Wild Thing The True Story of Britains Rightful Guvnor - Softcover

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 But when his licence was revoked following an assault on a referee, Yates turned to the murky world of unlicensed boxing.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.

Lew Yates is a former unlicensed boxer who has also worked as a nightclub bouncer and civil engineer. He lives in Cambridgeshire. Bernard O'Mahoney is the author of a number of true-crime books, including the bestselling Essex Boys and Wannabe in My Gang? He lives in Birmingham.