Lewis-Bruno vs. Joshua-Fury : “Best of BrItish”

[Ruthless-RKO]

So Lewis vs. Bruno happened in 1993. I was one year old.



It was the first time 2 British born Heavyweights fought for the world title.
Without checking did Lewis defend against another Brit born? If not then would Joshua-Fury be the 2nd fight contested for a world title by Brit born heavyweights?
EDIT
Lewis defended against Akinwande.

Just a few questions. No doubt IF Joshua-Fury happens it will be huge.

How big was Lewis vs. Bruno at the time?
Why was it not at Wembley?
Was it promoted hugely?
Will Joshua-Fury surpass it in terms of hype?

Was it a ‘must’ fight at the time?

Lewis was a 4-1 favourite? Who did the majority want to win? Was it split?

Now we have social media, so in terms of promotion/build up, Joshua-Fury is already there, the fight sells itself.

With no social media on 93, how well was it promoted? Was it national news? Daytime tv? Etc.

Thanks in advance to anyone.

[skanksta]

I went to this as a student with my Welsh flatmate.
Everyone wanted Bruno to win, but knew he wouldn't - Lewis was 1/7 and that was a silly price based on a protected UK market - the internet wasn't a thing for most people then!

[Boxerbeetle]

It was a big fight, mainly due to Bruno rather than Lewis who wasn’t particularly well known in the U.K. mainstream at the time. As skansta says, no-one really thought Bruno would win. He actually fought much better than expected on the night, but still wasn’t enough.

Bit of additional trivia - Calzaghe made his pro debut on the undercard.

[Ruthless-RKO]

It was a big fight, mainly due to Bruno rather than Lewis who wasn’t particularly well known in the U.K. mainstream at the time. As skansta says, no-one really thought Bruno would win. He actually fought much better than expected on the night, but still wasn’t enough.

Bit of additional trivia - Calzaghe made his pro debut on the undercard.

Without checking, I believe Bruno was ahead on at least one of the cards of not 2.

[Boxerbeetle]

It was a big fight, mainly due to Bruno rather than Lewis who wasn’t particularly well known in the U.K. mainstream at the time. As skansta says, no-one really thought Bruno would win. He actually fought much better than expected on the night, but still wasn’t enough.

Bit of additional trivia - Calzaghe made his pro debut on the undercard.

Without checking, I believe Bruno was ahead on at least one of the cards of not 2.

No doubt he would have been. Lennox started very slowly, apparently because he was ‘cold’.

[stujones]

We live in a different era - minus social media our stars were TALKED about, making them seem bigger than what they are.

Bruno at one staged seemed to be one of the most well known and recognised faces in the UK - could draw huge viewing figures etc.... but then compared to the KSI thing, its a different type of fame and hard to compare. Joshua / Fury are certainly more KSI type famous than Bruno.

Bruno vs Lewis was talked about in the pubs / school grounds for months before the fight took place. I lierally got a solidary text message the day of Joshua vs Ruiz Jr 2 - but its a different era

Bruno, Naz, Benn, Eubank and a few years before McGuigan were hugely famous - but clearly so is Fury and Joshua but in a different type of fame. Whilst its no longer TV adverts, or raking in 7 figure viewing ratings on TV - its all "quiet" fame of instagram etc.

In terms of the fight - Bruno vs Lewis was generally seen as the opportunity to get Lewis (and also SKY boxing) as mainstream as possible.... it was seen though as a fighter who was getting shot after shot cos of his appeal as opposed to his skill and his resume vs a fighter who picked up his title from the Rubbish bin (albeit people saw he was a geniune world class fighter) - People saw Holyfield and Bowe as the legitimate heavyweight champions at the time, Lewis as the dangerous threat, being avoided - but he needed those two (or one of those two) to legitimise him as a CHAMPION. Whereas should Fury ruin Wilder - then I think we have the #1 vs #2 in the division for all the baubles - so a bigger fight in a worst era for the division.

[stujones]

Technically there have been other "battles of Britain" for the Heavyweight title - big four titles.

Bentt vs Hide

Akinwande vs Welch.

[orbtastic]

It was on the edge of farce for a while. It was outdoors in October, in Wales. They were worried about it raining too.

Lewis had rattled Big Frank with some Uncle Tom and panto jibes in the build-up.

It was cold, they had Lewis in a blanket between rounds. Lewis kinda slept walked through the first six rounds and was being out-jabbed. Then he woke up in the 7th and basically piled the pressure on, I remember Vann not really doing too much about his forearm and particularly, holding his head whilst punching with the other hand but it was all but over by then anyway.

[Flump]

Technically there have been other "battles of Britain" for the Heavyweight title - big four titles.

Bentt vs Hide

Akinwande vs Welch.

Very technically....they heyday of the WBO, when fighters like Mercer and Bowe gave the title up because it was hampering their careers.

[Flump]

It was on the edge of farce for a while. It was outdoors in October, in Wales. They were worried about it raining too.

Lewis had rattled Big Frank with some Uncle Tom and panto jibes in the build-up.

It was cold, they had Lewis in a blanket between rounds. Lewis kinda slept walked through the first six rounds and was being out-jabbed. Then he woke up in the 7th and basically piled the pressure on, I remember Vann not really doing too much about his forearm and particularly, holding his head whilst punching with the other hand but it was all but over by then anyway.

Bruno definitely showed some skills. He was on a decent run going into the fight.

There are some cynics who would say Vann was appointed to handle the fight by the WBC as reward for his well received (by them) scoring of the Whittaker-Chavez fight the month before.

[stujones]

Technically there have been other "battles of Britain" for the Heavyweight title - big four titles.

Bentt vs Hide

Akinwande vs Welch.

Very technically....they heyday of the WBO, when fighters like Mercer and Bowe gave the title up because it was hampering their careers.

Yeah - I know, personally I see the birth of the WBO heavyweight title - as Akinwande when Don King placed Akinwande vs Zolkin on the Tyson vs Holyfield undercard and gave it equal press time as Moorer vs Botha.

Although it could have been quite different, I am sure Mike Tyson was scheduled to fight Francesco Damiani in February 1990 in Tokyo..... Damiani was WBO champion at the time and I think (although not sure) his title was supposed to be on the line. Damiani pulled out injured, and up stepped up Buster Douglas. How things might have been so different.

[Flump]

Very technically....they heyday of the WBO, when fighters like Mercer and Bowe gave the title up because it was hampering their careers.

Yeah - I know, personally I see the birth of the WBO heavyweight title - as Akinwande when Don King placed Akinwande vs Zolkin on the Tyson vs Holyfield undercard and gave it equal press time as Moorer vs Botha.

Although it could have been quite different, I am sure Mike Tyson was scheduled to fight Francesco Damiani in February 1990 in Tokyo..... Damiani was WBO champion at the time and I think (although not sure) his title was supposed to be on the line. Damiani pulled out injured, and up stepped up Buster Douglas. How things might have been so different.

At the risk of being an anorak stu, but Damiani replaced Tyson when he pulled out of the Holyfield fight, but then pulled out himself allowing Bert Cooper to challenge Holyfield.

I don't think Buster was a substitute, from memory.

[Scoops]

Haye v Harrison was for the WBA title.

A farce, but that was two Brit-born heavyweights fighting for a major world belt.

[Noxy]

I remember it well. I was also interested in Calzaghe who had won three ABA titles at three different weights. Duff was singing his praises before the show.

Bruno vs Lewis was a good scrap. A proper cross-over event, everyone was talking about it. I think I had Frank slightly ahead at the time of the stoppage.

[stujones]

Yeah - I know, personally I see the birth of the WBO heavyweight title - as Akinwande when Don King placed Akinwande vs Zolkin on the Tyson vs Holyfield undercard and gave it equal press time as Moorer vs Botha.

Although it could have been quite different, I am sure Mike Tyson was scheduled to fight Francesco Damiani in February 1990 in Tokyo..... Damiani was WBO champion at the time and I think (although not sure) his title was supposed to be on the line. Damiani pulled out injured, and up stepped up Buster Douglas. How things might have been so different.

At the risk of being an anorak stu, but Damiani replaced Tyson when he pulled out of the Holyfield fight, but then pulled out himself allowing Bert Cooper to challenge Holyfield.

I don't think Buster was a substitute, from memory.

Yeah your right - did a bit a reading - Damaini, Ribalta and Douglas were the three men touted for Tokyo, but Douglas got the nod.

[cormack]

funny enough I watched that at the wknd and thought FB was not doing too bad until he got sledgehammered by LL

Saw it first time around and realised how big lewis would be ..

[bennie]

Lewis failed the 'British' test because everyone was rooting for Frank and the challenger fought out of his skin until he got caught and went into freeze mode again, which was a real shame. Bruno outjabbed Lewis and rocked him badly at one point and he would come again. Micky Vann had a bad night as referee.

[cormack]

Lewis failed the 'British' test because everyone was rooting for Frank and the challenger fought out of his skin until he got caught and went into freeze mode again, which was a real shame. Bruno outjabbed Lewis and rocked him badly at one point and he would come again. Micky Vann had a bad night as referee.

nah

Frank wud have been totally cabbaged if it hadnt been stopped the way it was , he was totally helpless.

[Autobarn]

It was on the edge of farce for a while. It was outdoors in October, in Wales. They were worried about it raining too.

Lewis had rattled Big Frank with some Uncle Tom and panto jibes in the build-up.

It was cold, they had Lewis in a blanket between rounds. Lewis kinda slept walked through the first six rounds and was being out-jabbed. Then he woke up in the 7th and basically piled the pressure on, I remember Vann not really doing too much about his forearm and particularly, holding his head whilst punching with the other hand but it was all but over by then anyway.

Yeah Bruno had developed his technical skills a little and used his experience as well to disrupt Lennox. Lewis looked a little bothered but then his reflexes and athletic skills kicked in & I recall him landing a big counter that spelled the end for Bruno.

Decent fight.

[ewenhay]

[/quote]
Yeah Joshua had developed his technical skills a little and used his experience as well to disrupt Deontay . Wilder looked a little bothered but then his reflexes and athletic skills kicked in & I recall him landing a big counter that spelled the end for Joshua

Decent fight.
[/quote]

Can see history repeating itself here!

[jameswilson]

Lewis had rattled Big Frank with some Uncle Tom and panto jibes in the build-up.

Bruno after the win vs McCall mentioned that he wasn’t an Uncle Tom so it clearly bothered him a lot. That is evidently a hugely offensive term for a black person to use against another black person.

I think that may highlight the bully boy nature of Lewis vs the weak minded nature of Bruno. Witherspoon, Lewis and Tyson you could argue used mind games or bullying tactics to beat him before they even got in the ring. On the face of things mind games are often a load of bollocks but when used on the right opponent they do seem to work.

[skanksta]

I loved Jamie Cox's take on mindgames..

"They don't work on me - I@m too thick"

[Jon Saxon]

I was there at ringside, it was a horrible night, the stadium was half empty but it was electric.
It was my first mega fight i'd seen up close and i as shocked at the size of these two behemoths.
What you dont see on telly was the steam rising off their skin or the saliva flying out them as huge the punches landed.
I remember everyone being shocked at how well Frank was fighting.
People always go on about Lennox's right but he had some left also, the sweeping hook he got frank with was unreal, plus lets not forget he 'hooked with a hooker' and dropped morrison with a short inside hook.

It was a ok attended show..but not great and that was because the Lewis camp knew London was Bruno city. ........dumb move.

I remember seeing someone with a big banner saying "ko the pantomime donkey lennox" which i thought was kinda shitty and I thought afterwards that Frank proved himself properly at word level.

Britain had arrived...It was special.

[littlepug]

It was a huge event at the time and everyone was talking about it, it was a week before Benn v Eubank 2 which was also massive, I remember Sky going round the streets asking members of the public about both fights and everyone had an opinion, kids, old ladies, shopkeepers everyone, the build up was in the papers and on tv everyday, proper crossover stuff, the fight itself was quite decent, Lewis seemed put off by Bruno’s boxing skills and was being outjabbed and getting caught by right hands, a big left hook signaled the end but to Brunos credit he never went down despite taking some big shots, it was good viewing and we still had Benn and Eubank to look forward to the next weekend !

[Noxy]

Lewis had rattled Big Frank with some Uncle Tom and panto jibes in the build-up.

Bruno after the win vs McCall mentioned that he wasn’t an Uncle Tom so it clearly bothered him a lot. That is evidently a hugely offensive term for a black person to use against another black person.

I think that may highlight the bully boy nature of Lewis vs the weak minded nature of Bruno. Witherspoon, Lewis and Tyson you could argue used mind games or bullying tactics to beat him before they even got in the ring. On the face of things mind games are often a load of bollocks but when used on the right opponent they do seem to work.

My take on it was that Frank upped his game because he was annoyed about the slur.