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Terry Lawless managed Bruno. Was Mickey Duff always part of things? Who were the team behind him for the Witherspoon fight? I know Terry was, but was Mickey still involved at this point?

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:Terry Lawless managed Bruno. Was Mickey Duff always part of things? Who were the team behind him for the Witherspoon fight? I know Terry was, but was Mickey still involved at this point?

Yes, Mickey Duff was involved as Bruno's promoter from his first fight right up to March 1994 when Bruno beat Jesse Ferguson in a one-round fiasco in Birmingham. Ferguson came over for a holiday (ala Gerrie Coetzee when he fought Bruno) and flopped inside a round. Even Bruno's mate Harry Carpenter turned on the fighter afterwards in the post-fight interview and the BBC's head of Sport Jonathan Martin told Duff afterwards they were not interested in featuring Bruno again (does that remind you of another heavyweight today?). Bruno then signed with allegedly, with whom he won the WBC title from Oliver McCall a year later.
The team behind Bruno for the Witherspoon fight were Mickey Duff (promoter), Terry Lawless (manager), Jimmy Tibbs and Frank Black (trainers), Johnny Bos (matchmaker), Mike Barrett (Cartel member), Jarvis Astaire (Cartel member).

PS: There were four in the Cartel: Lawless, Duff, Barrett and Astaire.

Had to laugh when Duff talked about how he used to matchmake for Bruno. He'd send out Bos to find the most hopeless stiff possible: preferably a bum with as many first round knockout losses as possible, someone who'd have trouble holding his hands up, let alone win a fight.

Then he'd go to Lawless for approval, and Terry would still turn the guy down as too dangerous!

I remember seeing one of Bruno's opponents climb in the ring, an overweight Belgium sponsored by DUVAL - Belgium's strongest beer

Board chief Ray Clarke was also in on the act (and probably on the payroll, too). He allowed the Cartel to get away with murder with their choice of opponents for Bruno - and for all the fighters guided by the Cartel.
In Mickey Duff's autobiography he says this of Lawless: "Terry's attitude to opponents was simple. He wanted to impose a condition that they could defend themselves but couldn't hit back."
However, you had to admire Duff and Lawless for the way they brought fighters through. No TV titles for their boys back then. They took Stracey, Hope, Watt, Magri and Honeyghan to genuine world titles. I also find it significant that arguably the best pound for pound fighter in Britain today, Joe Calzaghe, enjoyed the same Lawless and Duff grounding.

We thought it was bad then ( and it was at times ) but these days it's beyond a joke.

If Bruno was in his prime now, he probably be a multiple heayweight world champion: IBO, WBU, WBF, IBC - then retire undefeated, breaking Marciano's record in the process.

Lawless was really a trainer who got into management for the money, but at heart he was a trainer. And a great trainer. His fighters were always magnificently-conditioned and came on strong in the latter half of fights (think of Kaylor-Christie, Magri-Mercedes and too many others to mention; Bruno was too musclebound to be classed your quintessential Lawless fighter, who liked the wiry and strong fighters).
I never heard a Lawless fighter after he lost say he hadn't trained properly.

bennie wrote:

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:Terry Lawless managed Bruno. Was Mickey Duff always part of things? Who were the team behind him for the Witherspoon fight? I know Terry was, but was Mickey still involved at this point?

Yes, Mickey Duff was involved as Bruno's promoter from his first fight right up to March 1994 when Bruno beat Jesse Ferguson in a one-round fiasco in Birmingham. Ferguson came over for a holiday (ala Gerrie Coetzee when he fought Bruno) and flopped inside a round. Even Bruno's mate Harry Carpenter turned on the fighter afterwards in the post-fight interview and the BBC's head of Sport Jonathan Martin told Duff afterwards they were not interested in featuring Bruno again (does that remind you of another heavyweight today?). Bruno then signed with allegedly, with whom he won the WBC title from Oliver McCall a year later.
The team behind Bruno for the Witherspoon fight were Mickey Duff (promoter), Terry Lawless (manager), Jimmy Tibbs and Frank Black (trainers), Johnny Bos (matchmaker), Mike Barrett (Cartel member), Jarvis Astaire (Cartel member).

PS: There were four in the Cartel: Lawless, Duff, Barrett and Astaire.

Burt McCarthy was Bruno's Manager when he was about to turn pro. Duff and Co came along and asked to speak to him, Burt let them and they tempted Bruno away.

Yes, Burt was naive. All that crap about Bruno going to Bogota for an eye operation before he turned pro was to explain away the fierce legal battles taking place between McCarthy and the Cartel.
There was only ever going to be one winner there.

bennie wrote:Yes, Burt was naive. All that crap about Bruno going to Bogota for an eye operation before he turned pro was to explain away the fierce legal battles taking place between McCarthy and the Cartel.
There was only ever going to be one winner there.

Yes, and I thought Burt was a man of the world and quite a shrewd guy.

Did he ever get any financial recompense from "the cartel"?

I recall McCarthy saying that Bruno felt very guilty about moving with to Duff & Co.

Comprehensive as it gets. Many thanks lads.

bennie wrote:Lawless was really a trainer who got into management for the money, but at heart he was a trainer. And a great trainer. His fighters were always magnificently-conditioned and came on strong in the latter half of fights (think of Kaylor-Christie, Magri-Mercedes and too many others to mention; Bruno was too musclebound to be classed your quintessential Lawless fighter, who liked the wiry and strong fighters).
I never heard a Lawless fighter after he lost say he hadn't trained properly.

Wasn't Michael Sprott with Lawless when he lost to Senior - I thought he ran out of gas badly in that fight. Perhaps he wasn't and your examples are brilliant.

stujones wrote:

bennie wrote:Lawless was really a trainer who got into management for the money, but at heart he was a trainer. And a great trainer. His fighters were always magnificently-conditioned and came on strong in the latter half of fights (think of Kaylor-Christie, Magri-Mercedes and too many others to mention; Bruno was too musclebound to be classed your quintessential Lawless fighter, who liked the wiry and strong fighters).
I never heard a Lawless fighter after he lost say he hadn't trained properly.

Wasn't Michael Sprott with Lawless when he lost to Senior - I thought he ran out of gas badly in that fight. Perhaps he wasn't and your examples are brilliant.

Yes, I think he he was. Sprott caved in as he's always likely to do under pressure.

You should give Bruno more credit, he wasn't a bad fighter you know. He would certainly have beaten all of today's crop including Fraudly. Remember, he outboxed Lewis for a few rounds, who else did that? Also he never got knocked out by a bum in a world title fight, Lewis did, twice! I am not saying Bruno was better than Lewis but he was far better that the 'product' of the cartel you all claim he was. He was a dedicated fighter who lived the life correctly hence his success. Show some respect.

xtremebox wrote:You should give Bruno more credit, he wasn't a bad fighter you know. He would certainly have beaten all of today's crop including Fraudly. Remember, he outboxed Lewis for a few rounds, who else did that? Also he never got knocked out by a bum in a world title fight, Lewis did, twice! I am not saying Bruno was better than Lewis but he was far better that the 'product' of the cartel you all claim he was. He was a dedicated fighter who lived the life correctly hence his success. Show some respect.

Strange post. We were stating facts and you construe it as an attack on Frank Bruno. Big Frank was a good fighter but was also massively-protected by the cartel. The two go hand-in-hand.
As for who else outboxed Lennox Lewis: try Ray Mercer.

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:Comprehensive as it gets. Many thanks lads.

Sounds like you could do with getting yourself a copy of Duff's autobiography too, it's a good read.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASI ... 52-4002030

Yes, deffo. I need to get myself more organised, that's for sure.

I just needed to check the crack for the Witherspoon fight. Assuming things leaves you with egg on your face...all of a sudden you find out one or two people dipped in or out for one fight.