BoxRec

A long running debate is what might have happened if Bruno`s team had taken the more domestic route to glory at the start of his career.

Circa 82\83 Bruno`s ko streak was drawing a lot of interest. I remember the veteran British champ Neville Meade calling him out.

There's no question Bruno would have knocked him out but it's sobering to think that in those days a distance title fight would have been over FIFTEEN rounds !!!!!!

Bruno went on to deliver edge of the seat thrills against jumbo Cummings circa 84 but another interesting matchup for the British title would have been against Dave Pearce around the time Pearce failed in a valiant attempt to wrest the European championship from Lucien Rodriquez.

This could have a been a decent enough fight but Bruno would have prevailed by KO.

Then came a fractious period domestically. Trevor Currie picked up the title but would have been ko`d by Bruno after landing a few himself.

Then we get to another really decent British champion Horace Notice. His career was cut short. Horace was superbly conditioned and little more than a cruiser at around 207lbs.

How would a peak Notice have faired defending the British title against Bruno around this time? It's a tricky one this....?

I would put Notice in the same bracket as another tragic prospect from the time, Rudi Pika. Both would have been fast tricky opponents with a decent shot at going the distance or possibly being stopped late.

There several other decent British fighters around at the time as well....

Bruno v Quarless would have been fun

And of course don't forget Papa Funso.

He would have had a very good shot at being the first to go the distance with big Frank in a sloppy Phil Brown style.

Aside from that the only other interesting alternative history would have been if Bruno had met Trevor Berbick instead of Bonecrusher.

If I remember right Berbick had a bit of a war against American Mark Lee on the Bruno v Figuero bill just prior to the Bonecrusher fight.

Would Berbick have beaten Bruno?

what if he had been knocked out by Jumbo Cummings in only his 19th pro fight in 1983?

Berbick v Bruno in 84 would have been interesting. I certainly don't see Frank getting him out of there.

I agree with your predictions against the British heavies of the era. Notice is the great unknown as his career never played out properly, but he's the hardest fight of that era domestically.

Terry Lawless was determined to build Bruno up on a diet of American fodder because the wins were guaranteed, whereas fights with Meade, Pearce, Banjo, Currie, Quarless and Pika were riskier, although Frank beat Currie and Pika in the unpaid ranks (beating Currie twice). I wouldn't dismiss Meade's chances against Bruno after the burly Welshman blasted his way to the British heavyweight title with a first-round knockout of Gordon Ferris in late 1981. At that point Bruno was still a few months away from going pro, by which time Lawless had signed up Meade. Sadly, Meade was then the victim of a terrible match when Lawless put him in with durable American Leroy Boone, a man who had gone the distance with Earnie Shavers. The dangerous but ageing Meade failed to budge Boone, ran out of gas and dropped a 10-round decision, which was always going to happen. I don't understand why the Cartel made that match. Maybe they wanted to bump Meade off, who boxed just twice more for the Cartel, a nothing undercard win in Birmingham and a defeat to David Pearce for the British title. Neville deserved better.
I'm glad Bruno didn't fight Pearce, a stocky Welshman who was dangerous but also horribly easy to hit. Lucien Rodriguez couldn't miss Pearce in their European title encounter; Bruno later despatched Rodriguez inside a round, which says it all. Pearce then had his licence pulled after failing a brain scan. Rudi Pika gave Bruno a really hard fight in their ABA heavyweight final in 1980 but was managed by Mickey Duff as a pro, so he and Bruno were kept apart. Southpaw Pika never lost a pro fight but hated London and eventually went home to Wales where he committed suicide in 1988, which is desperately sad. A fight with Banjo is interesting. I struggled to understand why the Cartel allowed Banjo to fight on their shows when they had absolutely no intention of using him against Bruno. They were sticking two fingers up at the fans and you can understand why a frustrated Harry Mullan ridiculed Bruno's opposition in Boxing News. Banjo was a big, awkward, durable guy who gives Bruno a decent fight without winning it, just the kind of fight Bruno needed.
Hughroy Currie outscored Banjo in a dreary 12-rounder for the British title so he gives Bruno a number of rounds, too. I liked Currie's performance against Horace Notice on the Isle of Man, even though he lost. He then blew out Glenn McCrory in two rounds in Manchester, buoyed up by the appearance of his mate Lloyd Honeyghan just days after Honeyghan had smashed Don Curry. (Lloyd got a 20-minute standing ovation in the hall.) Noel Quarless was something of a Duane Bobick, fleetingly dangerous but usually disappointing, Bruno bowls him over in a couple of lively rounds, much like Lennox Lewis.
Horace Notice had plenty of character and did nothing wrong in his five years as a pro. Frustratingly, I never heard how he fared with Bruno in sparring at the Royal Oak gym. (I did hear that Dave Dent chinned Honeyghan in sparring.) Notice, of course, was 16-0 when he picked up a career-ending eye injury in 1988. There was no moment in the gym, no moment in a fight that indicated the problem. It was picked up in a routine medical. All very sad but I think Notice's performance against big Mike Jameson separates him from Bruno. Horace outscored Jameson over 10 rounds; Bruno nearly decapitated Jameson in two rounds a few years earlier.

Bruno would have knocked all the domestic guys silly and his name would have a lot less stigma attached to it today.

Berbick they tried fight a couple of times. He was a hot and cold guy. Bruno outpoints cold Berbick, but the hot Berbick who ran through Tate, Thomas, Page, Bey, and Green and went 15 with Holmes beats any version of Bruno we ever saw.

Wasn't Bruno fighting Bugner's leftovers in late 82/83 to try and force a fight with him but I think Bugner fell out with Warren and ended up losing to Marvis Frazier, the fight eventually happened 4 years too late

tony1234 wrote: ↑27 Oct 2024, 14:52 Wasn't Bruno fighting Bugner's leftovers in late 82/83 to try and force a fight with him but I think Bugner fell out with Warren and ended up losing to Marvis Frazier, the fight eventually happened 4 years too late

Bruno fought a couple of Bugner's leftovers: Allen and Neilson. However, there were never any negotiations for a Bugner-Bruno showdown in 1983 because such a fight gives F rank Warren credibility at a time when the Cartel were still hopeful of squeezing him out. Warren had yet to stage a title fight when he brought Bugner back to the UK in late 1982 (Bugner had been living in the States) but he secured a TV deal thanks to the Bugner name and in February 1983, Warren's very first signing, Keith Wallace of Liverpool, won the Commonwealth flyweight title from Kenya's Steve Muchoki in nine rounds at the Bloomsbury Crest Hotel.
In the same month, Bugner gave the best performance of his comeback when he crushed American John "Dino" Dennis in three rounds at the Ally Pally. In return, the Cartel taunted Warren by bringing over a man of Bugner's experience to face Bruno at Wembley in May 1983. Scott LeDoux, a man who even resembled Bugner, was bowled over in three rounds. Things got really tasty when Warren won the purse bids to stage the first direct showdown between the two camps as Roy Gumbs defended his British and Commonwealth middleweight titles against the Cartel's Mark Kaylor, who climbed off the floor to stop Gumbs in a thrilling affair at the Ally Pally in September 1983.
Bugner had now gone off the boil. He struggled to impress against American Danny Sutton on ITV and then really stank the joint out when he ventured to Atlantic City to face Marvis Frazier, son of the legendary Joe, and was outscored in a dreary 10-rounder. Bugner, who had actually fought Joe, was back to his negative worst and found himself running out of options, particularly in the UK. Warren secured a couple of fights for him in Denmark, a win and a loss, but in the end, Bugner reinvented himself in Australia, homeland of his trouser-wearing wife, Marlene. Then and only then, were the Cartel willing to negotiate with Bugner for a Bruno fight, four years too late, as you say.

bennie wrote: ↑29 Oct 2024, 07:32

tony1234 wrote: ↑27 Oct 2024, 14:52 Wasn't Bruno fighting Bugner's leftovers in late 82/83 to try and force a fight with him but I think Bugner fell out with Warren and ended up losing to Marvis Frazier, the fight eventually happened 4 years too late

Bruno fought a couple of Bugner's leftovers: Allen and Neilson. However, there were never any negotiations for a Bugner-Bruno showdown in 1983 because such a fight gives F rank Warren credibility at a time when the Cartel were still hopeful of squeezing him out. Warren had yet to stage a title fight when he brought Bugner back to the UK in late 1982 (Bugner had been living in the States) but he secured a TV deal thanks to the Bugner name and in February 1983, Warren's very first signing, Keith Wallace of Liverpool, won the Commonwealth flyweight title from Kenya's Steve Muchoki in nine rounds at the Bloomsbury Crest Hotel.
In the same month, Bugner gave the best performance of his comeback when he crushed American John "Dino" Dennis in three rounds at the Ally Pally. In return, the Cartel taunted Warren by bringing over a man of Bugner's experience to face Bruno at Wembley in May 1983. Scott LeDoux, a man who even resembled Bugner, was bowled over in three rounds. Things got really tasty when Warren won the purse bids to stage the first direct showdown between the two camps as Roy Gumbs defended his British and Commonwealth middleweight titles against the Cartel's Mark Kaylor, who climbed off the floor to stop Gumbs in a thrilling affair at the Ally Pally in September 1983.
Bugner had now gone off the boil. He struggled to impress against American Danny Sutton on ITV and then really stank the joint out when he ventured to Atlantic City to face Marvis Frazier, son of the legendary Joe, and was outscored in a dreary 10-rounder. Bugner, who had actually fought Joe, was back to his negative worst and found himself running out of options, particularly in the UK. Warren secured a couple of fights for him in Denmark, a win and a loss, but in the end, Bugner reinvented himself in Australia, homeland of his trouser-wearing wife, Marlene. Then and only then, were the Cartel willing to negotiate with Bugner for a Bruno fight, four years too late, as you say.

How do you think Bruno v Bugner would have panned out circa 1983, Bennie?

I've often wondered about this one but never come up with a conclusive answer. No doubt the Bugner who stopped Dino Dennis was a different kettle of fish to 'Aussie Joe' when he finally went in with Bruno some years later though.

Bruno was always going to struggle with a guy who could go the distance and still had a punch and ambition in the late rounds. He had better survival instincts in his later career. But I think in those earlier he days he would have some scary moments, Maybe Bugner could have taken him.

Jaguar wrote: ↑29 Oct 2024, 07:48

bennie wrote: ↑29 Oct 2024, 07:32

tony1234 wrote: ↑27 Oct 2024, 14:52 Wasn't Bruno fighting Bugner's leftovers in late 82/83 to try and force a fight with him but I think Bugner fell out with Warren and ended up losing to Marvis Frazier, the fight eventually happened 4 years too late

Bruno fought a couple of Bugner's leftovers: Allen and Neilson. However, there were never any negotiations for a Bugner-Bruno showdown in 1983 because such a fight gives F rank Warren credibility at a time when the Cartel were still hopeful of squeezing him out. Warren had yet to stage a title fight when he brought Bugner back to the UK in late 1982 (Bugner had been living in the States) but he secured a TV deal thanks to the Bugner name and in February 1983, Warren's very first signing, Keith Wallace of Liverpool, won the Commonwealth flyweight title from Kenya's Steve Muchoki in nine rounds at the Bloomsbury Crest Hotel.
In the same month, Bugner gave the best performance of his comeback when he crushed American John "Dino" Dennis in three rounds at the Ally Pally. In return, the Cartel taunted Warren by bringing over a man of Bugner's experience to face Bruno at Wembley in May 1983. Scott LeDoux, a man who even resembled Bugner, was bowled over in three rounds. Things got really tasty when Warren won the purse bids to stage the first direct showdown between the two camps as Roy Gumbs defended his British and Commonwealth middleweight titles against the Cartel's Mark Kaylor, who climbed off the floor to stop Gumbs in a thrilling affair at the Ally Pally in September 1983.
Bugner had now gone off the boil. He struggled to impress against American Danny Sutton on ITV and then really stank the joint out when he ventured to Atlantic City to face Marvis Frazier, son of the legendary Joe, and was outscored in a dreary 10-rounder. Bugner, who had actually fought Joe, was back to his negative worst and found himself running out of options, particularly in the UK. Warren secured a couple of fights for him in Denmark, a win and a loss, but in the end, Bugner reinvented himself in Australia, homeland of his trouser-wearing wife, Marlene. Then and only then, were the Cartel willing to negotiate with Bugner for a Bruno fight, four years too late, as you say.

How do you think Bruno v Bugner would have panned out circa 1983, Bennie?

I've often wondered about this one but never come up with a conclusive answer. No doubt the Bugner who stopped Dino Dennis was a different kettle of fish to 'Aussie Joe' when he finally went in with Bruno some years later though.

I fancy Bruno in '83. Bugner was still reasonably fresh at the time, in his early thirties, still had solid boxing skills, good stamina and a great chin but history tells us that for every single fiery performance from Bugner there were five or six displays of genuine apathy. Bugner is a man who regarded boxing as a way of making money ("and being able to count it," as he once cracked) more than a passion. I'm not sure he disliked Bruno enough to pull out the kind of performance he showed against Richard Dunn in October 1976, a man he did dislike. He looked good on his comeback against Allen and Dennis but then came Sutton and Frazier. Bugner is obviously going to stick around against a young Bruno in 1983, just as he did in 1987, but Bruno will be in fantastic shape, forcing the fight, outjabbing Bugner at times, and Bugner had a good jab, hitting harder and fighting at a comfortable pace. Joe won't really be pushing him. If Bugner gets ambitious he could tag and hurt Bruno a couple of times but I don't think Bruno is hurt enough to freeze. Bugner goes the distance, Bugner loses a decision.

You could be right, Bugner normally found a way to lose when it mattered.

I would have liked this fight to have happened in 83 though because it could've been interesting as Bruno could gas. Bugner was only there for the money in 87, he was there to lose.

It's interesting stuff and it is a pity these fights were not made. Frank would have got more out of these than blitzing Walter Santemore, Barry Funches, Winston Allen or Acuna.

Horace Notice in particular would have been a very stern test and Quarless would have been a perfect fight at around the 13/15 marker. The Quarless record makes for very interesting reading indeed, the guy either won big or lost big and he'd sorted out Ekuland well before Bruno had.

Rudi Pika would have been another, bothered Bruno big-time in the ABA final and a right buzzsaw of a pressure fighter.

Bruno and Bugner were seemingly on a collision course - shared opponents - but the Lawless/Duff/Astaire cartel did not fancy it at all and they made a mistake there I think.

Frank essentially needed some more pressurised domestic fights and against a better class of opponent....and earlier. The blokes to do this were all there but Lawless/Duff ducked out.

Bodyshot3 wrote: ↑29 Oct 2024, 15:28 It's interesting stuff and it is a pity these fights were not made. Frank would have got more out of these than blitzing Walter Santemore, Barry Funches, Winston Allen or Acuna.

Horace Notice in particular would have been a very stern test and Quarless would have been a perfect fight at around the 13/15 marker. The Quarless record makes for very interesting reading indeed, the guy either won big or lost big and he'd sorted out Ekuland well before Bruno had.

Rudi Pika would have been another, bothered Bruno big-time in the ABA final and a right buzzsaw of a pressure fighter.

Bruno and Bugner were seemingly on a collision course - shared opponents - but the Lawless/Duff/Astaire cartel did not fancy it at all and they made a mistake there I think.

Frank essentially needed some more pressurised domestic fights and against a better class of opponent....and earlier. The blokes to do this were all there but Lawless/Duff ducked out.

Quarless was a bit of 'chinny banger' type inasmuch as he often won by knockout or got stopped himself.

I remember ITV briefly seized on him as a rival attraction to Bruno (whose fights were on the BBC back then) when Quarless stopped both Eklund and John L Gardner in spectacular style. Quarless then got himself disqualified against Conroy Nelson and lost to Mark Lee and that was that.

The other thing I remember about Noel Quarless was that he used to sort of bark when he threw a punch.

Jaguar wrote: ↑29 Oct 2024, 15:48

Bodyshot3 wrote: ↑29 Oct 2024, 15:28 It's interesting stuff and it is a pity these fights were not made. Frank would have got more out of these than blitzing Walter Santemore, Barry Funches, Winston Allen or Acuna.

Horace Notice in particular would have been a very stern test and Quarless would have been a perfect fight at around the 13/15 marker. The Quarless record makes for very interesting reading indeed, the guy either won big or lost big and he'd sorted out Ekuland well before Bruno had.

Rudi Pika would have been another, bothered Bruno big-time in the ABA final and a right buzzsaw of a pressure fighter.

Bruno and Bugner were seemingly on a collision course - shared opponents - but the Lawless/Duff/Astaire cartel did not fancy it at all and they made a mistake there I think.

Frank essentially needed some more pressurised domestic fights and against a better class of opponent....and earlier. The blokes to do this were all there but Lawless/Duff ducked out.

Quarless was a bit of 'chinny banger' type inasmuch as he often won by knockout or got stopped himself.

I remember ITV briefly seized on him as a rival attraction to Bruno (whose fights were on the BBC back then) when Quarless stopped both Eklund and John L Gardner in spectacular style. Quarless then got himself disqualified against Conroy Nelson and lost to Mark Lee and that was that.

The other thing I remember about Noel Quarless was that he used to sort of bark when he threw a punch.

Quarless is another man the Cartel kept away from Bruno. The big Scouser would have made a great opponent for Bruno at the Albert Hall in February 1983 when Bruno fought a tiny African by the name of Peter Mulindwa, winning as he pleased in three pathetic rounds. (Harry Mullan was in the States for Hagler-Sibson which spared the Cartel a savaging in Boxing News.) Quarless boxed on the undercard against Funso Banjo and turned away in obvious distress in the third round. It later transpired that Quarless had suffered a broken jaw. Nobody saw the punch.
Nevertheless, Quarless is still a better opponent than Mulindwa on the night (and the same is true of Banjo, of course). Quarless came back to register the best wins of his career over Eklund and Gardner but spurned the chances that came his way thereafter and he had quite a few, including three eliminators for the British title. I gave him a great chance against Horace Notice in a final eliminator at Liverpool Stadium in October 1985. Quarless enjoyed home advantage and was vastly more experienced than Notice, who was only 6-0, but Quarless had to be pulled out in the seventh. It proved to be the last ever boxing show at the famed old Stadium. Quarless blew it.

bennie wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 06:19

Jaguar wrote: ↑29 Oct 2024, 15:48

Bodyshot3 wrote: ↑29 Oct 2024, 15:28 It's interesting stuff and it is a pity these fights were not made. Frank would have got more out of these than blitzing Walter Santemore, Barry Funches, Winston Allen or Acuna.

Horace Notice in particular would have been a very stern test and Quarless would have been a perfect fight at around the 13/15 marker. The Quarless record makes for very interesting reading indeed, the guy either won big or lost big and he'd sorted out Ekuland well before Bruno had.

Rudi Pika would have been another, bothered Bruno big-time in the ABA final and a right buzzsaw of a pressure fighter.

Bruno and Bugner were seemingly on a collision course - shared opponents - but the Lawless/Duff/Astaire cartel did not fancy it at all and they made a mistake there I think.

Frank essentially needed some more pressurised domestic fights and against a better class of opponent....and earlier. The blokes to do this were all there but Lawless/Duff ducked out.

Quarless was a bit of 'chinny banger' type inasmuch as he often won by knockout or got stopped himself.

I remember ITV briefly seized on him as a rival attraction to Bruno (whose fights were on the BBC back then) when Quarless stopped both Eklund and John L Gardner in spectacular style. Quarless then got himself disqualified against Conroy Nelson and lost to Mark Lee and that was that.

The other thing I remember about Noel Quarless was that he used to sort of bark when he threw a punch.

Quarless is another man the Cartel kept away from Bruno. The big Scouser would have made a great opponent for Bruno at the Albert Hall in February 1983 when Bruno fought a tiny African by the name of Peter Mulindwa, winning as he pleased in three pathetic rounds. (Harry Mullan was in the States for Hagler-Sibson which spared the Cartel a savaging in Boxing News.) Quarless boxed on the undercard against Funso Banjo and turned away in obvious distress in the third round. It later transpired that Quarless had suffered a broken jaw. Nobody saw the punch.
Nevertheless, Quarless is still a better opponent than Mulindwa on the night (and the same is true of Banjo, of course). Quarless came back to register the best wins of his career over Eklund and Gardner but spurned the chances that came his way thereafter and he had quite a few, including three eliminators for the British title. I gave him a great chance against Horace Notice in a final eliminator at Liverpool Stadium in October 1985. Quarless enjoyed home advantage and was vastly more experienced than Notice, who was only 6-0, but Quarless had to be pulled out in the seventh. It proved to be the last ever boxing show at the famed old Stadium. Quarless blew it.

Correct me if I'm wrong bennie, wasn't Mulindwa a late sub for Alfredo Evangelista? That may have been a better match at that stage of Bruno's career.

The talent around the British HW scene in recent years is pretty damned amazing when you think back to that period in the 1980s.

British fans have had a great run.

How I remember Currie-Banjo for the British Title. It had been some time since a British HW title had been on TV. Terrible advert for the sport.

Flump wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 07:50

bennie wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 06:19

Jaguar wrote: ↑29 Oct 2024, 15:48

Quarless was a bit of 'chinny banger' type inasmuch as he often won by knockout or got stopped himself.

I remember ITV briefly seized on him as a rival attraction to Bruno (whose fights were on the BBC back then) when Quarless stopped both Eklund and John L Gardner in spectacular style. Quarless then got himself disqualified against Conroy Nelson and lost to Mark Lee and that was that.

The other thing I remember about Noel Quarless was that he used to sort of bark when he threw a punch.

Quarless is another man the Cartel kept away from Bruno. The big Scouser would have made a great opponent for Bruno at the Albert Hall in February 1983 when Bruno fought a tiny African by the name of Peter Mulindwa, winning as he pleased in three pathetic rounds. (Harry Mullan was in the States for Hagler-Sibson which spared the Cartel a savaging in Boxing News.) Quarless boxed on the undercard against Funso Banjo and turned away in obvious distress in the third round. It later transpired that Quarless had suffered a broken jaw. Nobody saw the punch.
Nevertheless, Quarless is still a better opponent than Mulindwa on the night (and the same is true of Banjo, of course). Quarless came back to register the best wins of his career over Eklund and Gardner but spurned the chances that came his way thereafter and he had quite a few, including three eliminators for the British title. I gave him a great chance against Horace Notice in a final eliminator at Liverpool Stadium in October 1985. Quarless enjoyed home advantage and was vastly more experienced than Notice, who was only 6-0, but Quarless had to be pulled out in the seventh. It proved to be the last ever boxing show at the famed old Stadium. Quarless blew it.

Correct me if I'm wrong bennie, wasn't Mulindwa a late sub for Alfredo Evangelista? That may have been a better match at that stage of Bruno's career.

Yes he was. It seemed too good to be true because Evangelista could actually fight and sure enough, a few days before the main event, Evangelista was out and in came the hapless Mulindwa. This became a habit with the Cartel. From memory, Bruno was lined up to fight Randall "Tex" Cobb, Trevor Berbick and Greg Page at various times in his career (and there are others) but all those opponents were replaced by gimmes. I know fights fall through but it seemed to happen an awful lot with Bruno, usually with the posters up and the tickets sold.

Ezzard wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 07:59 The talent around the British HW scene in recent years is pretty damned amazing when you think back to that period in the 1980s.

British fans have had a great run.

How I remember Currie-Banjo for the British Title. It had been some time since a British HW title had been on TV. Terrible advert for the sport.

I remember watching that one as well, it was a proper snooze fest. More fighting in the crowd than in the ring that night, Nigerians v Jamaicans.

There seemed to be so many awful HW clashes back then.

bennie wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 10:50

Flump wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 07:50

bennie wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 06:19


Quarless is another man the Cartel kept away from Bruno. The big Scouser would have made a great opponent for Bruno at the Albert Hall in February 1983 when Bruno fought a tiny African by the name of Peter Mulindwa, winning as he pleased in three pathetic rounds. (Harry Mullan was in the States for Hagler-Sibson which spared the Cartel a savaging in Boxing News.) Quarless boxed on the undercard against Funso Banjo and turned away in obvious distress in the third round. It later transpired that Quarless had suffered a broken jaw. Nobody saw the punch.
Nevertheless, Quarless is still a better opponent than Mulindwa on the night (and the same is true of Banjo, of course). Quarless came back to register the best wins of his career over Eklund and Gardner but spurned the chances that came his way thereafter and he had quite a few, including three eliminators for the British title. I gave him a great chance against Horace Notice in a final eliminator at Liverpool Stadium in October 1985. Quarless enjoyed home advantage and was vastly more experienced than Notice, who was only 6-0, but Quarless had to be pulled out in the seventh. It proved to be the last ever boxing show at the famed old Stadium. Quarless blew it.

Correct me if I'm wrong bennie, wasn't Mulindwa a late sub for Alfredo Evangelista? That may have been a better match at that stage of Bruno's career.

Yes he was. It seemed too good to be true because Evangelista could actually fight and sure enough, a few days before the main event, Evangelista was out and in came the hapless Mulindwa. This became a habit with the Cartel. From memory, Bruno was lined up to fight Randall "Tex" Cobb, Trevor Berbick and Greg Page at various times in his career (and there are others) but all those opponents were replaced by gimmes. I know fights fall through but it seemed to happen an awful lot with Bruno, usually with the posters up and the tickets sold.

Thanks bennie, and to big Frank's long term detriment I suspect, those guys would have given him a run.

Flump wrote: ↑01 Nov 2024, 08:45

bennie wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 10:50

Flump wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 07:50

Correct me if I'm wrong bennie, wasn't Mulindwa a late sub for Alfredo Evangelista? That may have been a better match at that stage of Bruno's career.

Yes he was. It seemed too good to be true because Evangelista could actually fight and sure enough, a few days before the main event, Evangelista was out and in came the hapless Mulindwa. This became a habit with the Cartel. From memory, Bruno was lined up to fight Randall "Tex" Cobb, Trevor Berbick and Greg Page at various times in his career (and there are others) but all those opponents were replaced by gimmes. I know fights fall through but it seemed to happen an awful lot with Bruno, usually with the posters up and the tickets sold.

Thanks bennie, and to big Frank's long term detriment I suspect, those guys would have given him a run.

No worries, mate. As you say, Evangelista is a decent test for Bruno when they were scheduled to fight, although Bruno probably wins in the middle rounds. Greg Page is a bigger test, of course, but I still fancy Bruno because Page was so lazy. I don't think Bruno stops Page. Cobb definitely goes the distance. Berbick was past his best when he and Bruno were scheduled to meet in 1987 but he also goes the distance and makes it more interesting than the others.

bennie wrote: ↑01 Nov 2024, 09:19

Flump wrote: ↑01 Nov 2024, 08:45

bennie wrote: ↑30 Oct 2024, 10:50

Yes he was. It seemed too good to be true because Evangelista could actually fight and sure enough, a few days before the main event, Evangelista was out and in came the hapless Mulindwa. This became a habit with the Cartel. From memory, Bruno was lined up to fight Randall "Tex" Cobb, Trevor Berbick and Greg Page at various times in his career (and there are others) but all those opponents were replaced by gimmes. I know fights fall through but it seemed to happen an awful lot with Bruno, usually with the posters up and the tickets sold.

Thanks bennie, and to big Frank's long term detriment I suspect, those guys would have given him a run.

No worries, mate. As you say, Evangelista is a decent test for Bruno when they were scheduled to fight, although Bruno probably wins in the middle rounds. Greg Page is a bigger test, of course, but I still fancy Bruno because Page was so lazy. I don't think Bruno stops Page. Cobb definitely goes the distance. Berbick was past his best when he and Bruno were scheduled to meet in 1987 but he also goes the distance and makes it more interesting than the others.

Agreed with all that. Another Bruno fight that got away, through no fault of his own, was versus Mercer in Hong Kong. Pity that card collapsed, would have been a good one.

John L Gardner, Neville Meade, Gordon Ferris, David Pearce, Noel Quarless - Bruno would have stopped all of them without much fuss. As for Horace Notice, the fight would never have happened because he was in the same stable as Bruno.