Frank Bruno took plenty of heavy fire during his storied boxing career in the 1980s and 1990s, not least against legends of the sport such as Mike Tyson.
However, it is not Tyson that he has named as the hardest hitter he ever faced, despite losing to him twice by stoppage.
Bruno’s career had plenty of ups and downs. It was at the fourth attempt that he managed to win a world title in emotional fashion and much to the delight of his many adoring fans.
That fight for the WBC heavyweight title came at Wembley Stadium in 1995 when he defeated Oliver McCall. It was the icing on the cake of a great career that had seen his grit and sportsmanship make him a firm fan favourite.
Before that night, the popular Londoner had also faced and beaten the likes of Carl Williams and Joe Bugner but lost to Lennox Lewis – a man he recently admitted was the only man he faced that he truly disliked.
Speaking to The Business Excellence Channel, Bruno was asked which heavyweight had hit him the hardest and he went with a man who beat him for the WBA title at Wembley Stadium in 1986.
“A guy called Tim Witherspoon that I fought. Yeah, 15 rounds he was a dangerous man.”
Witherspoon was a sparring partner of Muhammad Ali’s and a two-time heavyweight champion, the Bruno eleventh round knockout marking his second short-lived reign which ended in his next bout against James Smith.
‘Terrible’ Tim fought on until 2003, eventually hanging up the gloves with a record of 55 wins from 69 fights, 38 by way of knockout.
