I know I must sound like a broken parrot by the way I always seem to repeat myself but I figure that if you get the facts tied in to a new post then you can see that I don’t take sides I just say what I see.

When it comes to the unlicensed fighters of an era that being street tough was an honour, not like the happy slappers and gun crazed street thugs of today (oh how we have evolved), Lenny Mclean was the guy I looked up to. Those who either know me, read about me or just popped their nose is to a blog or two will being able to confirm that I knew and worked side by side with Lenny in the late 80’s and crossed paths with him many times through most of the 90’s… he wasn’t perfect unlike how millions seem to think he was based on the info in his book ‘the Guv’nor’ but he was a guy that always had time to cheer ya up… it wasn’t fear for the man that commanded the respect he got, he was a genuinely funny guy who didn’t flaunt his capabilities in everybody’s face… he was, in my books, The Guvnor.

Another fighter from that era who did use fear to get respect was Roy Shaw; I do tip my hat to Roy, because he is a true fighter – he was born to scrap and despite his size he could tear it up. Roy still trains and has been in a few street bouts even recently, he’s to into his recreational activities and thinks he’s 30 years younger than what he is for me to fully respect these days but I would still fight through hell with the man if the need ever arose.

And then there is a fella who was cheated out of the crown and that man is Lew Yates. I won’t do Lew the dishonour of condensing his life into a few sentences (I will however whole heartedly recommend his book ‘Wild Thing’ written by Lew and bestselling author Bernie O’Mahoney) but I will say that Lew sacrificed EVERYTHING for the fight game and still trains hard today. At 62, Lew weighs in at 18 stone (none of it chemically enhanced) and trains 6 times a week; he is ready for ANY challenge - You have to admire that.

I bring this up because I am putting a new book together with my good friend Robin Barratt entitled ‘Redemption – fascinating true stories of hard men turning their backs on a violent world’.  Those featured in the book include: Frankie Fraser, Bernie O’Mahoney, Mickey Francis, Charlie Bronson, Stevie Wraith, Joe Egan, Danny ‘the knife’, Mohammed Iftkhar,  Mark Emmins, and Jason Cook to name but a few and of course Lew Yates.

When I phoned Lew, I didn’t know what to expect, he is a proven bruiser and could be as stand offish as Roy or big and loud like Lenny… Lew was neither; he was Lew… one of the friendliest guys I have ever spoken to. His calming northern accent gave his telephone voice a roguish charm that if I batted for the other team would have won me over…lol. The conversation flowed very easily and this was helped by the fact that Lew had so many stories to tell, he’s funny and has a great view on life… apart from the book and a few other things, Lew’s favourite topic was the man who cheated him in the ring, Roy Shaw. When Lew’s book came out it sparked old memories and egos, Roy made it publicly known that he would fight Lew to prove he was cheated out of nothing but was done a favour… Lew saw it differently and accepted the challenge. I won’t retell the whole conversation because that is not my place but needless to say it resulted in a very fit and ready Lew happy to make the necessary arrangements to set it up whilst Roy made continuous hot and cold telephone calls… one minute it’s on, then on a sober night it was off and then he would be jeered up again and it was back on… needless to say, it hasn’t taken place. Lew made it quite clear to Roy that he was Mr. Martini, any time, any place, any where… It was one of the shortest 180 minute phone calls I had ever been part of… time flew by and I still owe Lew a call back (Lew, if you’re reading this I apologise for the delay but it’s been hectic…). I am strongly looking forward to meeting Lew in person to get his story for the book. In my opinion he is a very underestimated and overlooked figure from the fight game that I am privileged to have spoken to and have part of my next project.

Writing may not pay the bills but it does have its rewards, I am hoping to catch up with Mickey, Frankie and Lew in the New Year and remember to keep your eye out for the book that will hopefully be on the book shelves next summer. In the meantime, head over to Amazon and order your copy of Bouncers and Bodyguards by Robin Barratt (featuring amongst others, me).

Stay frosty