Frank Bruno thinks there is one man who stands tall as the greatest boxer of all time.
Bruno is one of the most loved British sportsmen of his era. After his career, he transcended the sport and became a national treasure because of what he achieved in the ring and how he did it.
The Londoner famously had four shots at the world title and eventually lifted it on the final occasion when he beat Oliver McCall, having also fought the likes of Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.
One man he never fought but did meet was Muhammad Ali. Speaking to Channel 5 News shortly after the American legend’s death in 2016, Bruno was asked what made him special.
“It’s a combination of so many different things, his looks, his charisma, his boxing, he could fight, he could box. He had a lot of determination and willpower and psychology he used on boxers. But he was a very intelligent, one of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet. Very intelligent guy as well, very powerful.”
He was then asked if Ali – who once wrote Bruno a letter full of praise – really was the greatest in the ring, as the man himself often claimed.
“Yeah, I think so, to be honest, all ways round, he could box, he could fight, he could suss you out, most definitely all ways round. There’s some boxers have got power, there’s some boxers have got speed, there’s some boxers who’ve got skill, he had everything.”
