into a coma due to landing such heavy shots. Leonard John McLean (9 April 1949 - 28 July 1998) was an English unlicensed boxer, bouncer, bodyguard, businessman and actor. He suffered two bullet wounds from separate attacks, and was attacked from behind and stabbed on two occasions. The plan fell into hiatus on McLean's death. That wasn't the end of it. Despite his storied past, he was constantly being put to the test at the clubs, often against assailants with knives. The 20-stone tough nut had thousands of unlicensed boxing fights in his life and befriended the fearsome Kray. please view pictures for more details. Smelling blood, McLean swarmed on Shaw and let loose with a tantrum of fists. It was during this time that he reportedly met and befriended the Kray twins. He was born on April 9, 1949 and his birthplace is London, Hoxton, England. Shaw was a mean old dog but McLean, the bigger and younger man in the red corner, was not going to relinquish the title of Guv'nor so easily. His first name is "Lenny" and his last name is "McLean". the guv nor ebook 2003 worldcat. Street fights. It takes a tough man to tackle these questions, and the younger Lenny McLean certainly lives up to the name he bears. He is still generally regarded as. and the nal truth about his famous ghts with Lenny "The Guv'nor" McLean. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. With multiple convictions between them, they were too dodgy to get a boxing license and fought in bare-knuckle bouts, and unaffiliated (unlicensed) matches, not heavily regulated like the ones staged by the British Board of Boxing Control. Or trust. He was the absolute King Of The Cobbles. Standing 6' 2" tall and weighing an imposing 280lbs, McLean had made his fearsome reputation fighting . Lenny eventually fell into acting after being asked to mind the cast of EastEnders. This comment was left automatically (by a bot). Sensing the power, McLean, the taller of the two men, held onto Shaw's head, pulling him down into uppercuts and right hands. Including a trilogy of fights against Roy Shaw and dust ups against Mad Gypsy Bradshaw and Man Mountain York. Unlicensed boxing matches became a favorite pastime in 1970s London, and by the time he finished his tour, McClean had somewhere north of 2,000 fights (some say 4,000)under his belt, bothin and out of the ring. 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