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 But when his licence was revoked following an assault on a referee, he turned to unlicensed boxing.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.

About the Author

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 several true-crime books, including the bestselling Essex Boys, Bonded by Blood and Hateland.

Prizes

The autobiography of Lew 'Wild Thing' Yates, the infamous fighter who toppled Roy 'Pretty Boy' Shaw as Guv'nor of the unlicensed boxing ring