Image by Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock
The slow, booming beat of Frank Bruno’s (40-5, 38 KOs) laugh is recognizable to almost everyone in Britain, like a national institution akin to fish and chips, tea, or the collection of things we stole from the rest of the world when we were a superpower. It crashed its way into the public consciousness throughout the 1990’s as Bruno became a lovable public personality and a crossover star whom few have managed to match since.
Bruno separated himself from the rest of the boxing world in Britain. He was viewed by many as a muscle-bound teddy bear out of the ring, endearing to the nth degree, and hyped as a killer inside it. Over the years, his hype crumbled and he was exposed as a hard-hitting fighter with stamina issues and an inability to win against the very best.
In Britain, where the underdog is clutched onto like precious metals, Bruno’s inability to scale the heights of his hype and the top of the heavyweight division was a big part of what made him so popular. His vulnerabilities were what people latched on to. He seemed human. And he seemed even more human when he faced a public meltdown, was sectioned, and then diagnosed with bipolar disorder. All of this happened in 2003, so it is all the more disturbing to see that Bruno, aged 54, is trying to stage a comeback.
Bruno made his intentions known on ITV’s This Morning, with Phillip Schofield, of all people, representing the voice of reason and questioning whether this was a good idea. Apparently Bruno was spurred on by hearing Hearn say that Anthony Joshua (15-0, 15 KOs) would knock him out in a couple rounds. Hearn originally said this in regard to a fantasy matchup of the two meeting in the early stages of their career. Bruno took this personally and said he doesn’t like to be “mugged off” by these younger fighters.
Thankfully, the BBBofC agreed with Schofield–I assume he sits in on all their major decisions–and let Bruno know that should he apply for a licence it will be rejected. Dave Davies, Frank’s agent, has already confirmed that they will respect BBBofC’s decision. Let’s hope that this is the end of this ill-fated, and utterly ridiculous idea.
But it raised the question, for me, of why this would ever be considered? Bruno’s poor mental health wasn’t the reason he retired in the first place. He suffered a severe eye injury, caused by Mike Tyson in Bruno’s final fight, and was advised to retire on the basis that he ran the risk of suffering permanent blindness.
Of course, being diagnosed with bipolar disorder only served to confirm that Bruno should never return to a boxing ring. Perhaps this was Bruno going through a manic phase, and it’s a shame that this played out in public, but what concerns me is the idea that someone close to him didn’t shut this down straight away. His agent said he’d respect the decision of the BBBofC, but surely Bruno’s team should be praising the board for halting such terrible plans?
Perhaps this has all come to pass because Bruno has money worries. It wouldn’t be of much surprise to hear of another retired boxer planning to return because they’re in need of a cash injection. But a healthy, stable Frank Bruno is a British treasure, and there will surely always be opportunities for TV, radio and public appearances for the former WBC heavyweight champion.
Instead we get to hear of Bruno’s plans to take the heavyweight division by storm, at the ripe old age of 54, with eye injuries and mental health problems. If this train wreck had ever made it to the ring, it would have made Roy Jones Jr in 2016 look like the actual Roy Jones Jr, or James Toney look like he hadn’t eaten ten James Toney’s and got in the ring looking to cure a bout of indigestion. This was a farce too distasteful for even boxing to stomach, and when you look into the cold stare of a Jermain Taylor that was licenced to fight after suffering a brain bleed, that’s saying something.
Carl Froch recently suggested that fighters should be stopped from fighting at a certain age. There was a mixed response to this idea, but at least we’d never have to entertain these ridiculous comeback attempts. Sure, the BBBofC did the right thing. But what if Bruno tried to get a licence elsewhere? There are plenty of boxing bodies around the world that would take the bait and let this farce gain some steam. Let’s hope Bruno doesn’t think of that.
