Frank Bruno faced some of the biggest punchers the heavyweight division has ever hosted, including Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.
Over the course of history, there have been many revered punchers in the division, not least the likes of, Tyson who stopped his first 19 opponents inside the first six rounds, and Lewis, whose solid right hand and 32 knockouts from 41 wins led him to becoming undisputed champion.
Bruno – who became a world champion at the fourth time of asking – lost twice to Tyson, first in the fifth round in their 1989 bout and then in the third in ’96. Sandwiched in between was ‘The Battle of Britain’ with Lewis in ’93, which ended in Lewis’ favour after seven thrilling rounds.
Despite those early finishes, he picked neither when he was asked to name the best puncher he ever faced by the Ring Magazine. Instead, he went with James “Bonecrusher” Smith, an American who held the WBA heavyweight title from 1986 to 1987.
“Smith had a hard punch and he was strong. This was one of my hardest fights. 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.”
Bruno was undefeated in 21 when he faced Smith, who handed him his first career defeat. Part of an impressive generation, Smith also faced Tyson, along with Larry Holmes twice and Michael Moorer. He hung up the gloves with 44 wins, 32 by stoppage, and 17 losses.
