George Harrison Beats Paul McCartney Senseless OTD in 1965

On this day in 1965 The Beatles universe was rocked when George Harrison beat fellow bandmate Paul McCartney senseless. The incident occurred as the lads from Liverpool were in The Bahamas filming HELP! Paul was left bruised and battered after the beating and could not film for a week while his wounds healed. 

Not many people know that Harrison was a trained boxer as a teen. He was the number one ranked welter weight in The UK. He went undefeated with a record of 48-0 with 27 KOs. His nickname at the time was Gorgeous George and The Liverpool Bomber. To make extra money Harrison also engaged in bare knuckle brawls with Gypsies. 

George Harrison vs Paul McCartney

Initially The trouble started on the beach as the boys were enjoying some fun in the sun. George was laying on a chair soaking up some rays and fell asleep. As a prank, McCartney put a jellyfish in Harrison’s swim trunks. The jellyfish stung George and it startled him awake and he began swinging. After the dust settled, McCartney was face down in the sand. 

“The pain was excruciating” said Harrison. “It stung me right on my scrotum. I was sleeping and dreaming and this shooting pain brought me back to reality. Honestly when I woke up and saw Paul, the first thing I thought was that he bit me on me twig and berries. I unleashed a flurry of punches to his head and that was it. Me sack blew up like a balloon and so did Paul’s face.”

Help

Harrison was treated for a swollen scrotum and had to walk around with ice in his pants for a few days. It looked as though he were sitting on one of those child’s toys the hoppity hop. McCartney on the other hand looked like he was hit by a bus. Paul had a split lip, chipped tooth and swollen eye. 

Immediately after the news broke, young girls all over the globe chipped their own teeth and fattened each others lips so they could look like Paul. McCartney commented at the time, “Young girls are really the dumbest creatures on earth.”  Paul and George made up after the incident and McCartney learned a valuable lesson. Never put a jelly fish down the pants of a sleeping boxer. 

Related Stories: George Harrison Traded His Wife To Eric Clapton For a Gibson Les Paul Guitar