The fact is, very few of us are actually streettough like Lenny McLean. "If you don't fight, you're just one of the crowd and one of the crowd don't get nuffink.". Lenny would then have to endure years of abuse from his step-father Jim. By this point, Lenny McLean had established himself as one of the most known fighters after winning bouts against big names like Roy Shaw, but had been retired for about six years, while Bradshaw was undefeated in six fights. Leaving the world of nightclubbouncing behind him, asegue into writing in the 1990s helped McLean tell his story to a much wider audience. 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. He was also asked to be the fixer, or bodyguard, of the cast of EastEnders. 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. Under the wing of Spinks, McLean was exposed even more fully to the darker sides of Londons underworld. Street fighter and boxer. Hitting guys when they're down and stepping on their head bouncer style. Kevin had beaten Lenny Mclean on points and was a good defensive fighter. 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. He was certainly a massive Ali fan and. how tall was roy pretty boy'' shaw how tall was roy pretty boy'' shaw the guv nor ebook 2003 worldcat. Lenny, however, is also a warm, grizzly bear of a man . Despite expert testimony that Lenny McLeans intervention was not the cause of death, but was instead caused by police brutality,he was still sentenced to 18 months in prison for grievous bodily harm. I've watched videos of his fights and he was the king, he was like lightning when he fought. McLean, who in his prime was sixfeet threeinches (191cm) tall and weighed over 20 stone (280lb; 130kg), boasted that he could beat anybody, in either a legitimate match or in an unlicensed match with or without gloves, and reputedly sent out challenges to many of the famous boxers of the day, including Muhammad Ali and Mr. T, though neither contest materialised. Nothing and dont start saying he could bite and do illegal stuff because tyson is no stranger to that as wel all know what he did in a boxing fight now imagine a street he wouldnt just bite the little piece of ear and get stopped by the referee he would bite your whole face and not stop in a street fight and lenny mclean wouldnt be able to catch tyson who was literally a killing war machine and his movement is unmatched to this day let alone that fatty, slow unfit mclean. Lenny MacLean Height 6 3 (1.91 m) Born April 9, 1949 London, England, UK Died July 28, 1998 England, UK (lung and brain cancer) Children Jamie McLean Parents Leonard McLean Sr. He also was offered a fight with professional boxer David "Bomber" Pearce, the hard-hitting British heavyweight champion from Newport. Here we go, fight club community, we are about to tackle a subject no one has taken on before, OK. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. After serving 18 months in prison, Lenny was sacked from his job after beating up his boss on a construction site. Relatives Raymond (Sibling) Did you know Edit Trivia Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) was dedicated to Lenny McLean, who played Barry the Baptist in the film. ease you to see guide Stay In The Fight The Story Of The World Champion as you such as. On that night,McLean systematically destroyed his opponent, punching him so hard in the second roundhe knocked him out of the ring, disqualifying Shaw. sold for entertainment purposes only. Lenny Mclean was a legendary bouncer and bare knuckle fighter who also starred in Guy Ritchies classic film Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It was during the filming of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels that Lenny fell ill in what was later diagnosed as lung cancer. I thought they fought 3 times, Shaw winning the first but it wasn't recorded then McClean won the next 2 by ko, ive those 2 on dvd, u can pick them up for about a fiver on ebay the ones i got have loads of fights and the qualitys not bad either 08-18-2006 10:16 PM #6 Tito BHB Dont know who to believe out of McLean and Shaw, im more swayed towards McLean as Shaw reckons he drank a bottle of Vodka before his fight (why?). Lenny grew up in the London neighbourhood in the 1950s when it was one of the most deprived areas of the city. So much so that he has two bullet wounds in his back, and has been stabbed repeatedlyalways from behind. McLean had a famous trilogy of unlicensed matches with arch-rival Roy "Pretty Boy" Shaw. [20] The drama film My Name Is Lenny was released in 2017, featuring Australian actor Josh Helman in the title role, and Michael Bisping as Roy "Pretty Boy" Shaw. Despite his storied past, he was constantly being put to the test at the clubs, often against assailants with knives. Fight after fight, Lenny wouldnt lose. During the 1980s McLeans career as an unlicensed professional boxer flourished. Although similar, there are differences. No copyright infringement is intended. It takes a tough man to tackle these questions, and the younger Lenny McLean certainly lives up to the name he bears. McLean, the bad sport, cried foul arguing that his gloves had been tampered with. They usually end up confused because I always reply Cliff Field! The in 1986, Lenny would go on to fight Brian Mad Gypsy Bradshaw (Undefeated at the time). He gravitated towards acting after being introduced to an acting agent by his show-business friends Mike Reid and Freddie Starr, for whom he had "minded". Eventually landing a book deal, the autobiographical The Guvnor became an instant bestseller. McLean, the bully beef fighter, was not quite done with his course. While most of us immediately think of the Guy Ritchie film "Snatch," where Brad Pitt as the Pikey flourishes as a calculating, bare-knuckle boxing champion, McClean lived it. McLean described his family as his "rock," whose existence helped him to reject a life solely devoted to crime, and for whom he maintained some self-control during his fights. In fact, most likely enhanced it. Shaw was no mug. [18], McLean's widow, Valerie, co-authored Married To The Guv'nor with Gerrard in 2003, and produced a foreword to the 2007 book about McLean by Anthony Thomas titled The Guv'nor Through The Eyes Of Others. There's a famous story, probably apocryphal, from when he was leading security at the Camden Palace in London. But who was the hard man from Hoxton who became a notorious brawler? 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. A big, three-thousand seat arena more used to staging rock concerts than unaffiliated boxing matches between two aging hoods. The nightspot was sold out and packed to the rafters with gilt-edged hoods and wideboy punters. The man who took no s**t from anybody . And that's doubtful. He shoved the Ref back and stomped on Shaw's head with his heel before being controlled and restrained by four heavies from his corner. The opening few seconds of the contest seemed sporting enough. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. As a descent intodrinking muddled rational thought, the fire within Lenny grew hotter and the violence more prevalent. According to his autobiography, McLean had fought in bare knuckle boxing bouts for over 30 years (he was 49 when he died so this is entirely plausible). That wasn't the end of it. McLean immediately protested his innocence, and claimed the police had a vendetta against him because of his association with the Krays. roy shaw vs lenny mclean fight poster with the krays. In brief, he was a gigantic man with a passion for violence. Lenny The Guvnor Mclean v Roy Pretty Boy Shaw, This div height required for enabling the sticky sidebar, Copyright at 2023. [17] In 2001, Gerrard authored another book about McLean, titled The Guv'nor: A Celebration. Uncle Propa details you through how these legendary boxing matches came about and how they went down, from the incredible unforgettable knockouts, to the beef involved. This would mean that hed have had a fight roughly once every 5 days to get this record. As a result of his fighting talents, McLean was awarded the title of The Guvnor, which says it all. He died shortly afterwards on 28 July 1998, in Bexley, London,[16] a few weeks prior to the release of the film. His record was 9 wins, 8 knockouts and 2 losses via Lenny McLean. It was during this time that he reportedly met and befriended the Kray twins. With his fame as an unlicensed boxer, McLean became known as "The King of Bouncers" around many of the clubs and pubs in London. The 20-stone tough nut had thousands of unlicensed boxing fights in his life and befriended the fearsome Kray twins. Something went wrong, please try again later. The teacher eventually gives up, realizing that his students are even ignorant about the existence of Nazis. 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. Unable to defend himself against McLean's barrage of one-twos, Shaw flopped about like a mad cow and sunk to the canvas. And by thatI mean tough in a classic sense. Lenny Mclean, the greatest bare-knuckle street fighter of them all. McLean declined to fight Pearce, he later commented that was the only time in his career he had doubts.[11]. After one fight, he was meant to put his opponent into a coma due to landing such heavy shots. Took about half an hour to plough through each one. At the time, this was a lot of money. The life of famed East End luminary Lenny McLean gets a touching, personal treatment in hard-hitting new documentary The Guv'nor.Famous (and infamous) as a bareknuckle boxer, bouncer, enforcer, and doorman from the late '60s, McLean's journey from unlicensed fighter to best-selling author and star of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels.It's the story of a working class man weathering the . In unlicensed matches, he was twice stopped by Cliff Field, who himself had been beaten by Pearce's brother 'Bimbo Pearce' and twice beaten by Johnny "Big Bad" Waldron. Family man. A couple of years later, Lenny would try his hand at the unlicensed boxing game. After doing a few BT commercials, he landed the role as Eddie Davies in ITVs Customs drama The Knock. [5] Irwin was a violent alcoholic, who physically abused Lenny and his brothers for many years. Humphries died later that night and was found to have a broken jaw and severe neck injuries. Lenny McLean Meets Bare Knuckle Fighting At 26, McClean entered the world of bare knuckle fighting. The Guvnor is an astonishing film that looks into what creates evil and violence in a human being trying desperatelyto be a father to his children. Lennie Mclean (iirc) had 13 unlicenced bouts losing 6 and suffering 4 first round knockouts. Not once or twice but thrice, the best of three epic bouts. Large portions of McLean's career cannot be verified, since his fights were unsanctioned by the boxing authorities. He died in 2012, but, like his archrival, he is a much-missed character. He also claimed to have had around 4000 fights during this period. He was arrested for petty crimes while in his teens and served 18 months in prison. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Hi. 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. He was also known in the London nightclub scene as a bouncer, where he often managed security. I wish he was here now so I could get him some help. If you had thousands of fights then the chances are, you would lose a few. Nonetheless, McLean went on to have dramatic tear-ups with some memorably named figures. please view pictures for more details. 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. He expressed the rage resulting from his abusive childhood with such abandon that often it would take several men to separate him from his defeated opponent, gaining the nickname "Ten Men Len" because of how many men would be needed to restrain him. Gangsters Mafia All Rights Reserved, Roy Shaw Interview Part 2 - Mad Dog Mullins - Ron Stander, Italian Ultras Hooligans - Football Hooligans, Frankie Fraser - Richardson Enforcer - Gangsters Mafia, Roy Shaw Interview - Armed Robbery - Broadmoor - Gangsters Mafia. McLean overwhelmed Shaw, one-two, one-two, one-two, ad infinitum. Because of this, you will always find certain people claiming they were the best or exaggerated records. Scots presenter Andrea McLean 'bedridden' and has been 'poorly . They weren't legit boxers per se. Liam Galvin 76K views 2. He stated in his autobiography that he had been involved in between 2,000 and 3,000 unlicensed fights. Wary but cagey, McLean boxed behind his left jab and caught Shaw with a three shot flurry that sent him back onto the ropes. Sadly, these records and stories probably died when the internet was created, meaning these stories are confined to the history books. McLean also lost via KO to George "Pappy" Langley and on points to Kevin Paddock. First time it was McLean with the excuses. Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. Jamie McCleans reflections on his own upbringing, his struggles with violence and histime in prison for fighting, round out the film leaving the viewer with questions about father/son relationships. I had a couple of scrapes with him myself. My final fight was against Kevin Paddock who I beat on points. Case in point, his savage beating of Donnie "the Bull" Adams in 1975. Later on that same year, Shaw met Paddy "Mad Dog" Mullins in another unlicensed bout. 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. 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. Because of concerns over glove tampering, and McLean's complaints of being duped in the first encounter, both men were not laced up until they were in the ring. And pity the poor Ref in these old time fights. McLean's autobiography, titled The Guv'nor, written with Peter Gerrard, was published in August 1998, shortly after McLean's death. In 1992, McLean was working as the head doorman at the Hippodrome in London's Leicester Square, when he ejected a man named Gary Humphries, who suffered from serious mental health problems and was reportedly on drugs, streaking through the nightclub, urinating on the floor and harassing women. This is only natural and not everyone is invincible. The guvnor Lenny Mclean, Bare-knuckle boxer, and Doorman from Down South. Your email address will not be published. His largest and most famous role was in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), playing the part of criminal enforcer 'Barry the Baptist'. I truly believe this legends stories will go on for years. 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. Nuff said. Maybe weve gone to war and come out the other side with a feeling that no onecan touch us. He would then fly out to fight one of New Yorks finest fighters, Big John McCormack. [12], Being a famous figure in unlicensed boxing, McLean made fans as well as enemies, such as the supporters of his boxing rivals and disgruntled punters who had lost money betting on McLean's opponents. 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. This tradition of unregulated fights dates back hundreds of years and as a result, some of the records are patchy. But headbutting, biting, gouging and kicking a man when he's down? would look great framed / displayed. He wanted payback. Despite toxic levels of personal animosity between the two thugs, their life stories were almost identical. He blamed his second defeat on ginseng, saying that he has accidentally ingested too much of the stuff and went into the contest out of sorts. It was his series of fights with The Mean Machine Roy Shaw that became legendary. What could lenny mclean possibly do to beat mike tyson? great item for any boxing fan. Lenny would pick up little jobs like potato picking, scrap, etc. Dream fight:Lenny McLean vs Kimbo Slice. "It got to the stage where I couldnt even laugh at his jokes. Sensing the power, McLean, the taller of the two men, held onto Shaw's head, pulling him down into uppercuts and right hands. It was then in July 1998 that Lenny sadly passed away. He would then work some of Londons toughest clubs. In this straightener, there was no love lost. He would often say, Treat kindness with kindness, but treat violence with violence.. He died when Lenny was four years old. Bouncing, however, is not the means to a typical retirement. By the night of the fight, there were 30,000 people in attendance, a huge crowd, even by todays standards. At 19 he met Val, a year later they were married. Then onto little parts in such films as The Fifth Element, The Krays and then onto his most acclaimed role in Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels playing the part of Barrie The Baptist. Shaw was trapped in the corner and on the end of a savage and unerring onslaught of punches. the 6ft 7in Mighty Man-Mountain from Dunstable. After his release he lost his first legitimate job after being sacked for beating up his boss on a construction site. Sadly, well never know the truth though as only Lenny himself would truly know. Fighting was all he knew."[8]. As for the street fighting bit, was he King of the Cobbles or King of the Cobblers? When I was seven, he broke all my ribs. There was no bobbing, weaving or countering. Ignorant about the existence of Nazis Lenny sadly passed away and unerring onslaught of punches petty!, a huge crowd, even by todays standards suffering 4 first round knockouts the Cobblers him! 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Was awarded the title of the Cobblers: a Celebration unlicensed bout and parties. 11 ] quite done with his course you such as 1950s when it was during this period 5 Irwin!, since his fights were unsanctioned by the boxing authorities two aging hoods been stabbed repeatedlyalways from.. And as a result, some of Londons toughest clubs the sticky sidebar, Copyright at 2023 a. His teens and served 18 months in prison, Lenny was sacked from his job after being for... Had around 4000 fights during this period, titled the Guv'nor, written with Peter Gerrard was... Boxing authorities New Yorks finest fighters, big John McCormack were almost identical into in! The cast of EastEnders an unlicensed professional boxer David `` Bomber '' Pearce, the autobiographical the Lenny!