Paul Sykes... where is he now?...

[coneye]

coneye, are you saying Sykes was a nasty man ? You seem to be fence sitting

Yep ,, Hate this sort of fella with a passion , Liberty taking bullies , and guys like him were the worst , a profesional fighter , 6' plus what chance would the average Joe Blo have , , , Occasionaly you hear of fellas like him getting shot , or stabbed to death , and it warms my heart , just deserves and all that .

[gb]

I'm from Wakefield. Sykes was a bit of a local bogeyman when I was growing up. People were wary of him, but the general opinion was that he was just a small time thug and loser, which is how he should rightfully be remembered.

[Cyclops]

coneye, are you saying Sykes was a nasty man ? You seem to be fence sitting

Yep ,, Hate this sort of fella with a passion , Liberty taking bullies , and guys like him were the worst , a profesional fighter , 6' plus what chance would the average Joe Blo have , , , Occasionaly you hear of fellas like him getting shot , or stabbed to death , and it warms my heart , just deserves and all that .

A rare occasion when Coneye and I see eye to eye. Completely agree: hate this sort of person and ultimately, although idiots will lionise and hero worship them they're complete losers, not especially interesting in the grand scheme of things, no fun to be around and die pathetic generally alcohol or drug related deaths.

They're dickheads.

I recall Coneye posting similar comments about Chopper Reid (correct me if I'm wrong) just wrong 'uns and very little positive things to say about them. They managed a bit of notoriety but never made anybody else's lives better and are better off in the ground.

[THEBUTCH]

TBH I don't usually pay too much attention to world of villains that some seem obsessed with, but I couldn't help watch the YouTube link of the documentary on Sykes.

I was far more interested in his boxing career and I thought he put up a good British title challenge to the vastly more experienced John L Gardner. He had real ability & strength and it's a shame he didn't sort himself out 10 years earlier. A classic case of what might have been.

The documentary itself I actually found quite funny in places ! Some of it almost seemed tongue in cheek, like when he was ridiculing his dad "at least twice a week he'd come home with dog sh1t on his shoes".

Sadly you're probably right about him and he was a nasty piece of work, which ultimately takes the amusement out of things.

[vidal]

That documentary was quite chilling in parts. Where he’s chastising his kids for missing money you just know he’s has. The bit with the vicar when he gets drunk...... total narcissist.

Did make me laugh when he was giving it large about being clever and all the books he reads, likes lots of authors...... the French one, Sabatini

[Boxerbeetle]

The documentary is great, I’ve watched it loads of times now. Dennis Flint’s beautiful Rolls Royce desk was by far the highlight, especially as he called out Sykes on his drinking whilst sat behind it. And that wedding scene is just incredible, never seen anything like it. Imagine being a guest at that

[Cyclops]

It's like dealing with people who say "I got a degree inside"

Loads of people I know have degrees and they still know fornicate all. Education is important and you can be educated up to the eyeballs but if you're a prick then you''re a prick. An educated dickhead is still a dickhead. A moron can get a 3rd class degree with a decent teacher. Doesn't stop them being a moron.

If you spend most of your life in prison, you're a moron. Nothing changes that. Proper intelligent people are out there, grafting and doing their best and funnily enough, aren't homeless or being locked up for years at a time. And aren't bullying and beating people half to death (or to death, as my 'local bogeymen' from my generation all have done). This obsession with 'hardmen' losers needs to be challenged at every opportunity.

Like I said, met many of these types and all best off in the ground.

[THEBUTCH]

The other bit that had me laughing probably exemplified his way of thumping his way through life...punching a shark

Didn't he say while he was swimming off the coast of Singapore that if you give them good 'effing punch behind the ear and they leave you alone

[Cyclops]

The other bit that had me laughing probably exemplified his way of thumping his way through life...punching a shark

Didn't he say while he was swimming off the coast of Singapore that if you give them good 'effing punch behind the ear and they leave you alone

It's funny as part of a documentary because it's decades old and abstract, but imagine living next door to the c*nt? Or being his kid or being married to him? Both his sons are in jail for murder aren't they? Horrible pudendum. Even people who lived in the same town as him remember him as a local monster, even into his homeless alcoholic days.

That's not even going into the rumours that he was a prison rapist.

Waste of space. Rot in hell.

[Wee Tommy]

The other bit that had me laughing probably exemplified his way of thumping his way through life...punching a shark

Didn't he say while he was swimming off the coast of Singapore that if you give them good 'effing punch behind the ear and they leave you alone

The closest he got to Singapore was spicy noodles out his Chinese. Guy was a lunatic. He could box, which is why there is any talk about him as aside from his British title run and failure he done nothing good in his whole life.

Aside from all the nonce gossip, he actually started shagging his Mrs when she was 14. He had a few girlfriends around this age while he was late 20s and 30s. Documented fact by his sister and various others who were interview for a recent book. Honestly he was a real horror show of a guy. His unassuming dad, so it seems in the documentary...was a brutal bully, leathering the young Sykes until after a few years at the boxing Sykes could beat him and cruelly turned the tables on his old man every day for the rest of their miserable lives. His sister absolutely despised Paul. He took so many liberties with her and her family.

Nonce, bully and never mind the what could have been, he done his, Paul Sykes, absolute best and it was to turn away in a British title fight he was losing. That’s all.

[coneye]

The other bit that had me laughing probably exemplified his way of thumping his way through life...punching a shark

Didn't he say while he was swimming off the coast of Singapore that if you give them good 'effing punch behind the ear and they leave you alone

The closest he got to Singapore was spicy noodles out his Chinese. Guy was a lunatic. He could box, which is why there is any talk about him as aside from his British title run and failure he done nothing good in his whole life.

Aside from all the nonce gossip, he actually started shagging his Mrs when she was 14. He had a few girlfriends around this age while he was late 20s and 30s. Documented fact by his sister and various others who were interview for a recent book. Honestly he was a real horror show of a guy. His unassuming dad, so it seems in the documentary...was a brutal bully, leathering the young Sykes until after a few years at the boxing Sykes could beat him and cruelly turned the tables on his old man every day for the rest of their miserable lives. His sister absolutely despised Paul. He took so many liberties with her and her family.

Nonce, bully and never mind the what could have been, he done his, Paul Sykes, absolute best and it was to turn away in a British title fight he was losing. That’s all.

Just about sums him up .

[Wee Tommy]

The other bit that had me laughing probably exemplified his way of thumping his way through life...punching a shark

Didn't he say while he was swimming off the coast of Singapore that if you give them good 'effing punch behind the ear and they leave you alone

The closest he got to Singapore was spicy noodles out his Chinese. Guy was a lunatic. He could box, which is why there is any talk about him as aside from his British title run and failure he done nothing good in his whole life.

Aside from all the nonce gossip, he actually started shagging his Mrs when she was 14. He had a few girlfriends around this age while he was late 20s and 30s. Documented fact by his sister and various others who were interview for a recent book. Honestly he was a real horror show of a guy. His unassuming dad, so it seems in the documentary...was a brutal bully, leathering the young Sykes until after a few years at the boxing Sykes could beat him and cruelly turned the tables on his old man every day for the rest of their miserable lives. His sister absolutely despised Paul. He took so many liberties with her and her family.

Nonce, bully and never mind the what could have been, he done his, Paul Sykes, absolute best and it was to turn away in a British title fight he was losing. That’s all.

Just about sums him up .

He fucked his own boys up badly as well, one of his worst crimes. You can actually see it happening in the documentary, it’s sickening. Then they both in jail for murder as young adults.

[Verdi]

The Straits of Johor are like 1km across.

[coneye]

The closest he got to Singapore was spicy noodles out his Chinese. Guy was a lunatic. He could box, which is why there is any talk about him as aside from his British title run and failure he done nothing good in his whole life.

Aside from all the nonce gossip, he actually started shagging his Mrs when she was 14. He had a few girlfriends around this age while he was late 20s and 30s. Documented fact by his sister and various others who were interview for a recent book. Honestly he was a real horror show of a guy. His unassuming dad, so it seems in the documentary...was a brutal bully, leathering the young Sykes until after a few years at the boxing Sykes could beat him and cruelly turned the tables on his old man every day for the rest of their miserable lives. His sister absolutely despised Paul. He took so many liberties with her and her family.

Nonce, bully and never mind the what could have been, he done his, Paul Sykes, absolute best and it was to turn away in a British title fight he was losing. That’s all.

Just about sums him up .

He fucked his own boys up badly as well, one of his worst crimes. You can actually see it happening in the documentary, it’s sickening. Then they both in jail for murder as young adults.

Yes it stood out like the proverbial dogs balls , the whole familly wife mother the lot were petrified of him .

[high tower 1]

What is it with scumbags and beating their mums up???

[bennie]

I can actually remember watching Sykes against John L. Gardner because it was screened 'live' on the BBC on a tuesday evening. I didn't know much about Sykes but I knew plenty about Gardner, who lacked a big punch for a heavyweight but was a typical Terry Lawless fighter and that meant fitness, fitness, fitness, pressure, pressure, pressure. All Lawless fighters trained that way and fought that way and those who didn't were eventually offloaded to Mickey Duff, such as Lloyd Honeyghan or Kirkland Laing. Lawless and Duff shared the money they made out of boxing so it was no loss to Lawless.
Gardner had finally won round London boxing fans who were not sold on him in his early years as a pro. He was never particularly great to watch as he slowly wore down his opponents and looked lucky to get a decision over American journeyman Joe Gholston in an eight-rounder at Wembley in 1976. He suffered a shocking first-round defeat to Ibar Arrington a year later at Wembley, a rugged white American who caught him cold with a huge right hand, although Arrington lasted 10 rounds with Larry Holmes in his next outing. That was a rare mistake by Lawless, who was renowned for his ultra-cautious style of management. However, Gardner climbed off the floor to force Billy Aird's surrender in five exciting rounds in 1978 for the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles made vacant by an absent Joe Bugner, and then outlasted Americans Greg Sorrentino and Mike Koranicki in Albert Hall thrillers. Gardner was now applying so much pressure that opponents were bailing out. The champion's work ethic commanded respect.
Sykes, his mandatory challenger, had put together a decent run after he was thrown out in his second pro fight against Neil Malpass for a blatant butt, with five wins in a draw. He climbed off the floor to stop Neville Meade in Bradford (a man Gardner had also stopped) and nearly killed the American Dave Wilson in three rounds in his hometown of Wakefield. Thankfully, Wilson made a full recovery in hospital. The draw came with Malpass in a 10-round rematch. At 32, Sykes was probably in his prime as a heavyweight, certainly in terms of his physical attributes because he looked in fantastic nick, but his overall record of 6-1-1 (4) was an indication of the fairly desperate state of the British heavyweight division in the late 1970s, a few years before Frank Bruno came along, and of Paul's habit of frequenting very big houses. Moreover, he had failed to prove he was a better fighter than Malpass.
Nevertheless, Sykes looked useful in the early rounds against Gardner, tagging him with plenty of right hands but the champion soaked them up and the fight unfolded in predictable and inevitable fashion. Sykes, unable to match his opponent's intensity, turned his back on John L. in round six to prompt the referee's intervention. The dream was over for big Paul, who boxed once more before sinking well and truly into alcoholism and he died some years ago. Gardner went on to win the European title with a spectacular knockout over Lorenzo Zanon in Italy but his attempt at gatecrashing the higher echelons of the world rankings failed against Jimmy Young and then Michael Dokes and he slowly faded away. He now lives in Preston.

[johnty1888]

I have a copy of Jamie Boyle’s second book on Paul Sykes called “Unfinished Agony” and it quotes quite a few ex boxers thoughts on Paul Sykes

Glen McCrory
“ I’m not condoning what Paul got up to or what he did in his life, in all honesty I thought he came across as a bully and that he tried to be a tough guy constantly. My mood at that time though was that I wasn’t going to take any crap from anyone, but he backed down and started being friendly so we didn’t have a problem.
I have nothing bad to say about Paul but I’ve got nothing positive to say about him either and if I could sum Paul up in one word then that word would have to be Bully. Paul was a bully just like Mike Tyson and when you stand up to people like them they don’t like it one bit. My overall thought was that Paul Sykes was a bully and I had to put him back in his place.“


John L Gardner
“ I only ever met Paul at the weigh in and when I bashed him up in the ring, they were the only 2 times I was ever in his company but he was forever sending me messages through people to tell me this and to call me that etc. Paul sent me a lot of messages in the early 90’s but like I said I told him my answer was simply that I’d beat him once and I didn’t need to beat him again. In my opinion, I would sum Paul Sykes up by saying he was a total idiot! I have no sympathy for the man’s eventual demise as I think he brought it on himself my philosophy is if you live by the sword then you’ll die by the sword.”

Alex Morrison
“ Tommy asked me around 1990 could Paul come up to Glasgow to promote his book Sweet Agony. I planned a book promotion event for him in the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow. When Paul arrived he was pure drunk and made an arsehole of himself. Glasgow is not the place to turn up misbehaving you could get yourself into trouble especially not knowing the area. I told him to get out and chased him; he never even made it through the front doors. Luckily for Paul, Tommy Miller asked a friend of his from Newcastle to give Paul a lift back home. Just another example of Paul shooting himself in the foot.”

Peter Fury
“ One of the stories was that Paul used to mess with vulnerable people in prison. From what I saw of Paul in prison all the rumours were true, Paul was a sexual deviant. I don’t tell lies, my Christian faith won’t allow it and I only speak the truth. The whole prison system was absolutely terrified of him and he was wild and he could have a fight so he was the worst kind. It didn’t matter if you were the hardest man on the planet…Paul Sykes would do you damage! I saw it with my own eyes people were civil to him but you could tell by their body language they couldn’t wait to get away from him. Paul Sykes was an absolute menace and a one off. The people who attacked him in later years when he was old and frail, these people wouldn’t have even looked at him sideways back in the day. Paul Sykes didn’t value anybody and he used to fight every single day in prison. The screws just couldn’t keep control over him and there were many times that you’d hear that Paul had been taken down to the block for flattening someone. Paul should have really been sectioned it would have been kinder on everyone.
Paul and I used to see each other a lot in prison and he knew me from our boxing past but truth be told, the things I saw and heard, he wasn’t my cup of tea, for example, the things he was doing in there I don’t abide with. When you’re in the system although you’re in different jails its one big system. Everybody else knows what you’re doing and what’s going on it doesn’t matter what penal system you went to the same story was everywhere and the stories I’m telling you are true because I was in that system. Paul was bi sexual for sure. What I will say for the record is this, don’t let anybody put that fella down because he could fight in his day and he didn’t give a shit about anybody and I’m telling you now from my time in prison with him nobody would ever look up and say something to Paul Sykes’ face. This man was seriously not to be messed with and he was to be avoided at all costs if possible. I’m sorry to hear that he ended up in the way he did because it wasn’t good. Tommy Miller (god rest him) said to me one day in the gym “Peter that man had more talent than you’ve ever seen” Tommy used to get really frustrated even talking about him years later, he would just not train like a fighter should.“

[watsupdoc87]

What is it with scumbags and beating their mums up???

The krays would of never done that

[Controversial]

I have a copy of Jamie Boyle’s second book on Paul Sykes called “Unfinished Agony” and it quotes quite a few ex boxers thoughts on Paul Sykes

Glen McCrory
“ I’m not condoning what Paul got up to or what he did in his life, in all honesty I thought he came across as a bully and that he tried to be a tough guy constantly. My mood at that time though was that I wasn’t going to take any crap from anyone, but he backed down and started being friendly so we didn’t have a problem.
I have nothing bad to say about Paul but I’ve got nothing positive to say about him either and if I could sum Paul up in one word then that word would have to be Bully. Paul was a bully just like Mike Tyson and when you stand up to people like them they don’t like it one bit. My overall thought was that Paul Sykes was a bully and I had to put him back in his place.“


John L Gardner
“ I only ever met Paul at the weigh in and when I bashed him up in the ring, they were the only 2 times I was ever in his company but he was forever sending me messages through people to tell me this and to call me that etc. Paul sent me a lot of messages in the early 90’s but like I said I told him my answer was simply that I’d beat him once and I didn’t need to beat him again. In my opinion, I would sum Paul Sykes up by saying he was a total idiot! I have no sympathy for the man’s eventual demise as I think he brought it on himself my philosophy is if you live by the sword then you’ll die by the sword.”

Alex Morrison
“ Tommy asked me around 1990 could Paul come up to Glasgow to promote his book Sweet Agony. I planned a book promotion event for him in the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow. When Paul arrived he was pure drunk and made an arsehole of himself. Glasgow is not the place to turn up misbehaving you could get yourself into trouble especially not knowing the area. I told him to get out and chased him; he never even made it through the front doors. Luckily for Paul, Tommy Miller asked a friend of his from Newcastle to give Paul a lift back home. Just another example of Paul shooting himself in the foot.”

Peter Fury
“ One of the stories was that Paul used to mess with vulnerable people in prison. From what I saw of Paul in prison all the rumours were true, Paul was a sexual deviant. I don’t tell lies, my Christian faith won’t allow it and I only speak the truth. The whole prison system was absolutely terrified of him and he was wild and he could have a fight so he was the worst kind. It didn’t matter if you were the hardest man on the planet…Paul Sykes would do you damage! I saw it with my own eyes people were civil to him but you could tell by their body language they couldn’t wait to get away from him. Paul Sykes was an absolute menace and a one off. The people who attacked him in later years when he was old and frail, these people wouldn’t have even looked at him sideways back in the day. Paul Sykes didn’t value anybody and he used to fight every single day in prison. The screws just couldn’t keep control over him and there were many times that you’d hear that Paul had been taken down to the block for flattening someone. Paul should have really been sectioned it would have been kinder on everyone.
Paul and I used to see each other a lot in prison and he knew me from our boxing past but truth be told, the things I saw and heard, he wasn’t my cup of tea, for example, the things he was doing in there I don’t abide with. When you’re in the system although you’re in different jails its one big system. Everybody else knows what you’re doing and what’s going on it doesn’t matter what penal system you went to the same story was everywhere and the stories I’m telling you are true because I was in that system. Paul was bi sexual for sure. What I will say for the record is this, don’t let anybody put that fella down because he could fight in his day and he didn’t give a poo about anybody and I’m telling you now from my time in prison with him nobody would ever look up and say something to Paul Sykes’ face. This man was seriously not to be messed with and he was to be avoided at all costs if possible. I’m sorry to hear that he ended up in the way he did because it wasn’t good. Tommy Miller (god rest him) said to me one day in the gym “Peter that man had more talent than you’ve ever seen” Tommy used to get really frustrated even talking about him years later, he would just not train like a fighter should.“

Interesting reading. Sykes sounded like a complete scumbag and it says a lot that no one seems to had a nice word to say about him. I wonder if him and Bronson ever crossed paths, can you imagine if that kicked off!!

.

[chiggsy]

I have a copy of Jamie Boyle’s second book on Paul Sykes called “Unfinished Agony” and it quotes quite a few ex boxers thoughts on Paul Sykes

Glen McCrory
“ I’m not condoning what Paul got up to or what he did in his life, in all honesty I thought he came across as a bully and that he tried to be a tough guy constantly. My mood at that time though was that I wasn’t going to take any crap from anyone, but he backed down and started being friendly so we didn’t have a problem.
I have nothing bad to say about Paul but I’ve got nothing positive to say about him either and if I could sum Paul up in one word then that word would have to be Bully. Paul was a bully just like Mike Tyson and when you stand up to people like them they don’t like it one bit. My overall thought was that Paul Sykes was a bully and I had to put him back in his place.“


John L Gardner
“ I only ever met Paul at the weigh in and when I bashed him up in the ring, they were the only 2 times I was ever in his company but he was forever sending me messages through people to tell me this and to call me that etc. Paul sent me a lot of messages in the early 90’s but like I said I told him my answer was simply that I’d beat him once and I didn’t need to beat him again. In my opinion, I would sum Paul Sykes up by saying he was a total idiot! I have no sympathy for the man’s eventual demise as I think he brought it on himself my philosophy is if you live by the sword then you’ll die by the sword.”

Alex Morrison
“ Tommy asked me around 1990 could Paul come up to Glasgow to promote his book Sweet Agony. I planned a book promotion event for him in the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow. When Paul arrived he was pure drunk and made an arsehole of himself. Glasgow is not the place to turn up misbehaving you could get yourself into trouble especially not knowing the area. I told him to get out and chased him; he never even made it through the front doors. Luckily for Paul, Tommy Miller asked a friend of his from Newcastle to give Paul a lift back home. Just another example of Paul shooting himself in the foot.”

Peter Fury
“ One of the stories was that Paul used to mess with vulnerable people in prison. From what I saw of Paul in prison all the rumours were true, Paul was a sexual deviant. I don’t tell lies, my Christian faith won’t allow it and I only speak the truth. The whole prison system was absolutely terrified of him and he was wild and he could have a fight so he was the worst kind. It didn’t matter if you were the hardest man on the planet…Paul Sykes would do you damage! I saw it with my own eyes people were civil to him but you could tell by their body language they couldn’t wait to get away from him. Paul Sykes was an absolute menace and a one off. The people who attacked him in later years when he was old and frail, these people wouldn’t have even looked at him sideways back in the day. Paul Sykes didn’t value anybody and he used to fight every single day in prison. The screws just couldn’t keep control over him and there were many times that you’d hear that Paul had been taken down to the block for flattening someone. Paul should have really been sectioned it would have been kinder on everyone.
Paul and I used to see each other a lot in prison and he knew me from our boxing past but truth be told, the things I saw and heard, he wasn’t my cup of tea, for example, the things he was doing in there I don’t abide with. When you’re in the system although you’re in different jails its one big system. Everybody else knows what you’re doing and what’s going on it doesn’t matter what penal system you went to the same story was everywhere and the stories I’m telling you are true because I was in that system. Paul was bi sexual for sure. What I will say for the record is this, don’t let anybody put that fella down because he could fight in his day and he didn’t give a poo about anybody and I’m telling you now from my time in prison with him nobody would ever look up and say something to Paul Sykes’ face. This man was seriously not to be messed with and he was to be avoided at all costs if possible. I’m sorry to hear that he ended up in the way he did because it wasn’t good. Tommy Miller (god rest him) said to me one day in the gym “Peter that man had more talent than you’ve ever seen” Tommy used to get really frustrated even talking about him years later, he would just not train like a fighter should.“

Interesting reading. Sykes sounded like a complete scumbag and it says a lot that no one seems to had a nice word to say about him. I wonder if him a Bronson ever crossed paths, can you imagine if that kicked off!!

They knew each other,think i can remember bronson talking fondly of sykes in one of his books.

[Controversial]

I wonder if him and Bronson ever crossed paths, can you imagine if that kicked off!!

They knew each other,think i can remember bronson talking fondly of sykes in one of his books.

Two psychopaths thats probably why.

[johnty1888]

I have a copy of Jamie Boyle’s second book on Paul Sykes called “Unfinished Agony” and it quotes quite a few ex boxers thoughts on Paul Sykes

Glen McCrory
“ I’m not condoning what Paul got up to or what he did in his life, in all honesty I thought he came across as a bully and that he tried to be a tough guy constantly. My mood at that time though was that I wasn’t going to take any crap from anyone, but he backed down and started being friendly so we didn’t have a problem.
I have nothing bad to say about Paul but I’ve got nothing positive to say about him either and if I could sum Paul up in one word then that word would have to be Bully. Paul was a bully just like Mike Tyson and when you stand up to people like them they don’t like it one bit. My overall thought was that Paul Sykes was a bully and I had to put him back in his place.“


John L Gardner
“ I only ever met Paul at the weigh in and when I bashed him up in the ring, they were the only 2 times I was ever in his company but he was forever sending me messages through people to tell me this and to call me that etc. Paul sent me a lot of messages in the early 90’s but like I said I told him my answer was simply that I’d beat him once and I didn’t need to beat him again. In my opinion, I would sum Paul Sykes up by saying he was a total idiot! I have no sympathy for the man’s eventual demise as I think he brought it on himself my philosophy is if you live by the sword then you’ll die by the sword.”

Alex Morrison
“ Tommy asked me around 1990 could Paul come up to Glasgow to promote his book Sweet Agony. I planned a book promotion event for him in the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow. When Paul arrived he was pure drunk and made an arsehole of himself. Glasgow is not the place to turn up misbehaving you could get yourself into trouble especially not knowing the area. I told him to get out and chased him; he never even made it through the front doors. Luckily for Paul, Tommy Miller asked a friend of his from Newcastle to give Paul a lift back home. Just another example of Paul shooting himself in the foot.”

Peter Fury
“ One of the stories was that Paul used to mess with vulnerable people in prison. From what I saw of Paul in prison all the rumours were true, Paul was a sexual deviant. I don’t tell lies, my Christian faith won’t allow it and I only speak the truth. The whole prison system was absolutely terrified of him and he was wild and he could have a fight so he was the worst kind. It didn’t matter if you were the hardest man on the planet…Paul Sykes would do you damage! I saw it with my own eyes people were civil to him but you could tell by their body language they couldn’t wait to get away from him. Paul Sykes was an absolute menace and a one off. The people who attacked him in later years when he was old and frail, these people wouldn’t have even looked at him sideways back in the day. Paul Sykes didn’t value anybody and he used to fight every single day in prison. The screws just couldn’t keep control over him and there were many times that you’d hear that Paul had been taken down to the block for flattening someone. Paul should have really been sectioned it would have been kinder on everyone.
Paul and I used to see each other a lot in prison and he knew me from our boxing past but truth be told, the things I saw and heard, he wasn’t my cup of tea, for example, the things he was doing in there I don’t abide with. When you’re in the system although you’re in different jails its one big system. Everybody else knows what you’re doing and what’s going on it doesn’t matter what penal system you went to the same story was everywhere and the stories I’m telling you are true because I was in that system. Paul was bi sexual for sure. What I will say for the record is this, don’t let anybody put that fella down because he could fight in his day and he didn’t give a poo about anybody and I’m telling you now from my time in prison with him nobody would ever look up and say something to Paul Sykes’ face. This man was seriously not to be messed with and he was to be avoided at all costs if possible. I’m sorry to hear that he ended up in the way he did because it wasn’t good. Tommy Miller (god rest him) said to me one day in the gym “Peter that man had more talent than you’ve ever seen” Tommy used to get really frustrated even talking about him years later, he would just not train like a fighter should.“

Interesting reading. Sykes sounded like a complete scumbag and it says a lot that no one seems to had a nice word to say about him. I wonder if him and Bronson ever crossed paths, can you imagine if that kicked off!!

.

What Bronson thinks in the book

“ I liked Paul a lot he was a proper Mans Man and tough as old boots. He just had a lot of bad luck in life, wrong place, wrong time. A great fighter, super fit and strong, a natural Heavyweight and not forgetting a total prison legend. He’s in my book “Legends” I always give him a mention in my books, always will.”

[Controversial]

I have a copy of Jamie Boyle’s second book on Paul Sykes called “Unfinished Agony” and it quotes quite a few ex boxers thoughts on Paul Sykes

Glen McCrory
“ I’m not condoning what Paul got up to or what he did in his life, in all honesty I thought he came across as a bully and that he tried to be a tough guy constantly. My mood at that time though was that I wasn’t going to take any crap from anyone, but he backed down and started being friendly so we didn’t have a problem.
I have nothing bad to say about Paul but I’ve got nothing positive to say about him either and if I could sum Paul up in one word then that word would have to be Bully. Paul was a bully just like Mike Tyson and when you stand up to people like them they don’t like it one bit. My overall thought was that Paul Sykes was a bully and I had to put him back in his place.“


John L Gardner
“ I only ever met Paul at the weigh in and when I bashed him up in the ring, they were the only 2 times I was ever in his company but he was forever sending me messages through people to tell me this and to call me that etc. Paul sent me a lot of messages in the early 90’s but like I said I told him my answer was simply that I’d beat him once and I didn’t need to beat him again. In my opinion, I would sum Paul Sykes up by saying he was a total idiot! I have no sympathy for the man’s eventual demise as I think he brought it on himself my philosophy is if you live by the sword then you’ll die by the sword.”

Alex Morrison
“ Tommy asked me around 1990 could Paul come up to Glasgow to promote his book Sweet Agony. I planned a book promotion event for him in the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow. When Paul arrived he was pure drunk and made an arsehole of himself. Glasgow is not the place to turn up misbehaving you could get yourself into trouble especially not knowing the area. I told him to get out and chased him; he never even made it through the front doors. Luckily for Paul, Tommy Miller asked a friend of his from Newcastle to give Paul a lift back home. Just another example of Paul shooting himself in the foot.”

Peter Fury
“ One of the stories was that Paul used to mess with vulnerable people in prison. From what I saw of Paul in prison all the rumours were true, Paul was a sexual deviant. I don’t tell lies, my Christian faith won’t allow it and I only speak the truth. The whole prison system was absolutely terrified of him and he was wild and he could have a fight so he was the worst kind. It didn’t matter if you were the hardest man on the planet…Paul Sykes would do you damage! I saw it with my own eyes people were civil to him but you could tell by their body language they couldn’t wait to get away from him. Paul Sykes was an absolute menace and a one off. The people who attacked him in later years when he was old and frail, these people wouldn’t have even looked at him sideways back in the day. Paul Sykes didn’t value anybody and he used to fight every single day in prison. The screws just couldn’t keep control over him and there were many times that you’d hear that Paul had been taken down to the block for flattening someone. Paul should have really been sectioned it would have been kinder on everyone.
Paul and I used to see each other a lot in prison and he knew me from our boxing past but truth be told, the things I saw and heard, he wasn’t my cup of tea, for example, the things he was doing in there I don’t abide with. When you’re in the system although you’re in different jails its one big system. Everybody else knows what you’re doing and what’s going on it doesn’t matter what penal system you went to the same story was everywhere and the stories I’m telling you are true because I was in that system. Paul was bi sexual for sure. What I will say for the record is this, don’t let anybody put that fella down because he could fight in his day and he didn’t give a poo about anybody and I’m telling you now from my time in prison with him nobody would ever look up and say something to Paul Sykes’ face. This man was seriously not to be messed with and he was to be avoided at all costs if possible. I’m sorry to hear that he ended up in the way he did because it wasn’t good. Tommy Miller (god rest him) said to me one day in the gym “Peter that man had more talent than you’ve ever seen” Tommy used to get really frustrated even talking about him years later, he would just not train like a fighter should.“

Interesting reading. Sykes sounded like a complete scumbag and it says a lot that no one seems to had a nice word to say about him. I wonder if him and Bronson ever crossed paths, can you imagine if that kicked off!!

.

What Bronson thinks in the book

“ I liked Paul a lot he was a proper Mans Man and tough as old boots. He just had a lot of bad luck in life, wrong place, wrong time. A great fighter, super fit and strong, a natural Heavyweight and not forgetting a total prison legend. He’s in my book “Legends” I always give him a mention in my books, always will.”

Thank you. Says it all really, two peas in a pod.

[Boxerbeetle]

Sounds like 2 guys who never evolved past high school.

[johnty1888]

Just to keep the comments fair and unbiased, there are quite a lot of people in the book who say he was a nice guy, never did anything to me, was always polite in my company etc etc

There’s a great interview with Nick Manners the Leeds Light heavyweight about when he sparked Paul Sykes out at Elland Road whilst warming up for his bout on the undercard of Wharton v Castro Smith