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Who was the infamous Wakefield ‘shark puncher’ Paul Sykes?
A championship-caliber weight lifter, heavyweight boxer, accomplished author and highly educated college graduate (accomplished in prison), Sykes was not a man to be messed with.
He's one of Britain's most notorious criminals and has been described as more fearful than the Krays, but how much do you really know about Yorkshire's infamous hard man?
It's been said before that Paul Sykes, or 'Sykesky', was so tough that even Britain's most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson didn't want to fight him.
Known for single-handedly winning fights with big groups of men and - as a viral video revealed - punching sharks, Sykes developed a fearsome local reputation in his hometown and beyond.
He first took up boxing at the age of 7 at the Robin Hood and Thorpe Amateur Boxing Club, impressing tutors with his advanced skill. This combined with his size and ability made him a formidable opponent, even as a young child.
However, he also began drinking around this age - setting himself on the wrong track and doing his first prison stint at the tender age of 17.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fjC3zQu9ds
A championship-caliber weight lifter, heavyweight boxer, accomplished author and highly educated college graduate (accomplished in prison), Sykes was not a man to be messed with.
Still, many of his achievements were marred by his getting into trouble and he spent the majority of his final years in 18 different UK prisons.
Sykes' adult life regularly featured alcohol abuse, petty robberies and violent crimes, however during a brief period of rehabilitation between 1978 and 1980 he fought ten bouts as a professional boxer - ending the career of American boxer David Wilson after just one fight.
As one of Britain's most notorious criminals he's featured in many books on UK prisoners, including the 2018 prison expose Get Behind Your Door, in which Sykes is referred to as a man that punched like "greased lightning".
Throughout the book, author Patsy Manning tells stories of Sykes' life on the inside and outside including a tale of one night they visited London nightclub Rebecca's together.
He writes: “The four of them rushed towards Paul, all throwing punches and Paul started to throw punches of his own dead fast.
“They had to be because he was up against four geezers who could have a bit of a fight under normal circumstances.
“Any ordinary man would have had no chance on his own, but Paul was no ordinary man.
“His punches were like greased lightning."
Apparently, it wasn't the first time he'd taken on multiple men at once and emerged victorious.
Image taken from book Sykes: Unfinished Agony by Jamie Boyle
According to another book The Guv'nor, this time by author Lenny McLean, Sykes also took on four bouncers in his hometown of Wakefield and caused their British title fight to be canceled.
He wrote: “A week before the off, Sykes went into a club in Wakefield where he lives, got well p***** and had a ruck with four doormen.
“He did them all but one of them got lucky and put a cut above his eye that took eight stitches to pull together.”
For years, Sykes was classed as one of the country's most dangerous prisonerss and was frequently moved for committing violent acts against both prison and police officers.
Released from HMP Hull in 1990, he went on to work as a debt collector for Wakefield businessman Dennis Flint, often travelling to Spain for work.
It was around this time that producer Roger Greenwood followed him around Yorkshire as he filmed the documentaryPaul Sykes: At Large.
In one popular clip that often does the rounds online, Sykes says Wakefield is "the best little city on earth" and talks pretty casually about punching sharks as if there's nothing to it.
"How do I know? I've been everywhere else. I'm here now, right on the family patch," he snarls to the camera.
"I'm the only man in history of mankind that's swum across the straight of Johor, to avoid the police."
"Nobody's ever done it before, not because of the currents, nothing like that; it's sharks. Not shark-infested but none of the locals go paddling or swimming."
"Sharks'll have a look at me and think yeah I know how to do them, you punch them right in the f***ing earhole and they swim off."
Sykes passed away in 2007 from liver cirrhosis and pneumonia aged just 60 years old after a impressive criminal career.
If you'd like to learn more about him, you can watch the full documentary on Youtube here.
UK News
TV presenter’s rant pointing out double-standard over Sheffield Wednesday punishment goes viral
A TV presenter and Sheffield Wednesday supporter's speech about the perceived double standard concerning another pending points deduction at her club compared to the punishment of Premier League clubs is trending online.
Many believe she's pretty bang on the money, to be fair.
Wednesdayite Sophy Ridge, who hosts a regular Sky News show with fellow presenter Wilfred Frost, recently took the opportunity to indulge in some understandable fan frustration during a show this week.
Admittedly, getting on her soapbox a bit - and for good reason - the Richmond-born Owls fan simply shed light on the contradictory nature of Sheffield Wednesday's penalty set for the next season over financial violations when compared to top-flight offenders.
Went on a bit of a rant on telly comparing how Chelsea & Sheffield Wednesday have been dealt with#swfc
Citing both Manchester City (with their estimated 115-130 charges still no closer to being resolved) and now Chelsea as being the most recently accused of breaking regulations, she argued that there's a significant difference between penalties teams are being slapped with - or in some cases, still avoiding.
For instance, while the Man City saga first broke back in February 2023 and relates to alleged breaches dating all the way back to 2009, they are yet to be confirmed as guilty, at least not in any public announcement.
As for the West London club, Chelsea have only just been hit with a fine, albeit a Premier League record sum of approximately £10.75 million, as well as a 12-month transfer ban, though it has already been suspended for two years.
This is due to them having made undisclosed payments to agents, players and various other individuals during the Roman Abramovich ownership era.
Meanwhile, for anyone who hasn't been following the huge furore among the long-suffering Sheffield fanbase, Wednesday fans, players, and footballing staff are the ones being penalised for what many believe is nothing more than 'improper' and 'irresponsible' management of the club at an executive level.
For context, they are currently set to start the next 2026/27 campaign in the EFL's third tier with a 15-point handicap, which could very well spell yet another disaster year, with Ridge adding: "How attractive is that [a club sale] going to be for an owner that might be looking at back-to-back relegations?"
Sadly, it seems that its matchgoers and other die-hards are the ones set to pay the price this time, as they often have been; according to the sports journalist, that's often the case further down the pyramid.
For instance, Todd Boehly's Chelsea organisation seem to have been let off the hook regarding any setback in the standings due to their cooperation with the profit and sustainability (PSR) investigation, and because their offence pre-dates the modern PSR guidelines era.
In fact, Chelsea were actually said to have voluntarilyreported themselves regarding historic offences within youth football, which also seems to have afforded them some leniency.
Put simply, she believes it's unfair for the soon-to-be League One side to face such harsh terms and a fee just a few million shy of the figure they've been told they 'must' pay outgoing owners, Dejphon Chansiri, while Chelsea face "no sanctions despite the fact this [illegal spending] clearly would have given them a sporting advantage" in the past.
What do you make of the whole saga, and do you think there's a difference in how so-called 'bigger' clubs are treated compared to those in lower divisions?
Featured Images — Sky News (screenshot)/Daniel Bagshaw (via Wikimedia Commons)
UK News
Sheffield Wednesday could be set for a starting points deduction next season
Danny Jones
In gutting news for the Owls, the already struggling Sheffield Wednesday FC have been informed that they could very well be starting next season with an immediate points deduction.
From bad to worse, it seems, at the moment.
Wednesdayites have been through it all over the past few years, with unpaid debts and salaries resulting in administration, sparking protests; now relegation to the third tier and the threat of complete collapse.
And as if things weren't hard enough already, Sheffield Wednesday have now been told that they will automatically be deducted 15 points from the beginning of the 2026/67 League One campaign if creditors aren't paid in full - starting with outgoing and controversial owner, Dejphon Chansiri...
BREAKING: Sheffield Wednesday look set to start life in League One next season with a 15-point deduction, because none of the bidders currently trying to buy the club is prepared to pay £15m to the outgoing owner, Dejphon Chansiri. pic.twitter.com/UoAgIMsB4p
Chansiri has loaned over £60 million to the organisation during more than 11 years in charge, but because this money was never converted into share capital, he is the entity that the club owes the biggest amount to.
Addressing supporters in a statement back in September 2023, the 57-year-old member of the millionaire family that controls the Thai Union Group, wrote: "I will not inject any more money into the club if I am being treated unfairly.
"Those fans who create trouble [for] the club and me, and believe that they are the real owner of the club, need to be responsible for the financial matters of the club from now on."
It's fair to say that relations with the fans have far from improved since then, and they've been left even more furious following this most recent development.
At present, Chansiri must be paid at least £15m (effectively almost half of the entire organisation's total purchase price at current valuation), but none of the interested bidders has ultimately been willing to do so thus far.
However, the Arise Capital Partners LLC consortium - led by David Storch and son Michael, as well as Tom Costin - has been identified as the 'preferred' party to complete a buyout.
Newcastle United Mike Ashley was also said to be in the running to take over the club, but ultimately was unprepared to settle this fee with Chansiri, and there remain doubts over whether or not Storch is willing to either.
As for the loyal Hillsborough matchgoers, they have accused the EFL of punishing them and the club rather than the ownership and wider executive board, who have overseen this turbulent period for the historic local institution.
One person wrote underneath the post in social media: "So a club gets penalised because their owner is a piece of shit, but Man City and others just get away with it, makes sense"; many others have simply added that the pending treatment is "unfair" and targets the wrong people. What do you make of it all?
Elsewhere in the Steel City, fresh hope and a new chapter are coming to the world's oldest football club as native musician Jon McClure has been confirmed as the new chairman. Find out more down below.
Georgina Pellant -
7th June 2021 
