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Daily Record
Daily Record
World
Ewan Gleadow & Matthew Fulton

'Most dangerous man in Britain' squared up to 20 men and 'never backed down'

A man dubbed the "most dangerous" in all of Britain was said to have been up for fighting off 20 men at once. Mark "The Ripper" Ripley is infamous for being one of the most feared fighters across the UK.

The Ripper was said to be able to "fight against 100 men and never back down" according to documented tales of the brutal fights and fearful encounters with bare-knuckle boxers he engaged in, reports the Daily Star.

Anyone who dared to cross the Ripper would almost always end up in hospital and it was said he could win a fight against any opponent and never once backed down, according to pro boxer Matt Legg.

Ripley was believed by fellow fighters to be one of the toughest out there with former British bare knuckle warrior Bartley Gorman claiming no one was as hard as the Ripper. He was never able to knock the man off his feet and had a bloody battle with the towering man.

Bartley, who claims to be undefeated, said Ripley was "the hardest man" he ever fought after declaring himself the winner in a fight where neither man went down.

He would "fight against 100 men and never back down" (@Matt Legg/Youtube)

Rosie Smith, the niece of Ripley, said her uncle was: "A man known to be very, very wary of. He would never back down." One incident recalls the Ripper facing off with over 20 men after his dog had gone missing.

He gave the group an ultimatum to return his dog by the time he returned from the shops or he would take the whole group on.

Matt says: "He said 'if I don't get my dog back by the time I get back from the shop with my wife, then there's going to be trouble'. Apparently he went off to the shop and, by the time he got back, the dog was back."

Rosie's uncle is said to be spoken of often in the community and feared by those that knew him. His wife, however, was said to have shot the Ripper dead at age 34 in a pub in Croydon.

Legend has it Ripley told his spouse "the next time you shoot me, you better kill me," after she had previously attempted to shoot him.

On the night of his death he allegedly said to his armed wife: "You know what I told you, don't you?".

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