Frank Bruno shared the ring with several big punchers, but one of them stood out above the rest.
The beloved British heavyweight duked it out with Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson (twice) during a storied professional career that stretched from 1982 to 1996.
GETTYBruno got knocked out by Lewis and Tyson (twice)[/caption]
Bruno challenged for the world heavyweight title four times before eventually being crowned champion in 1995 with a gutsy win over Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium.
Prior to that, he had been knocked out by Tim Witherspoon, Tyson and Lewis in valiant attempts at various versions of the world heavyweight crown.
But it was the first stoppage loss of his career against James ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith that left a lasting impression on Bruno.
“Smith had a hard punch, and he was strong. This was one of my hardest fights,” he told The Ring when asked who hit him hardest.
“I was quite young at the time, and he was a lot older. I lost this fight outright, but it gave me a lot of experience.
“I learned a lot from his punches and tried to use his style later on in my boxing.”
At the time, Bruno was 21 years old and boasted an unblemished 21-0 record with all of his wins coming by way of knockout while Smith was a travelling underdog, who had lost his first fight.
Smith was more than capable of pulling off an upset, as he had done in his second bout against future cruiserweight world champion Ricky Parker.
But few expected him to beat Bruno, who was being hailed as a world champion in waiting heading into the fight.
In the tenth and final round, with Bruno ahead by a mile on points, Smith connected with an atomic left hook that buckled the Brit’s knees.
As Bruno staggered backwards into the ropes, Smith opened with a heavy flurry that floored the Hammersmith puncher with just over a minute left in the fight.
He desperately tried to make his way back to his feet but he was counted out before he could regain his footing.
Smith was elevated into an IBF title fight against Larry Holmes in his following outing as a result of his upset win and was subsequently stopped in the 12th round.
He would eventually win a world title in 1986 after flattening Tim Witherspoon in the opening stanza to lay claim to the WBA belt.
Smith wouldn’t hold onto it for long though as he was battered from pillar to post by a 20-year-old Tyson in his first defence.
‘Bonecrusher’ eventually hung up his gloves in 1999 with a 44-17-1 record while Bruno bowed out three years earlier following a second knockout loss to Tyson.
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