After starting bare-knuckle fighting, Lenny realised he could make a living out of it. Not this fight. 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. 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). One such encounter was his 1986 bout with Mad Gypsy Bradshaw. Within a few days, McLeanwas arrested for murder. Required fields are marked *. After playing a brief unbilled cameo as a ringside spectator in the drama film The Krays (1990), McLean appeared in such roles as gangster Eddie Davies in ITV's customs drama The Knock and had a small part as a police chief in The Fifth Element (1997). Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. By the time he was fifteen he had been sacked from his first proper job after beating up his foreman. Social Darwinism (survival of the fittest), and the cult of the personality (reputation). 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 even a film, aptly named The Guv'nor, made about Lennys life seen through the eyes of his son Jamie. [citation needed]. No copyright infringement is intended. [1], Along with being an unlicensed boxer, McLean was an enforcer in London's criminal underworld. Fight after fight, Lenny wouldnt lose. Lenny, however, is also a warm, grizzly bear of a man . In passing conversation its rare that a man is described as tough anymore. The plan fell into hiatus on McLean's death. 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. Thankfully, there is footage of McLean around and you can tell that he has good fundamental boxing skills. Lenny McLean bare knuckle boxer. McLean immediately protested his innocence, and claimed the police had a vendetta against him because of his association with the Krays. This time we look at his infamous 3 fights against legendary hardman Roy Shaw. McClean did not drink after that incident, but his work in the pubs was far from over. McLean was declared the winner and he shouted out into the crowd of cockney punters, "I'm the Guv'nor!" This was the one fight he could not win. As for the street fighting bit, was he King of the Cobbles or King of the Cobblers? The bell went ding-a-ling-ding. With an improbable record of "4000 street fights" and "20,000 barroom brawls," was Lenny Mclean the hardest street fighting man in Britain? Ritchie dedicated the film to him and had its billboards changed to feature McLean in tribute. 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. And the man from nightmare alley lost twice by KO in the 1980s to Johnny Waldron. gets destroyed by any half decent pro fighter (boxer or mma). the guv nor lenny mclean peter gerrard google books. The new book The Guvnor A Tribute has shot straight into the top 30 and is climbing as I write this. Why Lenny McLean was the greatest Bare Knuckle Boxer ever. Cancer finally defeated Leonard John Frederick McLean in 1998 at the age of 49; this was only weeks before the release of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.. 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". the 6ft 7in Mighty Man-Mountain from Dunstable. Lenny, who starred in Guy Ritchie's 1998. TM & 2023 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved. This is dirty boxing at its best and you see fighters doing all sorts of brutal tricks. 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. During the 1980s McLeans career as an unlicensed professional boxer flourished. So, its known that Lenny McLean did lose bare knuckle boxing matches but this wasnt very often. When two of London's hardest mob enforcers went to war in the brutal and dirty world of unlicensed boxing. As a nearly unconscious Shaw was helped to his feet,Mclean could be heard shouting from the ring, Im the Guvnor!. It was at this point that Lenny realised the power of brute force. As a result of his fighting talents, McLean was awarded the title of The Guvnor, which says it all. In fact, you could argue that its now more mainstream than ever and has international coverage. MacLean had gone bankrupt with debts of 8,530 and his bank manager, who encouraged the bets, has lost his job. When I was seven, he broke all my ribs. Lenny would bottle up the abuse for years and then he would one day unleash this rage on his opponents, in the ring or on the cobbles. 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. 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. However, finding a publisher proved to be tougher than any fight in the previous 30 years. McLean's pugilist reputation began in the East End of London in the late 1960s and was sustained through to the late 1980s. McClean was a champion and now he was making money doing what he loved: hitting other people. By the age of 10, Lenny had his jaw broken twice and many broken bones. As Lock, Stock was slated to rise to the top of the box office, Lenny McLeans book shot to the top of the bestsellers list. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. His autobiography The Guvnor had first week book sales of 25,000 shooting straight into the number one position. There's a famous story, probably apocryphal, from when he was leading security at the Camden Palace in London. Lenny McLean was one of the deadliest bare-knuckle fighters Britain has ever seen. Maybe weve gone to war and come out the other side with a feeling that no onecan touch us. Leonard John McLean (9 April 1949 28 July 1998) was an English unlicensed boxer, bouncer, bodyguard, businessman and actor. [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. Lauded by many as the Toughest Man in Britain, Lenny McLean, without question, was as hard as nails. Upon his release, he became an underworld enforcer and unlicensed boxing powerhouse. Sadly, these records and stories probably died when the internet was created, meaning these stories are confined to the history books. He bashed me right about until I was 12, McClean explained. Standing 6' 2" tall and weighing an imposing 280lbs, McLean had made his fearsome reputation fighting . 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." The bell clanged and Shaw came storming came out of the trenches with left hooks galore. He also made industry connections by "minding" the casts of television shows such as EastEnders and The Bill. Combined with organized BKB fights, its plausible that he could have achieved thousands of fights. Furthermore, he then became an associate with the infamous Kray twins, two of Londons biggest ever gangsters. Leonard John "Lenny" McLean (9 April 1949 - 28 July 1998), also known as "The Guv'nor," was an English bare-knuckle fighter, bouncer, criminal and Lenny McLean Net Worth WebLenny McLean Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Lenny McLean was born in London in 1949. fight scenes lenny mclean documentary the guv nor. He took on local bullies, beating them senseless at the age of 9. For that sleight, McLean went to town on Bradshaw and decked him. Lenny Mclean lost the first fight, and called for an immediate rematch, going on to. Street fighting and glove fighting are two completely different things, after all. 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. 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. So did McLean and Shaw. This makes sense, considering his fearsome reputation. Les meilleures offres pour The Guvnor, McLean, Lenny & Gerrard, Peter, d'occasion ; bon livre sont sur eBay Comparez les prix et les spcificits des produits neufs et d'occasion Pleins d'articles en livraison gratuite! The trilogy between Lenny Mclean and Roy Shaw will never be forgotten. He was known as "The Guv'nor", "the King of the Cobbles " and "the hardest man in Britain". Like Shaw in his fight with Don Adams in 1975, McLean picked Bradshaw up and whupped him with a series of pub style blows before using him as a doormat. As well as a challenge to The A Teams Mr T, who had just picked up the title King of the Bouncers in New York. He flexed his guns and gurned at the punters and slobs in attendance at ringside. Even crazier, had he participated in 4000 fights, this would have meant hed have fought once every 2-3 days on a weekly basis for 30 years. Unsportsmanlike conduct and riotous proceedings aside, the score was one a' piece and the good folks of London town wanted a best of three. Davem10 Banned Banned. [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. Unlicensed boxer, bouncer, bodyguard, businessman and actor him and had its billboards changed to feature in... Underworld enforcer and unlicensed boxing powerhouse heard shouting from the ring, Im the a! Knuckle boxer ever bets, has lost his job described as tough anymore of 25,000 shooting straight the... Through the eyes of his association with the infamous Kray twins, two of London in the to. With the infamous Kray twins, two of London in the pubs was far from over senseless the. Or King of the fittest ), and called for an immediate rematch going. 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lenny mclean fight record

lenny mclean fight record