Frank Bruno

Last updated

Frank Bruno
MBE
Frank Bruno 2022.png
Bruno in 2022
Born
Franklin Roy Bruno

(1961-11-16) 16 November 1961 (age 63)
Hammersmith, London, England
Other namesTrue Brit [1]
Statistics
Weight(s) Heavyweight
Height6 ft 3 in (191 cm) [2]
Reach82 in (208 cm) [2]
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights45
Wins40
Wins by KO38
Losses5
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing Flag of England.svg  England
English National Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1980 London Heavyweight

Franklin Roy Horatio Bruno MBE (born 16 November 1961) [3] is a British former professional boxer who fought orthodox and competed from 1982 to 1996. He held the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title from 1995 to 1996. At regional level, he held the European heavyweight title from 1985 to 1986. As an amateur, he won the ABA heavyweight title in 1980.

Contents

During his professional career, Bruno scored 40 wins, and 5 losses; scoring 38 by knockouts, giving him a 95% knockout-to-win ratio; his overall knockout percentage was 84.44%. Bruno was ranked among BoxRec's 10 best heavyweights in the world twelve times, reaching his career-high ranking of world no. 3 at the conclusion of 1984. [4]

Since retirement, Bruno became a television personality and entertainer; He was voted Sports Personality of the Year in 1989 and 1990. [5] He was awarded Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1990 New Years Honours List. [5]

Early life and amateur career

Bruno was born on 16 November 1961, [6] in Hammersmith, London, England, [3] , and was the youngest of six children. [6] He took up boxing aged 9 after joining the Wandsworth Boys Club. [5] He attended at Oak Hall Community School in Heathfield, East Sussex, [6] and joined the Sir Philip Game Amateur Boxing Club. [6] He won 20 out of his 21 fights as an amateur, the only defeat by Irish International, Joe Christie. [5] Bruno represented Young England at boxing, and achieved becoming the youngest ever ABA Heavyweight champion when he won the title in 1980 at the age of 18. [6]

Professional career

Early career

Bruno's first fight a professional boxer was a win against Lupe Guerra in March 1982 at the Royal Albert Hall, London, which he won by knock-out. [3] He went on to achieve 21 consecutive wins by knockout. [7] This streak caught the attention of international boxing magazines, such as The Ring , KO Magazine , Boxing Illustrated and Ring En Español . [3] During this period Bruno stopped former world title contender Scott LeDoux in May 1983, [7] the fringe contender Floyd Cummings in Oct 1983, [7] Belgian champion Rudy Gauwe, [7] British contenders Tony Moore, [7] and Eddie Nielson, [7] and some strong journeymen such as Bill Sharkey, [7] Walter Santemore and Ken Lakusta. [7] However, in May 1984, that streak ended when Bruno was defeated by knockout in the tenth and final round of the bout, despite Bruno leading clearly on all three judges' cards, when losing to the up-and-coming future world heavyweight champion, American James "Bonecrusher" Smith. [7]

European heavyweight title

To get a shot at the title, Bruno beat fringe fighter Jeff Jordan on Nov 6 1984. [7] Bruno was taken the distance for the first time in November 1984, by the useful world rated Phil Brown, [7] He went on to fight former European champion and world title contender Lucien Rodriguez in March 1985, defeating him in one round. [7] and Bruno became the EBU European Heavyweight Champion with a KO over Sweden's Anders Eklund, on 1st October 1985. [7]

First World heavyweight title challenge

Bruno vs. Witherspoon

Bruno got back into title contention with a quick one-round KO win over former WBA champion Gerrie Coetzee of South Africa, [7] and, in July 1986, he challenged Tim Witherspoon for the WBA heavyweight title. After once again leading on the cards for most of the fight, he ran out of steam and was defeated by knockout in round eleven. [7]

Bruno once again got himself back into title contention with wins over former contender James Tillis and journeymen Reggie Gross and Chuck Gardner. [7] In October 1987 Bruno faced the veteran Joe Bugner in an all-British match up. [7] Bugner, although long past his peak, was coming off good wins over Greg Page, James Tillis and David Bey. Bruno won by TKO in the 8th round, the referee stopping the bout. [7]

Second World heavyweight title challenge

Bruno vs. Tyson

In February 1989, Bruno challenged Mike Tyson for the undisputed world heavyweight title. In the opening seconds, the fighters came together with huge punches, and Bruno was on the ropes. [8] However, he recovered and continued, then rocked Tyson with a left hook, in the final moments of the first round. [8] However, Tyson recovered and eventually overpowered Bruno, who was taking heavy punishment on the ropes when the referee stopped the contest in round five. [8]

Bruno kept winning fights, helping him to retain his spot as one of the world's leading heavyweights. He defeated contender Carl Williams, [7] and then journeymen such as Jose Ribalta, Pierre Coetzer, and Dutchman Jan Emmen. [7]

Third World heavyweight title challenge

Bruno vs. Lewis

In 1993 he had a third world title chance against Lennox Lewis, who was making the second defence of the belt (his first of three championship reigns). The Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno fight was the first time that two British boxers had fought for the world heavyweight title. [9] Bruno failed to secure his title chance after being shaken by Lewis in the seventh round, and despite Bruno leading the contest on points at that time, the fight was stopped by the referee in favour of Lewis. [9]

Bruno again regrouped, in his next fight dispatching Jesse Ferguson in one round, [7] and fringe contenders Rodolfo Marin and Mike Evans early on, in his next two bouts. [7]

WBC heavyweight champion

Bruno vs. McCall

On 2 September 1995, Bruno finally became world champion by outpointing WBC Champion Oliver McCall over twelve rounds. [7] After an even start, Bruno built up a strong lead in the middle rounds before appearing to run somewhat out of steam in the last couple. However, unlike Bonecrusher Smith and Tim Witherspoon earlier in Bruno's career, McCall was unable to find a way through Bruno's defences to force the late stoppage he needed. Bruno won unanimously on points, only the second time he had taken an opponent to the judges. [7]

Bruno vs. Tyson II

Bruno's reign as champion was brief: the contract he signed to get McCall meant he had to face Mike Tyson in his first defence. Tyson beat Bruno on a stoppage in round three, [10] Bruno performed unusually poorly in what turned out to be his last bout as a professional due to the recurrence of an eye injury, originally caused during his first fight with Tyson, which had already necessitated experimental surgery to allow him to fight again after that defeat. [10]

Retirement

After the second Tyson fight Bruno was advised not to fight again to avoid running the risk of causing any more damage to it, which could result in permanent blindness. [6] Bruno retired soon after that bout. In 2024, Bruno admitted on Four Kings mini documentary that the injury was retinal detachment. [11]

During his career, Bruno scored 40 wins, and 5 losses. [3] He won 38 by knockouts, giving him a 95% knockout-to-win ratio; his overall knockout percentage was 84.44%. Bruno was ranked among BoxRec's 10 best heavyweights in the world twelve times, reaching his career-high ranking of world no. 3 at the conclusion of 1984. [4]

He was awarded Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1990 New Years Honours List. [5]

Personal life

Bruno (left) and Errol Christie (right) Communion2110.jpg
Bruno (left) and Errol Christie (right)

On 22 September 2003, Bruno was taken from his home near Brentwood in Essex by medical staff assisted by police officers, under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983. He was taken to Goodmayes Hospital in Ilford, where he underwent psychological and psychiatric tests. [12] He had been suffering from depression for several months beforehand. He was later diagnosed as having bipolar disorder. [13] On 9 October 2005, Bruno admitted that cocaine use, which began in 2000, had contributed to his mental health problems. [14] Media coverage of Bruno's problems raised controversy, the principal accusations being gross intrusion and insensitivity. Particular criticism was aimed at The Sun , whose headline in the first editions the next day read "Bonkers Bruno Locked Up". Second editions retracted the headline and attempted to portray a more sympathetic attitude towards Bruno and mental health in general. [15] As an attempt at atonement, the paper established a charity fund for people suffering from mental illness, although some mental health charities condemned The Sun's latter action that day as being grossly hypocritical in the light of the former. On 24 February 2008, Bruno offered his support to former footballer Paul Gascoigne, who on 21 February had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act. [16] Bruno also spoke on his own personal experiences in the mental health system at a conference run by Hari Sewell, on 22 June 2009. [17] Bruno was sectioned again in 2012 and taken to St Andrew's Hospital in Northampton for five weeks. [18] In December 2013, Bruno spoke to the Daily Mirror in support of their mental health campaign, stating: "Mental illness is a terrible thing to have to cope with but I've learnt it's a fight you can win if you live your life the right way". [19]

In December 2005, Bruno announced that he was to become a father for the fourth time since finding new romance with old friend Yvonne Clydesdale. [20] The couple, who first met five years previously at a health resort, began dating months after bumping into each other at a wine bar near his home. Yvonne gave birth to baby Freya on 10 May 2006. On 10 October 2006, Bruno and Clydesdale were jointly awarded £50,000 damages for libel against The People newspaper and publishers MGN in respect of false claims made about their relationship. [20] In 2006, Bruno published an autobiography Frank: Fighting Back. It won the Best Autobiography category of the British Sports Book Awards. As of May 2012, Bruno was living in Glasgow with his new hairdresser girlfriend, Nina Coletta in the Gorbals area of the city. [21]

After retirement from boxing, Bruno has spent much of his time supporting The Frank Bruno Foundation, dedicated to improving the mental health of men around the world. [22]

In 2025, his daughter Rachel appeared as a contender in the second series of Gladiators , citing her father's sporting success as being the inspiration for her participating. [23]

Media appearances and non-boxing interests

Bruno's image was enhanced by his relationship with the BBC boxing commentator Harry Carpenter, which, in their many interviews, his most-quoted phrase "Know what I mean, Harry?" originated. He appeared on Comic Relief programmes in the early-1980s and made frequent appearances thereafter on television and on stage (in pantomime). [5]

In 1991, he opened "The Ultimate" at Lightwater Valley which was, at the time, the longest roller coaster in the world. [24] In 1995, the year of his world championship, he released a cover version of "Eye of the Tiger". [25] It reached No. 28 in the UK charts. In 1999, he featured on the celebrity special in the second season of Fort Boyard . [26]

In January 2001, prior to that year's general election, Bruno announced that he wanted to stand as the Conservative candidate for the Conservative seat of Brentwood and Ongar against the independent Member of Parliament, Martin Bell. [27] His proposed slogan was "Don't be a plank, vote for Frank!" However, this idea was quickly dismissed by Conservative Central Office. [27] [28] In 2006, he was one of a number of celebrities including Sir Geoff Hurst and Bill Pertwee, who recorded the World Cup song, "Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Jurgen Klinsmann?". [29]

On 15 August 2009, he beat Duke McKenzie in the final of The Weakest Link - "Boxing Special", competing against the likes of Barry McGuigan, and John Conteh. [30] He had a small role in the 2008 British crime drama Cass . Bruno made brief guest appearances in episodes of the ITV comedy show, Harry Hill's TV Burp in February and October 2011. [31] In 2011, he made a guest appearance in Sooty . [31] On 20 April 2012, Bruno was featured in the ITV series Piers Morgan's Life Stories . [32]

He supports West Ham United F.C. whilst also having an affinity for the Scottish team, Aberdeen F.C. [33]

Bruno completed the 2011 London Marathon which is the third marathon he has run successfully. [31] He has also run half marathons. [31] Bruno regularly makes personal appearances and also sells autographed items of memorabilia. [34] On 23 July 2013, Bruno was featured in the BBC Three documentary with his daughter Rachel in Rachel Bruno: My Dad and Me. [35] [36]

In 2020 amid the COVID-19 crisis, Frank Bruno joined a group of celebrities called The Celebs which included Kellie Shirley and X Factor winner Sam Bailey to raise money for both Alzheimer's Society and Action for Children. They recorded a new rendition of "Merry Christmas Everyone" by Shakin' Stevens and it was released digitally on 11 December 2020, on independent record label Saga Entertainment. The music video debuted on Good Morning Britain the day before release. The song peaked at number two on the iTunes pop chart. [37] [38]

In 2024, Bruno joined fellow London boxers – Lennox Lewis, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank for Four Kings television mini documentary. [11]

Professional boxing record

[7]

45 fights40 wins5 losses
By knockout385
By decision20
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
45Loss40–5 Mike Tyson TKO3 (12), 0:50 16 Mar 1996 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, USLost WBC heavyweight title
44Win40–4 Oliver McCall UD12 2 Sep 1995 Wembley Stadium, London, EnglandWon WBC heavyweight title
43Win39–4Mike EvansKO2 (10), 3:0513 May 1995 Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland
42Win38–4Rodolfo MarinKO1 (10), 1:0518 Feb 1995Bath & West Country Showground, Shepton Mallet, England
41Win37–4 Jesse Ferguson TKO1 (10), 2:2216 Mar 1994National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
40Loss36–4 Lennox Lewis [9] TKO7 (12), 1:12 1 Oct 1993 National Stadium, Cardiff, WalesFor WBC heavyweight title
39Win36–3 Carl Williams TKO10 (10), 0:2924 Apr 1993 National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, England
38Win35–3 Pierre Coetzer TKO8 (10)17 Oct 1992Wembley Arena, London, England
37Win34–3 Jose Ribalta KO2 (10), 1:4422 Apr 1992Wembley Arena, London, England
36Win33–3John EmmenTKO1 (10), 3:0020 Nov 1991Royal Albert Hall, London, England
35Loss32–3 Mike Tyson [8] TKO5 (12), 2:55 25 Feb 1989 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, USFor WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring heavyweight titles
34Win32–2 Joe Bugner TKO8 (10), 3:0024 Oct 1987 White Hart Lane, London, England
33Win31–2 Reggie Gross TKO8 (10)30 Aug 1987Nueva Andalucia Bullring, Marbella, Spain
32Win30–2Chuck GardnerTKO1 (10), 0:5527 Jun 1987 Palais des Festivals et des Congres, Cannes, France
31Win29–2 James Tillis TKO5 (10), 1:5724 Mar 1987Wembley Arena, London, England
30Loss28–2 Tim Witherspoon TKO11 (12), 2:57 19 Jul 1986 Wembley Stadium, London, EnglandFor WBA heavyweight title
29Win28–1 Gerrie Coetzee KO1 (10), 1:504 Mar 1986Wembley Arena, London, England
28Win27–1Larry FrazierKO2 (10), 2:144 Dec 1985Royal Albert Hall, London, England
27Win26–1 Anders Eklund KO4 (12), 0:201 Oct 1985Wembley Arena, London, EnglandWon European heavyweight title
26Win25–1Lucien RodriguezTKO1 (10), 2:3926 Mar 1985Wembley Arena, London, England
25Win24–1Phillip BrownPTS1027 Nov 1984Wembley Arena, London, England
24Win23–1Jeff JordanTKO3 (10), 1:506 Nov 1984Royal Albert Hall, London, England
23Win22–1Ken LakustaKO2 (10)25 Sep 1984Wembley Arena, London, England
22Loss21–1 James Smith KO10 (10)13 May 1984Wembley Arena, London, England
21Win21–0Juan Antonio FigueroaTKO1 (10), 0:5713 Mar 1984Wembley Arena, London, England
20Win20–0Walter SantemoreKO4 (10), 0:506 Dec 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, England
19Win19–0 Floyd Cummings TKO7 (10), 2:4311 Oct 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, England
18Win18–0 Bill Sharkey KO1 (10), 2:0827 Sep 1983Wembley Arena, London, England
17Win17–0Mike JamesonKO2 (10), 1:309 Jul 1983DiVinci Manor, Chicago, Illinois, US
16Win16–0Barry FunchesTKO5 (10), 0:5231 May 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, England
15Win15–0 Scott LeDoux TKO3 (10), 1:353 May 1983Wembley Arena, London, England
14Win14–0Eddie NeilsonTKO3 (10), 0:255 Apr 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, England
13Win13–0Winston AllenTKO2 (10), 1:251 Mar 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, England
12Win12–0Peter Mulindwa KozzaKO3 (10), 1:378 Feb 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, England
11Win11–0Stewart LithgoRTD4 (8), 3:0018 Jan 1983Royal Albert Hall, London, England
10Win10–0Gilberto AcunaTKO1 (10), 0:407 Dec 1982Royal Albert Hall, London, England
9Win9–0George ButzbachTKO1 (8), 2:0023 Nov 1982Wembley Arena, London, England
8Win8–0 Rudy Gauwe KO2 (8), 0:209 Nov 1982Royal Albert Hall, London, England
7Win7–0Ali LukasaTKO2 (8)23 Oct 1982 Berlin, Germany
6Win6–0George ScottTKO1 (8), 2:4214 Sep 1982Wembley Arena, London, England
5Win5–0Tony MooreTKO2 (8)1 Jun 1982Royal Albert Hall, London, England
4Win4–0Ronald GibbsTKO4 (8)4 May 1982Wembley Arena, London, England
3Win3–0Abdul MuhayminKO1 (8), 2:2520 Apr 1982Royal Albert Hall, London, England
2Win2–0Harvey SteichenTKO2 (8), 2:3030 Mar 1982 Wembley Arena, London, England
1Win1–0Lupe Guerra [3] KO1 (8)17 Mar 1982 Royal Albert Hall, London, England

References

  1. ↑ "British Beef #3 - Lennox Lewis v Frank Bruno". Sky Sports . 12 November 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  2. 1 2 Showtime Championship Boxing tale of the tape prior to the second Mike Tyson fight.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Donald Stewart (20 March 2025). "Rear View Mirror – A look back at the "True Brit" Frank Bruno's career". britishboxingnews.co.uk. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  4. 1 2 "BoxRec's Annual Ratings: Heavyweight Annuals". BoxRec. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Frank Bruno". nmplive.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Profile: Frank Bruno". bbc.co.uk. 23 September 2003.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Frank Bruno - Boxing career summary". martialbot.com. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Tyson v Bruno: 30 years on from a Las Vegas bout which captivated Britain". BBC Sport. 25 February 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 Eskenazi, Gerald (10 August 1993). "Bruno vs. Lewis: A Personal Battle of Britain". nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Mike Tyson v Frank Bruno 2 1996". Tysontalk.com. 1 September 2004. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Amazon Prime - Four Kings". wbtv.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  12. ↑ "Goodwill messages for Bruno BBC 24 September 2003". BBC News. 24 September 2003. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "Did you feel suicidal before you were sectioned?". guardian.co.uk. 24 October 2005. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  14. ↑ "Ex-boxer Bruno admits cocaine use BBC 9 October 2005". BBC News. 9 October 2005. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  15. ↑ Gibson, Owen (23 September 2003). "Sun on the ropes over 'Bonkers Bruno' story | Media | MediaGuardian". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  16. ↑ "Bruno offers support to Gascoigne BBC 24 February 2008". BBC News. 24 February 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  17. ↑ Staines, Richard (20 June 2009). "Frank Bruno to discuss BME mental health services | News". Nursing Times. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  18. ↑ "Boxing hero Frank Bruno has spoken out about his time in St Andrew's Hospital in Northampton". Northampton Chronicle. 14 October 2012. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  19. ↑ Owens, Nick (1 December 2013). "Frank Bruno is back and is fighting fit but this time it's not boxers he's battling – Mirror Online". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  20. 1 2 "Bruno gets £50,000 libel damages BBC 10 October 2006". BBC News. 10 October 2006. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  21. ↑ Sue Mott (1 April 2006). "Bruno boxing clever". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  22. ↑ Owens, Nick (6 July 2021). "British boxing legend Frank Bruno urges people suffering with mental health problems to talk to someone". www.britishboxingnews.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  23. ↑ "Frank Bruno's daughter to appear on Gladiators". Female First. 17 February 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  24. ↑ "The Ultimate: Rough, ready and rogue". riderater.co.uk. 28 August 2022.
  25. ↑ "Frank Bruno (2) – Eye Of The Tiger". discogs.com. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  26. ↑ "Fort Boyard: Celebrity Special 1999". trakt.tv. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  27. 1 2 "Bruno considers election fight BBC 12 January 2001". BBC News. 12 January 2001. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  28. ↑ "Blow for Bruno's election plan BBC 12 January 2001". BBC News. 12 January 2001. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  29. ↑ "Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Jurgen Klinsmann? The Tonedef Allstars". englandfootballonline.com. 7 May 2006. Retrieved 14 November 2006.
  30. ↑ "The Weakest Link - Boxing Special". plex.tv. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  31. 1 2 3 4 "Frank Bruno MBE Former WBC Heavyweight Boxing World Champion". itsmental.co.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  32. ↑ ITV1, 9pm (20 April 2012). "Piers Morgan's Life Stories: Frank Bruno". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  33. ↑ Drysdale, Neil (1 March 2021). "EYEWITNESS: Aberdeen FC fan Frank Bruno has fought adversity without ending on the ropes". Press and Journal. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  34. ↑ "Sporting Dinner with Frank Bruno MBE". Archived from the original on 20 August 2008.
  35. ↑ "BBC Three – Rachel Bruno: My Dad & Me". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
  36. ↑ 9.00–10.00pm (1 January 1970). "Media Centre – Programme Information – Rachel Bruno: My Dad And Me". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  37. ↑ "Good Morning Britain stars show off their vocals in charity Christmas single". mirror.co.uk. 10 November 2020.
  38. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "The Celebs - Merry Christmas Everyone". YouTube. TheCelebsVEVO. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
Sporting positions
Amateur boxing titles
Previous:
Andy Palmer		 ABA heavyweight champion
1980		Next:
Adrian Elliott
Regional boxing titles
Preceded by European heavyweight champion
1 October 1985 – July 1986
Vacated		Vacant
Title next held by
Steffen Tangstad
World boxing titles
Preceded by WBC heavyweight champion
2 September 1995 – 16 March 1996 		Succeeded by
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