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Road rage 'villain' Ronnie Pickering has spoken out after a viral video showed him lying flat-out outside a Bransholme pub after being "ambushed" by a young thug.

The 57-year-old, who gained notoriety in 2015 after footage of his clash with a moped rider went viral, has been caught on camera again - this time connecting with a punch thrown by a man who looks to be half his age.

Mr Pickering had spent Saturday evening drinking with other regulars at the Wawne Ferry pub, in Wawne Road.

He was attacked at around 9pm, as he stood outside smoking.

The video shows a man trying to hold Mr Pickering's attacker back, before Mr Pickering is struck with a single punch low to the head.

Mr Pickering, who has suffered bruising and what he believes are cracked ribs, said: "This lad was shouting, 'Fight me, fight me!' I never answered him. I just blanked him. I just wasn't interesting in fighting anyone.

"I saw him take a run and then he punched me to the temple.

"I hadn't been in a stance, if you know what I mean. I wasn't prepared for it. I feel straight backwards, hitting a bench and then a wall."

Mr Pickering said his attacker, "realising what he had just done", then fled.

"I got up. I went back inside the pub. I wasn't about to leave my pint.

"I didn't lose consciousness. You can see that in the video."

Mr Pickering has not sought medical treatment for his injuries and refuses to go to the police, insisting "I am no grass. That's just the way I was brought up."

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"I must be 30-odd years older than this lad," he said. "It's not right hitting anyone when they're minding their own business, least of all someone who is pushing 60. It's just something you don't do.

"People in this city have died after being hit by a single punch.

"I have had a lot of calls and texts from people who saw what happened. They all think it was bang out of order."

Mr Pickering has been wondering why someone happened to be filming, presumably on a mobile phone.

"It's very strange," he said. "People will do anything to get hits on the Internet. It's possible this was a set-up."

Despite his notoriety, Mr Pickering insists he rarely encounters problems when out and about in his home city.

"A lot of people approach me wanting selfies taking with me," he said. "But I'm always polite and I always agree. You can't win. People think, 'Who does that bloke think he is?' but if I was rude to them they'd have a go at me for that, too."

Last month, Mr Pickering featured in a Mail article about traditional pubs.

Describing the Wawne Ferry, he said: "They are lovely people around here. People are who they are."

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