Wild Thing: The True Story of Britain's Rightful Guv'nor

by Lew Yates (Author), Bernard O'Mahoney (Author)

• Used

  Illustrated
  2009

  $4.78

  Everybody in the unlicensed fight game knows that only one man has the honour of being titled 'Guv'nor' - and that man is Lew 'Wild Thing' Yates. Yates began boxing at the age of six, and as an adult he was ruthless in pursuit of his dream of becoming world heavyweight champion. But when his licence was revoked following an assault on a referee, he turned to unlicensed boxing. By day, Yates pounded punchbags and the streets in an effort to reach the peak of physical fitness as he prepared for his epic battle with Roy 'Pretty Boy' Shaw. At night, he pounded gangsters and drug dealers foolish enough to take him on in the nightclubs where he worked. Wild Thing documents how Yates rose to the top of his bloody profession. Despite being immersed in the seedy world of unlicensed boxing and running security at some of Britain's toughest nightspots, he has never served a day in prison, taken or sold a drug. When it comes to his fighting ability, he doesn't need to boast, brag or exaggerate. With Lew Yates, what you see is what you hope you're never going to get. This is his remarkable story.

• Used

  Paperback
  2007

  $3.28

  Everybody in the unlicensed fight game knows that one man above all others has the right to be called 'Guv'nor' - and that man is Lew 'Wild Thing' Yates. Yates began boxing at the age of six, and as an adult he was ruthless in pursuit of his dream of becoming world heavyweight champion. But when his licence was revoked following an assault on a referee, Yates turned to the murky world of unlicensed boxing. By day, Yates trained hard in order to become king of the unlicensed ring. By night, he dealt with the gangsters and drug dealers foolish enough to take him on in the clubs where he worked. While he survived being shot at and stabbed, two of his associates were not so lucky. Both were executed, shot through the head at close range. Their murders remain unsolved, but Yates now imparts controversial information about the assassins and reveals why both men were killed. Wild Thing documents how Yates rose to the top of his bloody profession amid extremely turbulent circumstances in his personal life, which resulted in him raising his three children alone while struggling to make ends meet. Along the way he made many friends, including boxing legend Nigel Benn, as well as enemies, such as international drug trafficker Mickey Green. This is his remarkable story.