BoxRec

Bugner came back again in the 80's ...taking on Winston Allen a hard punching welshman...... Allen butted Joe in the third causing a cut and the furious Bugner unleashed a cracking righthand to floor Allen (why didnt Joe get angry more often? the fight was stopped maybe prematurely ?

next up was a 5 rd tko (cuts) of another tough british boxer Eddie Neilson

after that Bugner produced his most explosive performance steaming into over the hill veteran Dino Dennis.... the overhand right that retired Dennis was probably one of Joe's hardest punches


While this was going on ...Frank Bruno was making a spectacular job of blowing away hapless victims

the stage was set for a showdown BRUNO V BUGNER

but when would it happen ?

Brunos team decided to pit their man against Bugners recent opps (what better way to build up the hype and put pressure on Bugner)

first up was Allen ....

he caught bruno with his trademark left but bruno took it and then stopped Allen with a blistering barrage in the 2nd (1 nil to FRank)

next Eddie Nielson was cut and destroyed by bombs in 3 rounds

the form was there

but we had to wait a good few more years before the two biggest names in Brit heavyweight boxing would finally meet at White Heart Lane... bugner by this time (at the end of the 80's) was known as Aussie Joe

and the rest is history

I rememebr watching Bugner-Bruno on TV back then, some 40,000 people were in the stadium and Bruce Wilis + Demi Moore themselves were there at ringside.

Bugner was a survivor. He had a very good defence and was rarely stopped. Bruno was a big puncher with poor stamina who often lostb the plot once tagged cleanly late on. It would have been a great fight. Bruno ahead on points would have found himself in deep water late on in the fight.

I was there that night, which was great, the only downside was some Police who were going around on horseback like they thought they were in Braveheart or something... being a bit merry at the end of the night I almost got run over by one of them and was told by its rider in no uncertain terms to 'eff off home!'.... happy days!! 8)

At his peak Bugner would have been more than a match for Bruno, IMO.

I saw him fight a few times in the flesh when he was starting out and even at that stage it was clear that he was capable of making something of himself - strong and athletic looking. I don't know how badly he was affected by the death of Ulric Regis but you have to assume that it had some impact.

I know I now risk being "abused" by Henry's fans in saying that I thought Bugner won their fight, and while I would admit that it was close enough to go either way it certainly wasn't the worst decision I've ever seen, as Cooper then spent the next ten+ years claiming it was!

When you look at the fighters Bugner took on - Ali and Frazier most notably - you have to give the guy some credit. Unfortunately he rarely gets it....perhaps a fall out from the Cooper fight, perhaps because he often seemed to not quite give all he had? But then again, like an earlier post said, he's survived and good luck to him

J

I was at a party at a mates house that night and for the fight everything stopped so everyone could watch it on TV.

As I didn't pull that night I got soooooooo drunk!!!!