Did you like Frank Bruno in the 80's and/or 90's?

[ChrisPontius]

Seems like almost all Brits liked him.

How much chance did you give him going into either of the Tyson fights? Honest. What about the Lewis fight?


I just rewatched Benn-McClellan and it was pretty funny to see Bruno at ringside go absolutely crazy with every punch Nigel threw.

[GazOC]

Most people seemed to think Bruno had a slim chance against Tyson if he could land a big right cross early on....more in hope than any real belief.

Al the time, while Bruno was the underdog going into the fight, it was seen as winnable for him. He was doing pretty well until he was stopped.

[brian_mcbride]

Compared to the crap we have now on the British heavyweight scene he was outstanding although limited.:happy

[GazOC]

Compared to the crap we have now on the British heavyweight scene he was outstanding although limited.:happy
Yep, that division is in the the worst shape I can remember since the Noel Clueless, John Westgarth, Funso Banjo days.

[The Kurgan]

Yep, that division is in the the worst shape I can remember since the Noel Clueless, John Westgarth, Funso Banjo days.

At least they were entertaining. The modern crop have no taste for being exciting, much like a previous spawning of US heavyweights (Ruiz, Byrd, Guinn etc.).

Frank Bruno is, frankly, my favourite boxer of all time.

[Olu G. Rotimi]

I was not a fan of Big Frank Bruno but quite frankly I think had he and Garry Mason been around today they might be dominant fighters Mason might win a world title in this era and Bruno would have defended his world title a lot more than the once.

[brian_mcbride]

We have 3 heavyweight worth mentioning Sprott , Skelton and Williams would you call any of them decent.

The hope is all on David Haye's shoulders:D

[safe_pa]

I like big Frank but to be honest I gave him 0% chance in his fights with tyson and Lennox, I sure as hell hoped he'd do well though.
Fraudley wishes he had Franks heart/power/everything.

[SevenSamurai]

Bruno was loved by everyone in the UK. No one thought he had a chance against gTyson in either fight. I think he was so scared of tyson that he never gave himself a chance of winning to begin with. He was always outclassed when he stepped up a level to world class. He never beat a truly top class fighter in his career, bar the drug riddled McCall after hanging on with exhaustion in the 12th of that win.

[ChrisPontius]

Frank Bruno is, frankly, my favourite boxer of all time.

What makes you like him so much?

[kurt2006]

It's funnier watching Benn go mad when Bruno beat McCall.

Not fussed in Bruno, though he seems like an ok guy.

I think Benn and Bruno did some training together in Tenerife for those fights. They were o/d on vitamin tablets together if the papers are to be believed.

[Bigcat]

In the 90's Frank came back with avengeance .. Almost every American heavy that came here was a name at least and he brushed them aside.. Ribalta, Williams, Ferguson, Evans... even McCall, Frank was a lot better than many gave him credit for. Frank was a top heavy and could have reigned for a while in a lesser division .. like today ..

Ibragimov would not have the fire to match Frank and Chagaev would have tried to outmuscle him.. NO MATCH.. Wladimir would have handled him but would have had to keep that chin well in the attick for protection...

[achillesthegreat]

I never hated him. I liked him but I never loved him.

[TBooze]

I got to admit the way he lost to Smith and Whitherspoon made me laugh out loud...

I wanted him to beat Tyson in 89

I initially wanted him to beat McCall, but halfway though the bout myself and my friends turned and thought it would be much more appropriate if he got knocked out late on...

The Tyson rematch made me very angry. It was an absolute disgrace that a 15 year veteran with a world title to his name, stepped into the ring petrified of his long since past his best opponent. (And that is without hindsight; I made money on Tyson/HolyfieldI; I did not fall for the Tyson hype a second time).

[BaronBrad]

Personally I was never a fan of him.

The way he laughed bugged me. His "alwhite Harry" was boring and he played on it too much.

He was a good british level fighter but he kept getting beaten on the world stage each time he stepped up until he finally got lucky.

[mmickyward]

i initially liked frank coz he was like a gentle giant but agree with tbooze that the second fight with tyson was disgraceful and i lost a lot of respect for frank that night.Glad he got himself sorted after his bouts with mental illness. When he won the WBC title there was about 15 heavyweights around that where better than him

[DamonD]

Yeah, I really like Bruno. Bruno-Tyson I was my introduction into boxing, first bout I saw...the hype for that was so big, it drew me in.

Even though he lost people felt proud of his efforts. When he announced his comeback, there was still a lot of hope. I remember watching him fight Carl Williams in '93 and feeling he was winning but not looking too good doing it, until he finally connected with a solid enough punch to knock Williams over for the (slightly dubious in my memory) stoppage.

Into the Lewis fight, I wanted Bruno to win. I'd seen Lewis fight Mason and knew about him, but it was Bruno I was backing.

I couldn't afford Sky so listened to the fight on the radio. Seemed to be going to plan until that left hook in the 7th. Even despite that, disappointed as I was, I supported Bruno. This was actually the fight where I warmed to Lewis, funnily enough, and soon I also had to support him after his own stoppage loss, but that's another story...

When he finally beat McCall, oh, you had to be seriously pleased for the guy. And yes, call me delusional but I did retain some hope for him against Tyson. I hadn't been impressed by Tyson-McNeeley or Tyson-Mathis Jr, and Bruno talked a good fight for the British press.

Sadly, it wasn't to be and Bruno lost then retired.

Since then, I've kinda cooled to him a bit...the problems with his mental health are one thing, but also some unfavourable behind the scenes stuff. And in some ways Lewis was right, Bruno did play up the 'dumb but funny' image when he deserved better,

Yet he's still a guy I like, definitely.

[rooq]

i loved bruno...one of the reasons many of my generation got into boxing.

funnily enough i just recently rewatched bruno - lewis and thought frank put on a good gutsy performance, and was probably ahead on points at the time that vicious swinging left hook caught him in the 7th.

bruno may have been limited but he was very strong, hard hitting with a lot of heart

[Bummy Davis]

he was stiff and limited but he gave it his all

[Vantage_West]

We have 3 heavyweight worth mentioning Sprott , Skelton and Williams would you call any of them decent.

The hope is all on David Haye's shoulders:Dwell it's kinda unfair this.

sprott was a decent fighter with nothing special just abilty to get to the venue on time and fight for a purse but he became good at it and outboxed alot of guys along with it. gave virchis a one sided fight that went to virchis,he beat danny williams and koed audley in brutal fashion.

skelton was a k-1 fighter and a simple slugger. he went into boxing and got some wins with the brawler only attitude and has learnt now to use his size reach and basicly box.

and danny williams is maybe the most hearty fighters i have witnessed first hand i mean he could of been killed against vitali was taking a pasting against audley and a trauncing against sinan sam.yet he gets up and can do a good job.

to be fair they aint world beaters...they know that and are just looking to get bigger fights with out looking bad.

as horrible as the sprott - skelton II was it was a former commonwealth champ vs the present commonwealth champ

[biglads]

Bruno always came across as a nice guy, but his loss to Witherspoon only confirmed what the Bonecrusher fight showed - and that was Bruno had a less than granite jaw, limited stamina and little ringcraft.

He never really improved any over the years, he barely put up a fight in either Tyson bout and although he boxed well against Lewis, once he got tired it was the same old story.

[Raggamuffin]

I like Big Frank. period
Esspecially in his one-two's after a loosing fight with Harry Carpenter

[bigG]

bruno was a true gent who had problems later in life, and the way the press/public turned on him was appaling.....the guy was a true born and bred british h/w champ, not a bandwagon brit or flag of convenience champ like some..erm..lennox.....sure he was a division belowlewis in terms of acheivment and skill, but he was consistently in the top ten hw throughout his career and could ko ANYONE he hit...i rate brunos power as being amongst the greatest ever for a heavyweight.....i was so disapointed in him that night of the second tyson fight...i honestly believed, and still do, that mikey was there for the taking that night...i saw it unfolding with an aggressive beruno manhandling tyson and ko'ing him within 6 rounds...sadly, it was never to be..big frank performed the big freeze, and the fat lady sang...c'est la vie....as one of lifes big missed opportunities, that one was huge for bruno...but really, we should remember him with fondness for all those exciting british boxing nights.....the big guy kicked ass for years and only fell short by inches, not miles.....

[bratwurzt]

Bruno always came across as a nice guy, but his loss to Witherspoon only confirmed what the Bonecrusher fight showed - and that was Bruno had a less than granite jaw, limited stamina and little ringcraft.

He never really improved any over the years, he barely put up a fight in either Tyson bout and although he boxed well against Lewis, once he got tired it was the same old story.

If you get a chance, watch the Floyd 'Jumbo' Cummings fight. Bruno was out on his feet and saved by the bell, otherwise he would have been murdered in that one even before he fought Bonecrusher. It's worth watching with the sound up just to hear that monsterous body shot that eventually took Cummings out.

[GazOC]

If you get a chance, watch the Floyd 'Jumbo' Cummings fight. Bruno was out on his feet and saved by the bell, otherwise he would have been murdered in that one even before he fought Bonecrusher. It's worth watching with the sound up just to hear that monsterous body shot that eventually took Cummings out.

I saw that fight live on TV, the writing was on the wall from that point onwards. It's the one when Lawless has to carry Bruno back to his corner, right?

[Vantage_West]

Just some additional thoughts on what you were saying, from my perspective at least.but they know they aint world class fighters and poeple saying that thewy aint isnt goign to help.

danny was great at being a slugger but had a decent jab and footwork to box.

and skelton as horrible as he was in the sprott fight the williams-skelton II was hilariuos danny went in to be the bigger man becuase thats what happend in the first fight which was when danny hurt him and felt if i come in big enough i can take him if im built enough...he didnt know that matt had been watching a few ray leonard fights and went in to bolo punch and move and box.

it's stupid to say that he shoudl fight danny when danny was made to be on the inside just keep him on the end of a jab...why not.

[DamonD]

Skelton in particular is always brutally honest about his abilities and if he's had a bad fight. One of the things I like the most about him.

[biglads]

Bruno did pad his record with a lot of stiffs. With Gary Mason around at a similar time I'm surprised that Terry Lawless could find enough bums for both of them to fight.

Anyone remember the Bruno v Gardner fight?

Mason was a nice enough bloke as well. I remember talking with him for a while when he had his shops in Kent.

[bratwurzt]

I saw that fight live on TV, the writing was on the wall from that point onwards. It's the one when Lawless has to carry Bruno back to his corner, right?

That's the one, he looked like an extra from Sean of the dead.

[The Kurgan]

Anyone remember the Bruno v Gardner fight?


Yep; I also remember Frank ******'s comment on the fight: "Chuck Gardner? He couldn't beat my gardner!"

[TBooze]

Yep; I also remember Frank ******'s comment on the fight: "Chuck Gardner? He couldn't beat my gardner!"

And yet with hindsight Gardner was an OK journeyman, comming off beating (an ancient) Jimmy Young.

I remember a journalist asking Chuck if he had shaved his hair off to look intimidating like Hagler? And Chuck responded, with a "No; I'm just going bald!"

As a rule, Bruno just had a way of flattening solid journeymen who nearly always went the distance. Bruno to a degree was more impressive than even a Tyson beating the fighters rated between 20 and 50 in the world. It was just his power was clubbing rather than snappy like a Tyson, thus it was not as affective against the best...

[biglads]

Yep; I also remember Frank ******'s comment on the fight: "Chuck Gardner? He couldn't beat my gardner!"
One of the quotes at the time (unfortunately I can't remember who made it) was "When they pick Brunos opponents they place a mirror under the nose of the fighter. If the mirror steams up, he's good to go" - or similar. :D