He won a lifesaving award in 1973 when he was a lifeguard at one of Blackpool’s piers and he got himself a degree in jail, but his problems with alcohol and violence dogged him and he ended up dying of pneumonia and liver cirrhosis. Mentioned in the book, "Legends" by Charles Bronson, an A to Z guide of the men Bronson had regarded to be the toughest in Britain.

SWEET AGONY BY Paul Sykes. Rare 1st edition. original. Mint SWEET AGONY BY Paul Sykes. Rare 1st edition. original. Mint

Bronson goes on to relate an incident said to have taken place in HMP Liverpool, where Sykes 'allegedly' killed the prison's cat and fashioned it into a "Davey Crocket" style hat, I think you get the jist!He was so highly thought of as a boxer he sparred with Leon Spinks and was photographed with Don King and Larry Holmes. Sykes was a drunken thug who spent much of his life in prison, but his book is nevertheless the work of a sensitive and intelligent man. A lot of people never liked him, perhaps they even feared him but I respected the man for what he stood for".

‎Sweet Agony on Apple Books

Clips from the Paul Sykes: At Large documentary are often shared on social media and go viral, as new viewers join the legions who have lauded him as a cult hero. His boxing career concluded two years after it began and it included a failed attempt at becoming the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion.

And former Governor of Hull Prison, Philip Wheatley, described Sykes as a “short tempered” lag who assaulted staff “on a number of occasions”. The life of an infamous underworld debt collector who operated in Teesside is being adapted into a film. During his prison stints, Sykes met the notorious Charles Bronson, and he left quite the impression.