Sykes in the ring with ease, we’re forgetting Sykes was a very talented fighter and would’ve gone much further if he dedicated himself more, look how much Lenny leaves himself open in his fights in the ring and he’s often caught square on. On the cobbles who knows, but at the end of the day Paul Sykes could do everything Lenny could but better.

Having big muscles and being able to bench press heavy weights doesn't make you a good fighter or bodybuilders would be world champion boxers.

This fight was advertised on one of those big boxing posters with the undercard on it in my dad's pub in Glasgow. I was only a teenager at the time and there were a few from Glasgow including my dad heading down for the fight. I remember the disappointment when it was called off.

Despite all the debate on here any of these mentioned(sykes,lenny etc) would smash any of us keyboard contributors .its mad how people say he was shit in the ring only knocked piss heads out , not 1 person on here would have the bollocks to face any of them.

Sykes would’ve dusted McLean, no bother. He held records in prison for weight lifting plus he was a superior fighter. The funniest part of this video is McLean saying he never took steroids after that Doctor gave him them, he was never off the stuff.

My best mate was a humble lad, a disciplined boxer at a good level. He was sparring and training one day and a local hardman jumped in the ring to fight him to prove his reputation. My mate did not want to but had to defend himself. I watched him dismantle this streetfighter in seconds. The level Sykes boxing skills were would have been difficult to overcome for Lenny, legend that he is.

Sykes would of beaten McClean in the ring, and smashed the snot out of him on the street with no ref to save him. Lenny, after all, was a bouncer, and Paul's favorite pastime was beating the piss out of doormen. Paul was like a Hereford bull with the biggest hands I've ever seen. He blew right through Shaw like he wasn't even there, twice, about ten seconds first time, then maybe fifteen seconds the next time. Thing about Paul was he hit hard and like lightening, saw him drop six screws trying block him in Durham nick SSU, like an old fashioned cowboy film as they slid down the walls knocked out cold. Funny man, in fact one of the funniest men I ever knew, but one mean bastard.

Sykes every day...

mclean is/was a fairy tale. he was a tough doorman......but tough doormen/streetfighters walk into boxing gyms all the time and get their asses handed to them by novice boxers. sykes wasnt a great fighter.......but he was a legit pro with solid amateur credentials. mclean would have gotten smashed, plain and simple.

Sykes would've boxed his ears off.

Lenny never ran 15 miles in his life

Could listen to that all day nice one

i would have backed sykes at 10 to one on lenny was a very lucky man that he got injured anyway hope you both rip

Speed kills. I don't see a so called street fight ending up much different between these two. Were not taking about skilled mma fighters here, it's gonna come down to hands and a pro HW boxer in Sykes could make light work of Lenny. There's just far to much skill difference. I think the image of Lenny bum rushing Paul using head butts etc and avoiding all shots coming at him, is a long shot. I think its safe to assume Paul could do all that also. Speed kills.

I've read this book, was a very good read.

Apparently ducked an all in against Lee Chapman of romford

Sykes (sober) would have flattened them all.

Lenny Sykes VS Paul McLean..... Now that would of been a fight!!!

People like McLean trying to trump professional fighters and blag themselves as being better is a joke. Don’t get me wrong. They may well do okay in an undisciplined street fight but, in a ring, with rules. No chance.

Sykes wins all day long, a professional boxer beats a good street fighter every day and twice on a Tuesday morning when it's dour hour

Met Sykes in Hull prison in the 80s he was always kicking of and down the block and met him in the Gaiety pub Leeds roundhay road where he kicked of and beat up a taxi man and got 5yrs for it.

Sykes could beat Maclean on the street and in the ring. Sykes was an alcoholic with no dedication but all the skill and dynamite in both hands. Same with the fight with terry Mitchell. He fought Sykes when he was sober and Sykes was full of whiskey

Sykes all day in the ring and out the bloke was an animal the only one who could have given him a go was Duffy he had youth size and from the stories he was something else I work with a load of older geordie lads and they still go on about the time lee went to Newcastle and literally laid half the doormen in town out looking for viv Graham

Non of these 2 would of been any match on the street or in the ring with Charles Hawtrey. Sykes found out the hard way when he upset Hawtrey one afternoon in a pub he ended up gettin sparked out for half hour. McClean bottled it when Hawtrey offered him a 1 on 1 round the back of a restaurant in the carpark, Lenny refused to go outside

True story, cockerill version of the gardiner fight makes me laugh

Street or ring Sykes would of beaten Lenny McLean and most of the other British hard men usually mentioned like Roy Shaw, Lee Duffy, Brian Cockerill etc due to the fact he was actually trained for professional competition and not a stranger to street fighting himself, he was more athletic than all of them guys. Sykes pales in comparison to other boxers though like Mike Tyson, Dillian Whyte, Danny Hodge, George Foreman, Hasim Rahman, Larry Holmes, Ike Ibeabuchi etc even in a street fight.

In the ring or the street , Sykes would have bashed them all

I have read about Roy Shaw and Lenny McLean and Charles Bronson. I no what happened in the two altercation's between Paul Sykes and Roy Shaw. I wouldn't call them fights Roy Shaw wasn't even competitive he got battered with ease Charlie B was so frightened he sat looking at the wall until he had to go behind the door. A man who could do that to too men who are renowned for their toughness makes me think there's no way he would be intimidated by Lenny McLean. I would even doubt Paul Sykes would only want to fight with gloves on as the thing is Paul thought having the gloves hindered him from being able to cause the damage he wanted to. In or out of the ring I believe a prime Paul Sykes would of beaten Lenny McLean because he was vicious to his core he didn't have to psych himself up to fight he was pure testosterone once he landed on Lenny he would of been all over him. People from the south can never accept there top men could beat by northern men but in his prime on the streets Paul was the man in or out of prison. Also Lenny McLean claims to of had thousands of fights. In my opinion giving a mouthy drunk a dig isn't a fight but shows you what the difference between Sykes and McLean is Lenny thought giving some poor drunk a dig a fight Paul wouldn't of thought of it as giving someone a back hander and nothing more. Paul Sykes never thought about reputation he was Paul Sykes Lenny wanted people to no him fear him and say Lenny McLean is here. He wanted to be something that Paul was naturally.

I'd have put my money on Sykes gloves on and mclean gloves off lol

Sykes was a well schooled amateur boxer as a kid got banged up for years then turned pro at 30 when he came out fought for a British title against gardener ,Sykes would av done Kenny gloves or no gloves make no mistake about it different levels

What a pair of authors well donejamie boyal at war cry publishers

Any footage of Lenny being beaten anywhere?

Sykes would have done McLean in the ring very easily, Just like Cliff Fields did TWICE (both ko's) and Jonny Waldron (ko) and Kevin Paddock (pts)

So who did Lenny fight instead of Sykes and what was the result? Answers on a postcard 🤪

Sykes woulda punched McLean in the fuckin earole until he swum off

When Sykes fought John l Gardner I understand he did not bother training much for it.

Thats bollocks about Sykes turning away to tell his corner to shut up, absolute lies, Sykes put up a very good show but John Gardiner out boxed him, experience and proper training really showed. Sykes really had talent and would have took him apart in one round. They were completely different animals

If Paul used his skills then I think he would have best Lenny in 4. I feel he was rushed because of his age. Pity he didn't turn pro after the 73 abas. Could have had a good life.

Paul Sykes could do them all EXCEPT for Bill the Bomb! Billy Williams was on a whole different level, trained with Angelo Dundee, Ali's trainer, even Mclean backed down from him at Camden Palace. Bill the Bomb was a boxer but a criminal. Famous sparring session between him and Muhammad Ali and afterwards Ali said "who the hell is this guy!" Paul Sykes was a good boxer, but Bill was a different breed, skill and mentality folded into one.

Who's the narrater, sounds like Tommy Walsh of DIY fame

I don't know either men, but read a lot about them and seen all the footage one thing about sykes lookin at his manorisms he could certainly have a go

See even back then fighter got on the gear.

What about lew Yates?

Ronnie Pickering would have beaten them both at the same time - "Come on, let's have a bare-knuckle then!"

Maybe not in the ring, but on the streets, one winner, Lenny absolutely no question

Sykes in his prime would have destroyed him.

Lenny McLean would of been beaten seenless fact Lenny saying he took steroids once haaaa give me a break go look at him when he fought Roy shaw to later on them for years still a hard bastard oh Paul Sykes would of been way to fast and technical for him

was away with paul in "risley remand center" many moons back he was funny not a bully at all got on with every one. he always went around with just shorts an t shirt screws said nothink ha ha "rip paul an lenny"

I've watched all the available footage of both men and in the boxing ring there would have only been 1 winner, and it wouldn't have lasted long!

Don't think for one minute that Paul could not street fight, he could be just as ruthless as anyone if provoked .....trust me.

Lenny was very lucky sykes got injured paul would have done him easy Lenny was no John L Gardner.

Sykes would have beaten McLean anywhere and fairly easily at that. Street, ring. Both very tough men but Sykes was just a better fighter.

ow about them fighting on the street, but with boxing gloves?

All of what i have seen and read of Paul Sykes over the past few days makes me think Sykes was the better man . Although , as the saying goes , you have to be there to see it . Even video cannot truly tell the full story of a man s boxing skills .

Both hard men

Did anyone ever witness Lenny fight another bare knuckle fighter on the cobbles?

Enjoyed that !!! Get me some of them steroids that make you run 15miles lol

what about bill mckenzie? (william mckenzie from woking}

What's a choke? £500 ?

Paul would’ve absolutely battered him

It's true they are hard men in towns city's and villages the ones who are the dangerous ones are the quiet ones don't go shooting the mouths of its the farmers you got to watch out for and yes I met paddy Duffy frence Warren Black tyny caskin over the years but tiny caskin seen him fight aview times I lived with him and his family back 8os on his gypsy camp only the police was scared of him

Sykes in the ring McLean on the cobbles

Haha Paul sykes was a pro he would have knocked lenny out

Just because he was a pro boxer doesn't mean he'd do Lenny on the streets look what happened to Paulie Malignaggi great pro and got his ass handed to him off Artom Lobov in a bare knuckle

Fck me jackanorys changed since I was young. Usually you had judi dench reading a lovely story with a happy ending.

No way is this Lenny's voice.

What’s the steroid he was given

This is not Lennys voice

sykes in the ring..lenny on the cobbles

wish i was getting a bet on sykes at evens in is prime like taking candy of a baby

Would of been a great fight. But without a doubt Sykes would have won in a boxing match. In the streets im not so sure.

ah, so paul never turned his back after all - he was just telling off his corner! I always thought it unfair how the commentator (harry c?) writes him off immediately saying 'his big chance in life has come and gone'. In today's pro game paul would have made a nice career to see him tidy in retirement.

I've got to be honest, I would love to have seen a fight between these two. My money would be on Sykes, I think Mclean would've had more heart in the fight but he was a prize fighter and doorman for the most part. Sykes was a big strong bloke and experienced pro boxer, I think he would've probably won, but a fight is a fight, it can go either way.

is that Bronson narrating?

Sykes any day lew yates

Sykes would of smashed Lenny in a ring Lenny would of smashed Sykes on the cobbles 🥊

The Guv'nor! Mate lent me the book. The first book i finished in one sitting.

Ronnie Pickering would iron them all out flat

As a famous hardman once said you get the story of Lenny but don't expect the truth.We will never know.Like they say in parts of the world the hard crazy men put holes in you rather than argue.Some say that's the cowards

Sykes beats len in ring , on street no

Listen if sykes could fight off sharks I think we all know who'd come out on top..

Everyone's an expert.

Roy shaw fought just as many pro fights as paul did av read a few books on both men only difference being shaw fought under an assumed name as he was on run from botstal at the time and he was a middle wight

15 miles at that weight ?

Is this from the govnor,or made up.

As if big Lenny was on tren 🤣🤣🤣🤣 animal 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

Couple of bullies in reality.Although I wouldn't have actually told them....

Paul Sykes was the only one out of all of them that wasn't a sted head he was naturally big and hard and was a trained fighter he was the real deal compared to the rest. you take steroids away from all these other names and they'd be fuck all none of them wud have lasted 2 second with Paul Sykes FACT!!

In a boxing ring Sykes would have beaten lenny with his jab and left hook

Sykes too fit for him

Brian Cockerill was also offered a fight with Paul Sykes, which he mentions in his book, The Resurrection of Brian Cockerill. Brian was a Street fighter who had bashed Lee Duffy and Viv Graham didn't want to know. He weighed 24 stone, benched 630 pounds, squatted 800 pounds and could really fight. He would have been a good test for Paul Sykes or Lennie McLean. I will get slaughtered for this but I think Brian in his prime might have been able to beat Paul or Lenny in a straightener.

Sykes would kill mcclean

Reckon lenny wud ave done him

Luckily for Lenny it didn't happen

Sykes would have done Lenny

Mclean

shame non of them fought Bartley Gorman

On the cobbles as Lenny stated in his book; I believe he was never beaten.

Look up Cliff Fields he battered McLean Twice proper solid Northerner too.

Sykes wins in the ring, but Lenny would win on the streets