Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno
Encyclopedia
Lennox Lewis
vs. Frank Bruno
, also known as the Battle of Britain, was a boxing match that took place on 1 October 1993, at the National Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park
, Cardiff
, Wales
. It was between WBC
heavyweight
champion Lennox Lewis, who was making the second defence of his title and Frank Bruno
, who was fighting in his third world title bout, his two previous title fights were unsuccessful. Lewis beat Bruno by a technical knockout
in the seventh round.
refused to fight him, so the WBC gave Lewis the title on January 14, 1993. Lewis had previously been the WBCs number one contender by defeating Razor Ruddock
. Lewis then became the first British world heavyweight champion since Bob Fitzsimmons
lost the title on 9 June 1899. Lewis went on to defend his title by defeating Tony Tucker
and Phil Jackson
.
Frank Bruno had previously lost to Tim Witherspoon
on 19 July 1986 for the World Boxing Association
s (WBA) Heavyweight title at the old Wembley Stadium and to Mike Tyson
on 25 February 1989 for the WBA, WBC, and International Boxing Federation
(IBF) titles at the Las Vegas Hilton
.
at the 1988 Olympic Games
as an amateur
. Bruno described Lewis as "...not British", but said "It's about boxing. I'm sick and tired of his pretenses. He calls himself champion. He acts like he's a Sugar Ray Leonard
or a Willie Pep
or a Joe Louis
", and that "Nobody cares about Lennox Lewis in Britain."
To counter the Bruno claim that he was "not British", Lewis said, "What was I supposed to do? Not follow my mother to Canada?", "Look, I've fought more British fighters than that guy has. He makes a fool of himself, dressing up in girls' clothing on television". Lewis called Bruno an "Uncle Tom
".
Bruno weighed in at 238 pounds (108 kg), and Lewis at 229 pounds (104 kg).
The fight was promoted by Frank Maloney
Panix Promotions and by Main Events. It was a pay-per-view
event with HBO in the United States
and on Sky Sports
in the United Kingdom
.
The fight was staged at the now demolished National Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park
, which was used primarily as a rugby union
stadium by the Welsh Rugby Union
. In total 25,784 spectators watched the fight. The Referee for the fight was Mickey Vann
from Britain
and the Judges were Tony Castellano and Jerry Roth, both from the USA and Adrian Morgan from Britain.
Bruno took the fight to Lewis, but Lewis won the first round. Bruno then went on the offensive and took the second round, with Lewis trying to use his left jab to win points. Bruno hit Lewis on the right of his head in the third round, which shook him. Lewis later said that "It didn't hurt me", but the punch concentrated Lewis' efforts on the job in hand. At the end of the sixth round, both Castellano and Roth had the fight level at 57-57, with Morgan scoring the fight 59-55 in favour of Bruno. At the start of the seventh round Bruno hit Lewis with a left jab and continued with a series of short punches. Lewis said "He thought he had me...but actually I just lost my footing. I saw every punch coming". Lewis then hit Bruno with a left hook which staggered him, and Lewis continued with a series of head punches. Lewis said "I saw him drop his right hand and just came out with my left hook". Lewis was warned by Vann for holding before he finished off Bruno, who was by then wobbling and unable to defend himself. Some feel that Lewis should have been disqualified , as he seemed to gain an advantage by pulling the hapless Bruno onto a series of huge punches. Vann stopped the fight one minute 12 seconds into the seventh round.
, said "Frank (Bruno) has no chin...once he gets hit clean on the button he goes".
making his first professional fight in front of barely 300 spectators. Calzaghe would later become the undefeated WBO
, WBA
, WBC
, IBF
, The Ring Magazine
and British
super middleweight
champion.
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
vs. Frank Bruno
Frank Bruno
Franklin Roy Bruno MBE is an English former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC Heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests...
, also known as the Battle of Britain, was a boxing match that took place on 1 October 1993, at the National Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It was between WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
champion Lennox Lewis, who was making the second defence of his title and Frank Bruno
Frank Bruno
Franklin Roy Bruno MBE is an English former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC Heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests...
, who was fighting in his third world title bout, his two previous title fights were unsuccessful. Lewis beat Bruno by a technical knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
in the seventh round.
The contestants
Lennox Lewis had won the WBC heavyweight title when Riddick BoweRiddick Bowe
Riddick Lamont Bowe is a retired American boxer. He is a two-time heavyweight champion and a former undisputed heavyweight champion...
refused to fight him, so the WBC gave Lewis the title on January 14, 1993. Lewis had previously been the WBCs number one contender by defeating Razor Ruddock
Donovan Ruddock
Donovan Ruddock , also known as Razor Ruddock, is a retired Canadian heavyweight boxer. He was a promising Heavyweight of the late 1980s and early 1990s...
. Lewis then became the first British world heavyweight champion since Bob Fitzsimmons
Bob Fitzsimmons
Robert James "Bob" Fitzsimmons , was a British boxer who made boxing history as the sport's first three-division world champion. He also achieved fame for beating Gentleman Jim Corbett, the man who beat John L. Sullivan, and is in The Guinness Book of World Records as the Lightest heavyweight...
lost the title on 9 June 1899. Lewis went on to defend his title by defeating Tony Tucker
Tony Tucker
Tony Craig Tucker is a retired professional heavyweight boxer. Tucker fought professionally from 1980 to 1998. Nicknamed "TNT," he won a gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games, and was briefly a world heavyweight champion as a professional.-Amateur career:Tucker had a notable amateur career,...
and Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson (boxer)
Phil Jackson, born May 11, 1964 in Miami Beach, FL, was a professional heavyweight boxer, best known for challenging Lennox Lewis for the WBC Heavyweight Title in 1994.-Pro career:...
.
Frank Bruno had previously lost to Tim Witherspoon
Tim Witherspoon
"Terrible" Tim Witherspoon is an American boxer who was twice world heavyweight champion.-Early career:Witherspoon had eight and a half amateur bouts, losing one to Marvis Frazier on decision after getting knocked down....
on 19 July 1986 for the World Boxing Association
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
s (WBA) Heavyweight title at the old Wembley Stadium and to Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
on 25 February 1989 for the WBA, WBC, and International Boxing Federation
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
(IBF) titles at the Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas Hilton
The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent...
.
Build up
The fight was the first time that two British-born boxers had fought for the world heavyweight title, although Bruno had questioned how British Lewis really was, as he had won a gold medal for CanadaCanada at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Canada competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. 328 competitors, 223 men and 105 women, took part in 193 events in 23 sports. Most Canadians remember this as being the Olympics where Ben Johnson apparently won the gold medal and set a world record in the men's 100 metres, and then was...
at the 1988 Olympic Games
Boxing at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Boxing at the 1988 Summer Olympics took place in the Chamshil Students' Gymnasium in Seoul. The boxing schedule began on September 17 and ended on October 2. Twelve boxing events were contested, with the participation of 441 athletes and 159 officials from 106 countries...
as an amateur
Amateur boxing
Amateur boxing is practised at the collegiate level, at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games, and in many other venues sponsored by amateur boxing associations. Amateur boxing bouts are short in duration and fighters wear head protection, so this type of competition prizes point-scoring rather...
. Bruno described Lewis as "...not British", but said "It's about boxing. I'm sick and tired of his pretenses. He calls himself champion. He acts like he's a Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...
or a Willie Pep
Willie Pep
Guglielmo Papaleo was an American boxer who was better known as Willie Pep. Pep boxed a total of 1956 rounds in the 241 bouts during his 26 year career, a considerable number of rounds and fights even for a fighter of his era. His final record was 229-11-1 with 65 knockouts...
or a Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
", and that "Nobody cares about Lennox Lewis in Britain."
To counter the Bruno claim that he was "not British", Lewis said, "What was I supposed to do? Not follow my mother to Canada?", "Look, I've fought more British fighters than that guy has. He makes a fool of himself, dressing up in girls' clothing on television". Lewis called Bruno an "Uncle Tom
Uncle Tom
Uncle Tom is a derogatory term for a person who perceives themselves to be of low status, and is excessively subservient to perceived authority figures; particularly a black person who behaves in a subservient manner to white people....
".
Bruno weighed in at 238 pounds (108 kg), and Lewis at 229 pounds (104 kg).
The fight was promoted by Frank Maloney
Frank Maloney
Frank Maloney is a boxing manager and promoter and United Kingdom Independence Party politician. He is most famous for managing Lennox Lewis to the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship of the World.-Early life:...
Panix Promotions and by Main Events. It was a pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
event with HBO in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The fight
Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park , also known as The Arms Park, is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green, and is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The Arms Park was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958, and hosted four games in the 1991 Rugby World...
, which was used primarily as a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
stadium by the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
. In total 25,784 spectators watched the fight. The Referee for the fight was Mickey Vann
Mickey Vann
Mickey Vann and based in Leeds, is a former boxer and British boxing referee. Vann was a 'Class A Star' referee and boxing judge. He arbitrated his first professional bout on 14 January 1985, and since has refereed many World, regional, and national title fights.Before becoming a referee, Vann...
from Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and the Judges were Tony Castellano and Jerry Roth, both from the USA and Adrian Morgan from Britain.
Bruno took the fight to Lewis, but Lewis won the first round. Bruno then went on the offensive and took the second round, with Lewis trying to use his left jab to win points. Bruno hit Lewis on the right of his head in the third round, which shook him. Lewis later said that "It didn't hurt me", but the punch concentrated Lewis' efforts on the job in hand. At the end of the sixth round, both Castellano and Roth had the fight level at 57-57, with Morgan scoring the fight 59-55 in favour of Bruno. At the start of the seventh round Bruno hit Lewis with a left jab and continued with a series of short punches. Lewis said "He thought he had me...but actually I just lost my footing. I saw every punch coming". Lewis then hit Bruno with a left hook which staggered him, and Lewis continued with a series of head punches. Lewis said "I saw him drop his right hand and just came out with my left hook". Lewis was warned by Vann for holding before he finished off Bruno, who was by then wobbling and unable to defend himself. Some feel that Lewis should have been disqualified , as he seemed to gain an advantage by pulling the hapless Bruno onto a series of huge punches. Vann stopped the fight one minute 12 seconds into the seventh round.
Post match
Lewis said after the fight "Bruno did his homework and kept me from throwing my right hand early...but he must have forgotten I have a terrific left hook. I said to myself 'I'm going to let him see my hook'". Bruno's manager, Mickey DuffMickey Duff
Mickey Duff born 7 June 1929 in Krakow, Poland is a former British boxer, manager and promoter.Born Monek Prager in Krakow, Poland. His rabbi father saw the rise of the German Nazi party, so the family parents emigrated to England in the late 1930s.Having turned professional as a boxer illegally...
, said "Frank (Bruno) has no chin...once he gets hit clean on the button he goes".
The undercard
The undercard of the main fight was made up of Joe CalzagheJoe Calzaghe
Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
making his first professional fight in front of barely 300 spectators. Calzaghe would later become the undefeated WBO
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning organization currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. The organization is recognized as one of the four major world championship groups by the IBHOF alongside the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Council and the...
, WBA
World Boxing Association
The World Boxing Association is a boxing organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962...
, WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
, IBF
International Boxing Federation
The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.- History :...
, The Ring Magazine
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
and British
British Boxing Board of Control
The British Boxing Board of Control is the governing body of professional boxing in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1929 from the old National Sporting Club and is headquartered in Cardiff.- Councils :...
super middleweight
Super middleweight
Super Middleweight is a boxing and Muay Thai weight division that has a weight limit of 168 pounds .- 1960s–1983 :There was interest in a division between Middleweight and Light Heavyweight in the late 1960s, the mid-1970s, and the early 1980s...
champion.
- Neil HaddockNeil HaddockNeil Haddock is a Welsh former lightweight and super featherweight boxer. Before turning professional he won a silver medal as a lightweight at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. His early career as a professional lightweight was not very notable, but after a year out from boxing caused by an eye...
(WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
) beat John T Williams (WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
) by points in a 10 round contest - Neil Swain (WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
) beat Rowan WilliamsRowan Anthony WilliamsRowan Anthony Williams is a retired boxer from England, who competed in the flyweight division . He represented Great Britain at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There he was defeated in the quarterfinals by Roel Velasco of the Philippines.-External links:*...
(EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) by points in a 6 round contest - Joe CalzagheJoe CalzagheJoseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
(WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
) beat Paul Hanlon (EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) by a technical knockout in round 1 of a 4 round contest - Ross Hale (EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) beat Carlos Chase (EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) by a technical knockout in round 8