Frank Bruno vs Mike Tyson II | 16 Mar 96 | |||||
Oliver McCall vs Frank Bruno | 02 Sep 95 | |||||
Mike Tyson vs Frank Bruno I | 25 Feb 89 | |||||
Franklin Roy Bruno, MBE (born 16 November 1961) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1996. He had a highly publicised and eventful career, both in and out of the ring. The pinnacle of Bruno's boxing career was winning the WBC heavyweight title from Oliver McCall at a packed Wembley Stadium in 1995, in what was his fourth world championship challenge. Bruno faced multiple top-rated heavyweights throughout his career, including two defeats against Mike Tyson in 1989 and 1996, and a defeat against fellow Briton Lennox Lewis in 1993.
He was also known for his exceptional punching power, scoring 38 knockouts in 40 wins and giving him a 95% knockout-to-win ratio; his overall knockout percentage was 84.44%. Bruno has been ranked among BoxRec's 10 best heavyweights in the world 12 times, reaching his career-high ranking of world No.3 at the conclusion of 1984. Like Henry Cooper before him, Bruno has remained a popular celebrity with the British public following his retirement from boxing, including his well-documented struggles with mental health.
Professional career
Bruno became a professional boxer in 1981, quickly achieving 21 consecutive wins by knockout. This streak caught the attention of international boxing magazines, such as The Ring, KO Magazine, Boxing Illustrated and Ring En Español. During this period Bruno defeated former world title contender Scott LeDoux, the fringe contender Floyd Cummings who had was controversially stopped from gaining his own stoppage victory when the referee unfairly protected Bruno, Belgian champion Rudy Gauwe, British contenders Tony Moore and Eddie Nielson, and opponents such as Bill Sharkey, Walter Santemore and Ken Lakusta. However, in May 1984 the up-and-coming future world heavyweight champion, American James "Bonecrusher" Smith, halted that streak when he defeated Bruno by knockout in the tenth and final round of their bout, with Bruno leading clearly on all three judges' cards.