Big Bad Johnny Waldron. Was he the Greatest unlicensed fighter? Including Fight footage.
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- čas přidán 21. 03. 2023
- Johnny Waldron, was a family man, a successful professional boxer, and always working to provide for his family.
An eye injury forced him in to the murky world of Unlicensed boxing.
Unbeaten in 23 fights, including two Knockout victories over legendary fighter Lenny McLean.
Was Johnny Waldron the Greatest unlicensed fighter of all?
Thank you to Liam Galvin for footage of Roy Shaw and Nosher Powell . Link to Liams channel: / @liamgalvinfilm
Cliffs Fields footage, courtesy of Official BKB : • CLIFF FIELD | THE REAL...
#boxing #mattlegg #bareknuckle #fighting #lennymclean #johnnywaldron #nigelbenn
Ray Hills : / @bangbangrayhill2218 - Zábava
What a man, real gangster went to work, loved, his wife and children, was never a bully, and fought with the finest men great story Matt
What a great man apart from the boxing he was like a mentor to me ,do the right thing ,words of wisdom kept me on the right path a true family man and a gentleman.
Real men, ain't gangsters.
Sorry for the term gangster I didn't mean it in the villan term, was just ment as a compliment, hope I didn't offend anyone by the term I used.
He wasn't a gangster you boob
@@pmck3438 OK lesson learnt, meant no offence to anyone, if I did I apologise
Love to hear these stories Matt. What a gentleman. Proper hard man with nothing to prove. Great respectful tribute 👍
Nice one Dode . Thank you 🥊👊
Johnny Waldron!
Ya know what, Matt, these videos have opened up a whole new world and hearing some of these names I ain't heard since I was a kid and boxing mad is uncanny!
You've put so much work into them and the result is awesome. Thanks!
Pete 🏴
Nice one Pete. Thank you 👊🥊
Great story, man doesn’t get mentioned enough and shown the respect he’s deserved.
Cheers mate 👊🥊
I've been involved in Kick Boxing, Amateur Boxing and Martial Arts for a number of years and I'm embarrassed to say until now I'd never heard of Johnny Waldron. What a great story and character, thank you for the education Matt. Big up your channel mate. 🥊👍
Nice one Kevin. Thank you 🥊👊
Just adding a little bit more to message from me earlier...Me as well Kevin,I'm also embarrassed to say until watching Matt's podcast earlier I hadn't heard of Johnny Waldron...heard of the other fighters mentioned but not Johnny Waldron,he sounds a right diamond geezer...a proper fighting man with principles and STICKS to them and not a steroid-filled over-agressive mouthy bodybuilder who ain't got a scooby how to fight,all the best Piers ( NAH,not that gob***** W****r Morgan!) another one fank god!! hahaha!
@@piersgrowcott8179 🤣🤣I know what you mean there, lol 🥊👍
I've only heard of him through ray hills channel. Another tough man.
Me neither mate.
I'm working with a bloke in London at this time & he's a friend of Johny Waldron who I hadn't heard of previously. Steve said big Johnny is a fine man & then I come across this tribute on your channel Matt. Well, Steve said only good things about Johnny & your work has confirmed it. Many thanks Matt for highlighting the excellent fighting abilities of this good man & boxing legend.
What a great segment on UK boxing history, this channel just gets better and better, great to see the research and that this information is recorded and archived for the future, all done with respect as usual. All the best from Australia
Lovely story that Matt !.. Thank you very much for putting it across so eloquently. God bless to all fighters past , present & future !.. it takes a tremendous amount of courage , determination & sacrifice to do what you have done & do
Matt, great introduction to Johnny for those who don’t already know him. Humility and dedication are things that most people don’t tend to associate with unlicensed fights but these men had both attributes in abundance and were people to look up to regardless of social status or background. I met Roy Shaw on many occasions and he was always a perfect gentleman. Proper men prove it when faced with proper men. Unfortunately, the majority don’t see the back story so it’s good that men like yourself are willing to offer free education on the subject. Good work , keep it up. Respect to the men you feature and represent and to yourself.
Iv had the pleasure of having a pint with johnny in the pubs in poplar an absolute gentleman was always good company for my dad when johnny was telling all the old storys what a humble man
Ah brilliant, nice one. 🥊👍
I remember Johnny from his Repton days, as my brother Pat was in the same era, boxing for Fitzroy Lodge. This is a really good video / story of a great fighter. Well done Matt. And all the best to you Johnny, if you read this 🥊
Fascinating Matt. Thanks for putting this together. What a fighter and a man.
Matt, the amount of passion you have for boxing and all the great's really reflects on how you tell these very detailed and well thought out stories... You are an easy man to follow, and I love seeing you pop up on my timeline because I know it's going to be something great coming from you. Keep up the good work and much love from Colorado, USA...
Thank you very much. I think that I'm making the sort of videos, that I would love to watch, that interest me.
Luckily we all have the same Interest, lol
All the best.
And Im hoping to visit America again one day.
🥊👊
Brilliant video - very insightful and a joy to watch. Johnny Waldron had a better boxing pedigree than I thought. I’m not surprised he beat Lenny in unlicensed fights learning of this.
Also, fair play to you Matt for giving Lenny respect for stepping in with the likes of Johnny - seems too many are quick to undermine what a force he really was. Keep up the good work 👍
You seem to be a bit of an encyclopedia when it comes to these people who are from the boxing world, and the same when it comes to the underworld! It's great how you have had such an eventful life including fighting for a living but still had your eyes open learning all the time, and now you are entertaining people with stories that we wouldn't hear otherwise! Top marks for teaching us about fighters like Johnny Waldron, who seemed like a bloke with many admirable qualities who mixed it with some serious fighters but started as a light middleweight (if I saw that right?, I'm knackered LoL)?? He must have been REAL tough! Thanks for the entertaining story Matt, all the best m8e👍💥🥊🥇
Haha. Thank you. I did get a lot of help from the FB page dedicated to Johnny.
But I have always been interested in the old school fighters and villains.
Cheers mate 🥊👊
I started boxing ABA bk in 80's as a teenager in Birmingham for a short period as a middleweight. Sparred with Errol Christie. Apparently he thought I was another Kirkland lang...gifted but lazy, lol! Anyway, yrs later trained weights at Bethnal grn. Occasionally trained with & became friends with a guy called Adam. Massive. 6'3", 20st , v strong. Always spoke fondly of his father. Didn't realise til months later his dad is...Johnny Waldron!
Great anecdotes. Thanks for putting this together.
Matt your depth of research is fantastic. Thanks very much for putting perspective to a man I’ve read about but knew little about.
Thank you very much. I was so Interested, and luckily Johnny Waldrons son Jamie called me, and we spoke, plus they have a brilliant FB page dedicated to Johnny.
Full of pics and videos
All the best 👊🥊
That was brilliant you’ve put some work into this vid , what a seriously tough guy he must of been , very sad to hear about the alcohol prob later on
Thank you Ian 🥊👊
I found your channel a couple of weeks ago and I'm hooked. The detail you put into each episode is amazing. Thank you for the work you put into each episode brother. Keep up the good work. I feel that young men need to know this history today. Keep up the good work
Thank you very much for watching and messaging brother.
It's greatly appreciated 🥊👊
Yep, really enjoy these uploads of the many characters, thanks for the time and effort it must take to put them together!
Loved this - the full circle with sportsman or women when out of the game - so many go down the wrong path but glad Johnny saw the light and is blessed with a beautiful family x Thank you for sharing
Thank you for the message. Have a great weekend 🥊
Remember boxing on the same bill as Johnny when he boxed as a light heavy for Beccles amateur boxing club with an England vest, great boxer loved watching him. Followed his career as a professional and loved this a great tribute to a great fighter, thanks for posting👏
Thank you very much Kenneth. Ah that's brilliant, so you go way back 👍
I'm really glad you like it.
🥊👍
I think Matt is being very nice and respectful to Lenny McLean. It seems fairly clear that Waldron handled McLean very easily.
Thank you for the message. I always try to be respectful. Especially of the dead,🥊👊
Yeah like it was a fixed fight and he got KO'd... madness.
@chrisg9615 McLean was a big wild bull but fairly easily handled in a boxing ring by a decent boxer. Different story in the street. That size and wild ferocity of McLean would beat all but the best in a street fight. First 10 seconds mean so much in scraps. 30 seconds is a long street fight.
Thanks for the video Matt!! Haven't watched any of your vids for a bit so this was a great one to come back to! Hope you are well!! 👍🏻💯🙏🏻
A great insight into Big Johnnys life and career.
Well done Matt for putting this so expertly together.
Thanks
Thank you very much 👊🥊
Thanks for putting the clip together I enjoyed watching🙏👏
No worries. Thank you for watching 🥊👊
Another quality video Matt. Great to being these great fighting men to the public domain.
Thank you 🥊👊
Great video that Matt ! So many oldskool Boxers you named and you brought back loads of fight memories ! I'm gonna go watch a few old replay's on CZcams ! What a great Lad Jonny is ! Definitely a Governor for sure ! Respect mate ,! 👍🥊🏴
Nice one Paul. I'm going to look up a few aswell. Cheers mate 👍🥊👊
Good one Matt. Your well researched. Great video. 😊
Thank you very much 👊🥊💥
Great video Matt! I love listening to stories about these legends from the past, very interesting and well told. 💯👍
Nice one Garfield. Thank you 🥊👊
Love hearing these stories about the old legendary fighters keep up with the great content matt 👏
The demon drink.... the ruin of many a man . Great to finally see and hear about Johnny after hearing his name mentioned over the years. Matt you're fast becoming the human encyclopedia of former pro and unlicensed fighters . Great video 🤜🤛
Thank you Rob. I was just as curious about Johnny Waldron, so when I got a call from his son Jamie and Johnny himself, I was over the moon.
He's got a great Facebook Group.
🥊👊
Great video, Matt. Thanks for posting. Please keep up the good work.
Great tales as always Matt, wonderful to learn about the great fighters of yesteryear and hear their story from you that possibly otherwise would not be out there for us.
Thanx matt for some great research here bringing johnnys story to us.i remember seeing his name in boxing news and wondering if he would emerge a future world title challenger late 70s.great work bud..
Thank you Garth 👊🥊
Thank you very much for this story. Brilliant. And thank you for giving my best mate Jimmy batten a mention. God bless mate.
Thank you for this long-awaited for documentary
I really enjoy watching your channel Mr Legg (Matt) I often show them to my father in law who then talks and reminisces for hours ( which is always good )
As he new a lot of the people who you talk about I’ve heard some great stories from him over the years, great channel keep it up
Great video Matt, really enjoyed this story of a fighter I have never heard of, Must of been a force to have beaten Lenny. Also when you mentioned Dennis Andres that took me back as I really liked and rated him as a boxer. Thanks for all these videos, really enjoy your content 👍
Brilliant. Thank you Matt 🥊👊
Thank you for posting this
I used to drink with John in Poplar and he actually came with us from the Brunswick football team around '97.
He is a top, top man with great stories 💚
Ah brilliant. Thank you Stuart 🥊👊
Please, let me know how John is doing these days??@@mattlegg1976
Nicely documented.
Fair play,keep up the good work Sir.
Thank you very much 🥊👍
Brilliant Mate, all factual and very informative. Thank you for sharing with us 👍👍🥊🥊
Thank you John Boy 👍🥊
Hi Matt, I noted with great interest that you featured Boxing News articles about Johnny. One was written by myself and one by my old colleague Simon Evan Smith who still freelances for the magazine. I was sorry to hear that Johnny encountered some life issues but I will always remember his gentle ways. I am sure he still has an inner core which will help bring him through with the help of his loved ones. May God Bless him and may he find peace.
A great post, thank you
Glad you enjoyed it . Thank you 🥊💥
Brilliant really enjoyed it Matt. Heard a lot about Johnny but never seen him fight
Thank you Peter. I was the same. He was a mystery man really. Really glad his Son Jamie called me up. A great help 🥊👊
Gotta say; brilliant story, well researched and told. Well done Matt!
Great vid , thanks Matt 👍🏴🙏
wow, really enjoyed that, keep it going Matt, best boxing info , I went to a lot of fights, knew Danny woollard, came down and met a few characters😉, up here saw John fury fight, went to all the benn fights, eubanks, loads of interesting stuff. keep up the good work. respect.
great insight matt thanks as added interest for myself, his painting skills was something to behold aswell ❤
I really enjoy your videos Matt. Always very respectful towards your subjects, Keep up the good work mate. You seem like a very decent lad.
Just subscribed to this channel...love it....your boxing knowledge matt is outstanding...Dennis andries what a tough guy he ....went in with Tommy hearns,,,etc...always remember those tough fights with the Australian Jeff Harding...👍
Been watching your channel fella now for some time i had not really heard about Johnny Waldron so really enjoyed this very much! as an ex south London lad ( Streatham) i knew a few naughty boys in the 70s as we all did, keep up the top notch work fella.
Great commentary, Matt. Thanks for this.
Love the info like how you go into depth to get the facts right and speak to the families of these if you cannot speak to to the hardman themselves big respect Matt leg
Fantastic story amazing roller coaster of a life and well researched by matt highlighting the respect that boxers and streetfighters had for each other back in the day
Interesting biog, thanks for producing and uploading this. Steering clear of celebrity and criminality and devoting himself to raising a family garners Johnny that bit more respect from most of us, I'm sure. I've certainly never heard or read a bad word said about him.
Nice to see young Ray Winstone get a mention. It only just occurred to me now that Ray starred in the infamous film 'Scum' a few years before. That's not really my cup of tea - but I guess it must have been at about the same time Ray was in the gym with Johnny, he was playing the part of Arnie in 'Minder', alongside George Cole and Dennis Waterman. That, for me, was Ray's best acting role.
Yet another forgotten legend matt ,thanks for the video ,very informative 👏💯
Thank you very much 🥊
I knew that fighting, boxing in particular, was you're first love and hobby but you never seise to surprise me as to just how deep you're knowledge goes on this subject Matt .... it's Pope btw mate and it's nice to hear all the old school names that I grew up admiring being mentioned!... you really know you're stuff and I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather talk to on this subject Matt.... your a legend and the pride of mk!!! Take care bro x
Thank you very much Pope. I'd love to catch up with you again. We had some mad times, lol
I did get a lot of help on this video from the Johnny Waldron FB page.
It's's brilliant, and full of all the pictures and videos.
I hope you're well mate 👊🥊❤️
Class again Matt, really enjoy these stories, keep em coming brother.....👊🥊
Thank you Dave 🥊👊
Another cracking podcast Matt,fanks mate...I'm a 60 year old ex-amateur boxer (George Lynn gym,South London) and every time I watch one of your podcasts I learn something new like ex-fighter from Surrey who beat Lenny McLean TWICE! like your knowledge and info and the lovely backdrop of the beautiful English countryside when doing your podcasts,peace and love to all,take care Matt,see ya geez,all the best from Piers a.k.a. Chopper.
Thank you very much Piers. That was a good gym aswell 🥊
All the best 👊👍
Love these old fight stories keep up the good work 👍🏽
Thanks, for this video.
Great to hear about Jonny Waldron a great well respectful legend nice 1 Matt for sharing this much respect 😉👍
I trained at Waltham Forest under Freddie King. A great fighter trained there named Steve Crosby. He left and joined New Enterprise I believe but a lot of us went to support him when he fought Big John in the London's and which was, I believe, an Olympic trial. Steve won fairly comfortably but was then out pointed, to everybody's surprise, in another Olympic trial by a boxer from Liverpool. Steve was immensely talented as was even bigger Terry Johnston and welterweight Tony Furlong. God it was so long ago. Feel old just writing about it. Great video on Big John. Saw him at York Hall a couple of times. Hope things are better for him?
Another fantastic video Matt,
Well edited and informative.
Thank you very much Paul 🥊👍
Fascinating stuff Matt, I recognise watching these pros from 70's 80's as a kid on Sports Night. Keep up these brilliant vids....👍👍👍
Great video my friend, I tried boxing as a young fella but I was too small and didn’t have enough spirit so I learnt early it wasn’t for me. I have every respect for you and the other warriors you talk about. Good on you brother 👍.
Thank you very much. Yeah it's definitely tough to get in to. Not for everyone.
I like your honesty aswell 👍🥊👊
Great video. One of the few channels worth listening too on CZcams, i find most channels unbearable these days. You research things properly and most importantly you never put anybody down or bull yourself up either.
That means a lot. Thank you 🥊👊
Found that very interesting Matt. keep them coming. I look forward to them
Cheers Davie 🥊👊
Great channel! Can't wait for the next 1 💪
Thank you very much 🥊👊
Cracking vid Matt...you're on a roll mate,some great content...loved Dennis Andries back in the day mate...wonder what he's doing these days...what a hard fella he was,made out of granite Matt..
Thank you Karl. Yeah he was tough 🥊👊
Agree with all the other comments Matt. You are doing a fantastic job of educating us on the hard life of a fighter. Keep it up .🥊🥊🥊
Thank you Chris 🥊
Great story Matt, nicely told and some great names mentioned Dennis andries tough as hell, John conteh, Nigel Benn plus other names very well known. Some fighter Jonny Waldron, I think your story really told his life very well and the fights well described . Too marks Matt excellent as usual. 👌😊
Thank you Allan. I was just as curious and fascinated as everyone else I think, lol 🥊👍
Brilliant post great work
Excellently narrated enjoyable from start to finish 👌 👊
Great video Matt, keep them coming mate, love to hear about the old school fighters, well researched 👌👍
Thank you. I appreciate that. 👊🥊
Great video thanks matt
Brilliant content getter better all the time love these stories no one else tells them better keep up the top work 🤛
Thank you very much Andrew 🥊👊
Good stuff Mat love this stuff I had a few fights unlicensed in the Streatham Ceasers mean machine era. It’s was a different sport to the mainstream vary interesting history with some great characters. Thanks again for shining a light ❤️🥊❤️👊🏾❤️🙏🏾🫵🏾
Thank you very much. I was probably at those shows, lol
They were entertaining 🤣🥊
I was trained by Ricky English, so I always got an invite
All the best 👊🥊❤️
Yeah was good times great memories and nice history 🥊🥊🥊
Brilliant stuff again Matt. Great episode!
Thank you Marc 🥊👊
Matt what can I say you've smashed it, and I've been searching for information on Johnny for years thanks mate made my day 💯 os there any chance you could do an interview with Johnny at some point as would be great to hear some stories from him 🥊
One of the nicest people I have come across. A great artist , loved painting 👍
Lovely to hear. Thank you 🥊
Amazing story, love the channel. Always a class act Matt
Great story matt! As always🤩keep em coming sir👍
Thank you Lee 👍🥊
Another great video Matt, big respect, peace ✌️
That Rainbow was beautiful, thx for the video Brother. Keep doing your thing buddy. 👍🇺🇲🗽🏴👍
Thank you Justin. Cheers mate 🥊👊
Absolutely loved that Matt..Thank you, Rik 😃x
Top content mate loved it and never heard alot about him but a proper old school gentleman by the sounds of it. Really enjoy it 👍
Hi Matt what about the Finnegan Brothers fabulous Hard Fighters one fight they could not beat the Drink god bless Chris and Kevin 🥊🥊🥊🥊
I used to drink in the same pub as Jonny in Poplar, he was a perfect Gent.he worked on the roads He told us the first fight with Lenny was a fix. Honestly so glad you have pulled him up, ray hill done a bit on him a few weeks ago. Top top man and in my humble opinion king of the unlicensed 🥊🥊. As always Matt great content
That's brilliant. He's a gentleman.
Thank you very much for your message 🥊👍👊
Another awesome video, really interesting, cheers!
Love your content and demeanor Matt, respect and continuing success in all your enterprises 🇮🇪 👍...
Thank you very much Eoghan 👊🥊
Thanks for video Matt . Hope your good 👍
Thank you Darren 👊🥊
Good story Matt 👊🥊love all the historical stuff mate 👌🙏some good footage on this one 👍👍👍and love the old fight posters and articles, proper treat this video 👏
Brilliant Sean. Thank you mate 👊🥊
Nice 1 as usual matt I had never heard of johny Waldron 👍👌
Cheers Paul. Yeah a top top fighter. Thank you 🥊👊
Loved that insight.
👍
I love the way your telling the stories as you always put a lot of effort in checking what ever you say is right and not something you have heard in a pub 😜 Great job !!
Thank you very much. 🥊👊
Hey Matt, great stuff as usual, very interesting. Would you be willing to do an episode on the different types of matches, bare knuckle, unlicensed boxing etc. I think it would be cool to learn about how these fights are put together, the rules or lack thereof, are there referees, where do they take place and that kind of stuff. I find it fascinating and I'm sure I'm not alone. Cheers!
Hi Daniel, great idea. Thank you 👊🥊
Really interesting and well presented Matt quality viewing 👍👍
Great Content