Frank Bruno vs Tim Witherspoon Heavyweight championship of the world official on-site programme also featuring Mark Kaylor vs Tony Cerda and Michael Watson vs Simon Collins, 19th July 1986, Wembley Stadium, London.

Condition excellent

Witherspoon W TKO 11
Kaylor W TKO 6
Watson KO 1

With the crowd in rapturous form, Bruno started well. The pace was really quite frenetic. There was no way this fight was going to go the distance. The question was, who would last better? Witherspoon was far from unbeatable. He had lost, in a brilliant effort it must be said, to all-time great Larry Holmes back in his first attempt at becoming a world champ, in 1983. He had also lost, on points, to Pinklon Thomas. So he could be beaten. He had never been stopped though and his chin was known to be very reliable. As for Bruno, he had been stopped, once, in his only loss. This had come in crushing fashion against one of Tim’s vanquished foes, the big punching James “Bonecrusher” Smith. While a mile ahead on points, Bruno had been caught in the tenth and final round and beaten to brutal defeat. He had also been extremely badly shaken in a winning effort against Floyd “Jumbo” Cummings. Was Frank’s chin his only vulnerability, or was his stamina questionable also? We found out in round eleven.

Witherspoon, despite not having an aesthetically pleasing a body as Bruno, was a far more natural fighter. He was very well equipped in the ability to relax in the ring. Frank, on the other hand, was very tight. The size of the occasion perhaps adding to his tension, Bruno was running on empty after ten rounds. He had acquitted himself well in these rounds, but one had the sense that Witherspoon was biding his time, sure that the muscle bound Bruno would hit the wall eventually. This was indeed the case. In round eleven, both guys connected with big right hands to the head. Tim, however, held his punch much better than Frank - whose chin, along with his stamina, proved to be somewhat suspect. This combination of fatigue and a less than granite jaw was too much for the challenger. He crumbled into a corner and Witherspoon, pounding away at a barely standing target, gave the referee, Isidro Rodriguez, no choice but to dive in. Tim was still the WBA heavyweight champion. Britain would have to wait a while longer yet before it’s drought was ended.

Price: £30

Frank Bruno was born in Hammersmith, London. 16th November 1961. After losing 3 world heavyweight title attempts, being stopped in 11 rounds by Tim Witherspoon at Wembley Stadium in 1986, and in five by Mike Tyson in Las Vegas in 1989, self managed he lost in 7 rounds to Lennox Lewis in Cardiff in 1993 and the distressing manner of his defeat led to calls for his retirement. After switching to be promoted by Frank Warren, whose American associate Don King controlled the new WBC champion Oliver McCall. Finally at the age of 33 at the fourth time of asking he would become Heavyweight champion of the world after defeating McCall - PTS 12 Wembley Stadium. His reign didn’t last. In his first defence he was bludgeoned to one-sided defeat by mike Tyson and retired because of an eye condition 6 months later.