Born to Fight--The True Story of Richy 'Crazy Horse' Horsley
For my father, Tom ‘Blood’
Horsley and my mother, Brenda
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
FOREWORD BY DAVE COURTNEY
TRIBUTES TO RICHY ‘CRAZY HORSE’ HORSLEY
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 CIRCLE OF LIFE
CHAPTER 2 TANK THE BLEEDER
CHAPTER 3 FISTS OF FURY
CHAPTER 4 HONOUR AND PRIDE
CHAPTER 5 FIGHTING LIKE A LION
CHAPTER 6 THE FIRE IN MY EYES
CHAPTER 7 CROMBIE COATS AND HAPPY DAYS
CHAPTER 8 THE SMELL OF BLOOD, SWEAT & GREASED LIGHTNING
CHAPTER 9 MAKE MY DAY, PUNK
CHAPTER 10 TRADING BLOWS, TOE-TO-TOE
CHAPTER 11 LION HEART
CHAPTER 12 BLOOD TUB
CHAPTER 13 PREDATOR
CHAPTER 14 IT’S THE WEAK MAN WHO HOLDS BACK HIS TEARS
CHAPTER 15 CRAZY HORSE
CHAPTER 16 BOYS TO MEN
CHAPTER 17 FIRE ARM
CHAPTER 18 IT’S NICE TO BE IMPORTANT, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE NICE
CHAPTER 19 SUICIDE IS PAINFUL
CHAPTER 20 THE LONDON RETURN OF CRAZY HORSE
CHAPTER 21 UNFINISHED BUSINESS
BOXING CORNER
EPILOGUE
Other titles by Stephen Richards available from John Blake Publishing
Copyright
FOREWORD
How can you sum up Richy Horsley in just a few words? He’s a legend in the fight game, and deservedly so. His heart is as big as he is and that’s pretty fucking big, as it happens.
What separates him from other hard men is the fact that he’s got a brain and a good one at that, as this book will show you. It’s a cut above the others on the hard-men shelf in the bookshop and I certainly thought it was compelling reading – and a very good film it would make as well. I can’t think who would play Richy Horsley but Richy himself, and as cocky flash bastards go, he’s as good as you get and that’s coming from the cockiest, flashiest bastard of them all, ME. Love you to bits, Richy
Dave Courtney OBE
TRIBUTES TO RICHY ‘CRAZY HORSE’ HORSLEY
Kevin ‘Bulldog’ Bennett – Commonwealth Lightweight Champion
I came to Hartlepool in October 1998, having recently left the armed forces. Richy was one of the first people I met. Although I had just arrived, I had already heard of the man who was spoken of as a legend. We spoke less than three sentences on that first meeting and I was still left wondering what type of person he was.
However, as time went on and I got to know the man they call Crazy Horse, I found him to be a very personal man who chose his words carefully and never let his mouth run away. He is a generous man in his thoughts and feelings to others and always had the ability to turn the most serious of situations into a laugh. A man that’s not always understood by outsiders, Richy is also a gentle giant with a sense of humour that makes people crave his company. It’s a pleasure, and an honour, to call him a friend.
Charles Bronson – Britain’s Most Dangerous Prisoner
Some men are just born to fight; it’s in their blood. They can’t do anything about it, they have to fight. A fighter isn’t necessarily a psycho or a thug, far from it. Most fighters are gentlemen, men of pride, men of honour. Put a baby in their arms and they cry with joy like any man. But if you fuck with a fighter you’ve got to expect the consequences. You’re gonna get hurt, you may even die. No man is invincible. Even fighters at times feel defeat … some even die! But bet your arse on it, if they don’t die, they’re coming back for more. Richy Horsley is one of these special breeds of men and I’m honoured to know the man. Max Respect.
Terry Currie – Promoter of Unlicensed Boxing
Richy Horsley is a true fighter, the type of lionhearted fighting man that is becoming harder to find. When I asked Richy to fight on my unlicensed promotion, he was reluctant at first but, like all true warriors, he couldn’t resist a challenge for long; fighters pride won the day and he finally agreed and got straight into training.
On the night of the fight, he was the true focused professional and performed a calm clinical demolition job inside one round … HE WAS BACK.
Julian Davies – Author of Street Fighters and Former Heavyweight Boxer
I once wrote a book on fighters and was given Richy’s name as a fighter that should be in the book. He wasn’t hard to find because so many people up North knew him or had heard of him. After meeting Richy, I realised that without him the book would never have been finished. That was a few years ago and I still get e-mails from all around the world asking after Richy.
His story touched so many readers that they seem to feel compelled to seek out further information on this great man. Richy is a giant of a man with a big heart; his story has inspired me and others like myself. I’m proud to regard myself as one of his friends.
John Dawson – Founder of Conceptional Combat Science, 5th Dan Master at Budo, 4th Dan Tae Kwon Do, 4th Dan Karpa Thai Boxing, British and European Individual and Team Champion, and Author of Ever Perpetual Circles
The personification of the fighting sciences and the fighting warrior are, to me, a way of life. Trial and error in combat is the deadliest of progressive scientific tests that best knows the pain of the battle-blemished body and wears upon the will. The spirit and cunning beckon for a total victory. I like Richy Horsley; he’s a good man. We’ve trained on and off for almost 16 years, as I recall. This book publication is unique. It took me back to a time of nostalgia, a place where we both grew up. Characters and events of some I was privy to and others I heard about on the jungle telegraph, but one thing for sure is they were real. As a footnote all I can say is enjoy reading the trials and tribulations of this fighting warrior’s victory spangled past … you won’t be disappointed.
Ian ‘The Machine’ Freeman – World Champion No Holds Barred Fighter
I’m from the same part of England as Richy, the North East. This part of the country has always had an unbelievable amount of very hard men. We breed them tough up here. Richy has had a good fighting name for years, whether it’s with the use of boxing gloves or bare knuckles. The guy has a very big heart and a tremendous chin. He is a very loyal person who, if never crossed, is a friend for life. Good luck with the book, Richy, it’s certain to be a winner.
Steve Holdsworth – Eurosport Boxing Commentator
Richy has all the ways and values of REAL hard men. He is a true gentleman outside the ropes and off the cobbles, doesn’t go throwing his weight about or mouthing off, is never fazed if the odds are stacked against him and he detests bullies! These are the hallmarks of real warriors.
As I say, big-mouthed bullies are replacing these qualities. I am sure Richy won’t mind me saying he is of the old school in his ways.
I would strongly encourage people to read this book. Not just for violence sake, but for inspiration in overcoming the odds. This book is genuine, some books are not!
The thing with Richy is, he is still doing it and anyone can go and witness him in action; the proof of him being a fighter is available to all. He doesn’t make far-fetched claims or beef up his exploits with fantasy. This is a proper man and a proper warrior.
Richy Horsley, a feared fighting man? The man I met was far from the man I had expected to meet. His reputation went before him but I found him to be charming. Like most people, if you stay on the right side, they are great. I’d hate to see anyone upset him though, as the rumours I had heard about his fighting prowess were alarming. Richy Horsley, a fighting man and a pussycat at
the same time. Show respect to those hidden claws.
Harry Marsden – Boxing Trainer and Former Member of the Real Geordie Mafia
I’ve been in boxing most of my life and I’ve heard many things about this man, about his bravery, his fear for nothing or no one. I’ve heard so many stories about Richy and I always said to friends and myself that one day I’ll meet this guy and, sure enough, I did.
Believe you me, what I’d heard was only a part of this man. I watched Richy fight down in London and a true warrior he was. I’m not easily impressed but I thought to myself, this is a guy I don’t want as an enemy and, believe me, I’ve been around. Then I got to meet Richy and we got on great, swapped many stories, a real true gent as well as a real live warrior. I wish he’d been in my gym.
Now this man is wanting to take on my very close and dear friend Charles Bronson in Charlie’s first fight when he’s eventually released from prison – this will be a fight that will live on and on. I would love to train Richy for this fight but I can’t, as I’ll be taking care of Charlie. Both Charlie and myself look on Richy as someone who will never be forgotten in a real head-to-head whether in the ring or out. He is a man I’ll always respect and admire, and I’m glad to know I’m a friend of his. A real true warrior if ever there was one. Respect, Richy.
Jamie O’Keefe – Self-Protection Educator and Publisher
Richy Horsley: a man, a chancer, a trier, a father, a role model, a mate … Yes, he’s all of these and more. Richy is one of the good guys and living proof that good comes from bad if you search hard enough. Also of how one person is making changes to put right his far-removed darker side.
So why would a self-protection educator from the East End be writing a testimonial on a guy from Hartlepool? It’s for no reason other than that feeling of life being a little unbalanced and Richy having not being given some of life’s rewards and opportunities. His life was destined to be that of an underprivileged child who learned to love and protect those that loved him. The place in which he grew up could have been anywhere on this planet but just happened to be Hartlepool. Although by default this meant that he did not have as many opportunities to achieve as some in other areas of life have, he found opportunity within the clenched fist. Like most newly found and acquired abilities, this had to be fine tuned, as opposed to just being used in its raw state to hurt and punish just because he ‘could’.
He did not always get it right and made more than his fair share of mistakes, but kept coming back for more until he started to get it right. Richy knew there was a ‘good Richy’ fighting to get out and to this day he is living proof of this.
One of the things I admire about him is that he actually ‘walks the walk’ in training as he lives.
I do not give out respect very often because it has become a lip-service comment on a par with the kind of thing banded about falsely at funerals. However, those I truly have respect and admiration for could be counted on one hand. Richy is one of those people for just being Richy. This man deserves a break and I hope this book is the first step towards this.
Roy ‘Pretty Boy’ Shaw – Former Bare-Knuckle Fighter and Unlicensed Boxing Champ
I saw Richy Horsley fight in London. He possesses the true warrior qualities that are getting rarer and rarer – guts, grit, heart and prepared to go into the trenches. A true modern-day gladiator.
Anthony Thomas – Former Heavyweight Boxer and Webmaster of the Official Lenny McLean Website
I first met Richy when I was helping my friend with the research for his first book, Street Fighters. The moment I met him, I knew Richy was a man of power and a true hard man. With the running of the Lenny McLean website and the various trips around the country looking for people for the Street Fighters book, I have met a lot of hard, tough men but, out of all these men, Richy stands out at the top; he is a true warrior and an unbelievable Street Fighter.
Steve Wraith – Former aide-de-camp to the Krays
Having met some of the top fighters and hard men over the years in my capacity as the Kray brothers’ business adviser, I feel that I am a good judge of character in the murky world of gangsters and fighters. Richy Horsley makes an immediate impression on you! He is a giant of a man, very much in the same mould as the late, great Lenny McLean. He fills a room on entry.
Once you make his acquaintance and shake his shovellike hand, you realise that you are meeting a legend. Richy has established himself against all the odds as a top street fighter in the North East of England. In my line of work, word travels fast when you hear that someone in your neck of the woods can handle himself or is good with his fists. You tend to keep that name in the back of your mind in case you ever need to know it.
When I first met Richy, I was watching him fight at an unlicensed show in my second home … London. I met up and talked to a lot of his supporters and everyone had a story to tell about the great man. Richy won the fight without breaking into a sweat with a knockout inside one minute. Awesome! I followed him and his entourage back to the dressing room and introduced myself. My hand was engulfed in a vicelike grip. We talked about the fight, home life, and people we both knew. A friendship had begun.
Since that day, I have followed Richy’s career with a great deal of interest. Richy has now decided to, finally, put pen to paper and publish his story and let us walk around his memoirs. I for one can’t wait to take a good look inside the mind of one of Britain’s most respected gladiators.
Michael Hunter, Undefeated British Super Bantamweight Champion
Richy has been a friend of mine for a number of years. He’s worked in my corner as an amateur and a professional and we’ve had some good times. Once you get to know him, he’s a nice bloke. I’ve also seen him knock some big men out in street fights. Richy wasn’t a bad heavyweight boxer either, he was very tough and as game as they come. I have nothing but the greatest respect for him. Good luck mate.
Jan Lamb, The Angel of the Underworld
Richy Horsley is a good and trusted friend. I am very glad to see he has now written his autobiography. I am certain this book is going to be a very big seller. Richy has had a very interesting life and is well liked and respected by lots of people. I am very proud to write a little tribute. RESPECT.
INTRODUCTION
To the unsuspecting, Richy Horsley could be just any old unassuming thirty-something character from up North. But in reality Crazy Horse, as he is better known, is part of the underbelly of the hard-man scene, hailing from an industrial area where the populous were rather bizarrely labelled ‘Monkey Hangers’ … Hartlepool.
This curious title was supposedly bestowed upon the close-knit community after a monkey was mistakenly identified as a spy and promptly hanged. The monkey-hanging incident is said to have happened during the Napoleonic Wars, and could be put down to the fishing community never having seen a monkey before. The fishermen of Hartlepool watched as a French vessel sank off the Hartlepool coast during a storm. The only survivor of the wreck was the ship’s pet monkey, apparently dressed to amuse the forlorn crew in a military style uniform. Fearing that this monkey was either a French infiltrator or spy, the fishermen, so the story goes, questioned the monkey and held a makeshift trial on the beach. After a fruitless interrogation of the so-called Frenchman, the conclusion was that this monkey was, indeed, a French spy and was summarily sentenced to death by hanging. Quite appropriately, the monkey was despatched to its death at the end of a rope from the mast of a fishing boat.
As much as the story about the monkey is legendary, so is the story about Hartlepool’s living legend, Richy Horsley, Crazy Horse, but even more so.
With such a character as ‘Dodgy’ Dave Courtney, the Monarch of the Underworld, contributing the foreword to Crazy Horse’s book and tributes from the likes of Roy Shaw and Charles Bronson (UK prisoner), this shows how well known Crazy Horse has become. This popularity that Crazy Horse has within both the hard-man fraternity and their followers, north and south, reveals a true warrior.
This is testimony to Crazy Horse’s current status, and lends itself to the thought that he should have his own story told in full … and here, in his own words, Richy tells it as it is.
CHAPTER 1
CIRCLE OF LIFE
Never judge a book by its cover. Take my childhood: judging by my present record of violence, you would think that I was brought up in an abattoir, but you would be wrong. I came from a happy home, where my parents lavished me with love. There was no family brutality of any sort. I recall being told from an early age that I was miraculously found under a gooseberry bush, which to some extent wasn’t as far removed from the truth as it may sound.
When I reached the age of five, I was told I had been adopted as a baby. At that time I was gun and holster mad, a bit of a lone ranger, as was the rage in those days. My parents, Tom and Brenda, told me that when they saw a number of kids for adoption, they picked me out as being special. They waited apprehensively for my reaction, but I just looked up and chimed, ‘Did I have my guns on?’ That’s how life was back then … not so long ago!
My childhood memories are fond ones, which every kid should be able to experience. My mother always instilled a sense of self-worth and paved the way ahead by showing me what respect for my elders was all about. I remember, for instance, jumping up and down in a muddy puddle at the age of five, absolutely covered in clarts of mud from head to toe. An old lady from down the road walked past and saw the state of disorder I was in. She gasped, ‘Richard, look at the state of you, your mam will go mad!’ Now don’t ask me where my reply came from, but I looked at her and fumed, ‘Fuck off!’ Of course, Mam found out and took me to the old dear’s house and forced me to apologise. Mam always presented me to the world in a clean and tidy fashion … oh, and I always wore shorts! Not many hard bastards can say that about their childhoods.