One-Eyed Baz

The True Story of Barrington 'Zulu' Patterson, One of Britain's Most Fearsome Hard Men

Barrington “Zulu” Patterson is not a man to mess with. Blinded in one eye by a childhood incident, “One-eyed Baz” grew up on the tough back streets of Birmingham while his father served an eight-year prison sentence. He could have become a victim, but instead he became a fighter. In his turbulent teenage years, Baz adopted a criminal lifestyle. There were the tense early 1980s, when friction between police forces and ethnic communities often exploded. So it was in Birmingham, where Baz and other members of the black community took a stand that resulted in the Handsworth riots. A child of his time, he also became a leading figure in Birmingham City FC’s Zulu Warriors—then the only hooligan “firm” with a very visible black contingent. As well as fighting with hardcore rival fans, his love of a pound note led him to ambushing some of his adversaries—before he became a club doorman and began to be paid legitimately for his physical fearsomeness. But for all his ferocious reputation, One-Eyed Baz reveals a character of great warmth and loyalty, a charismatic figure strong enough to turn his back on street violence and embrace the combat sport of cage fighting.