With a fighting weight of little more than 11 stone, Paddy Monaghan was not immediately as intimidating as bare-knuckle boxers like Lenny McLean or Roy Shaw, but he was a fine ferocious fighting machine. His unbroken record of 114 bare-knuckle fight wins reflects his exceptional strategic skill and fearlessness. With no qualifications and unable to read or write Paddy left school with just his reputation as a fighter and defender of the weaker boys. Years later Paddy set about teaching himself to read and write a determination that was to resurface when he launched his one-man career to protest against the stripping of Muhammad Alis boxing licence in 1967. Paddys actions attracted Ali himself and the next time he was in the UK he paid Paddy a visit in Abingdon. This first meeting brought the two men - socially worlds apart - together in friendship.
