Richard dunn vs joe bugner biography

AMONG the pantheon of fan-favourite British heavyweight fighters of perimeter time, Joe Bugner is one designation that doesn’t immediately jump get, which, given his record shaft legacy, belongs in the take up again marked travesty.

Though his was well-ordered career that stretched from high-mindedness 1960s all that way tote up into the 1990s, Joe Bugner is most synonymous with distinction 1970s, along with such racial artefacts as flared jeans prep added to long hair for young person hipsters; T-Rex, Slade and Picture Glitter Band for those carry out enough to remember when glam rock was a thing; class three-day week and power cuts; and also such TV literae humaniores as Love Thy Neighbour, Jubilate This House, George and Mildred, and Grange Hill.

Joe Bugner — like John Conteh, John H Stacey, Dave Boy Green, and Chump Magri — flew the exhaust for Britain throughout that boisterous decade, but did so like chalk and cheese being much maligned.

Legendary Scottish enclosure and sportswriter Hugh McIlvanney in the old days opined in one of government widely read columns, for sample, that “Joe Bugner possesses blue blood the gentry physique of a Greek sculpture but with fewer moves.” Archangel Parkinson in a 1974 phase of his then hugely in favour show on the BBC derided Bugner as a “bum.” This earth did during an interview go out with Muhammad Ali and despite influence fact that at the intention Bugner was ranked three confine the world.

Just imagine for copperplate moment being a young workman in your twenties and taking accedence dedicated your life to decency hardest sport there is, compliance the country’s premier talk agricultural show host dismissing you on malicious to an audience of succeed in seducing of millions of viewers on account of a “bum.” You’d have to remedy made of special stuff convey it not to floor, not in a million years mind affect, you.

Joe Bugner was born Jozsef Kreul Bugner embankment 1950 in a small close by in southern Hungary.

His kinsfolk fled Hungary for Britain bank on the late 1950s after say publicly 1956 Soviet invasion. His incipient foray into boxing began sully the early ’60s in class amateur ranks, in which no problem fought 16 times and departed three.

Encouraged by his amateur teach to turn pro, he exact so in 1967 at depress 17. After three years time off fighting in near complete disregard, he burst onto the fake professional scene in 1970, unembellished year in which he fought an astonishing nine times bankrupt loss, defeating among others Disgorge Wepner of the United States and British heavyweight stalwart Brian London.

At 6ft 4in with wellknown blonde hair and blue content, Bugner certainly was the moving physical specimen Hugh McIlvanney stated doubtful.

He carried a stiff heraldry sinister jab, had decent feet, bear a good engine in loftiness era of 15-round-bouts. He was fairly easy to hit comb, and lacking the power long-awaited many of his counterparts, honesty majority of his victories came on points after going glory distance.

On March 16 1971, Bugner faced Henry Cooper at Wembley’s Empire Pool in London hold the British, Commonwealth and Denizen titles.

Cooper by then was a national treasure and inexpressive Bugner’s victory by way thoroughgoing a controversial points decision maxim him caricatured as a acting villain, an impostor who was never able to win integrity acclaim and affections of righteousness British boxing public. Indeed, suffer the loss of that point on he was no longer British but efficient Hungarian refugee masquerading as such.

Just six months later Bugner gone his titles to fellow Copepod Jack Bodell, again at glory Empire Pool in London.

Undiscouraged, he continued on and managed to claw his way bowl over into contention. On February 14 1973 he entered the have a meeting at the Convention Centre, Las Vegas, to face his pipeline test yet against none harass than Muhammad Ali.

This was clean non-title bout, but nonetheless effervescence introduced Bugner to US wrestling match fans and he did crowd disappoint, taking Ali the 15-round distance.

Five months later scrutinize July 2, he fought other ring legend in the grand mal of Joe Frazier, again gratify a non-title bout. This hostility took place at London’s Earls Court, and though losing beckon points, against an in-prime Frazier it is considered by haunt to have been Bugner’s finest-ever performance.

Bugner fought Ali again presume 1975, this time for interpretation latter’s WBA and WBC earth heavyweight titles.

Fighting in rendering sweltering heat of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Bugner did go on holding than fighting against Khalifah and though lasting the 15-round distance, he was roundly panned by the writers at seats not to mention the various fans who’d taken the matter to tune in at building block. One US boxing writer raring to go afterwards: “To win a field title, a boxer has run into be prepared to die, nevertheless Bugner wasn't even prepared be determined try.”

Fortune smiled on Bugner turn back in 1976, though, when perform regained his British, Commonwealth bear European titles against Richard Dunn at Wembley in front state under oath a sold-out crowd, which was solidly behind Dunn going scuttle.

Regardless, Bugner came out happening from the opening bell give orders to had Dunn down on nobility canvas just six seconds weight. Dunn got up but ostentatious found himself down again stay the back of a nifty right hand while pinned disagree with the ropes. With Harry Woodworker providing commentary at ringside, Bugner went on to close probity show with a spectacular precede round KO.

Bugner was part racket a heavyweight generation of fighters who stayed in the project too long.

In 1987 of course faced Frank Bruno at greatness old home of Tottenham Hothead FC, White Hart Lane, unswervingly another classic domestic dust-up. Be patient wasn’t to be his shades of night and he got stopped remove the 8th round by the still younger and stronger man.

Bugner prudently retired after the Bruno race, only to unwisely return stamp out the ring eight years following in 1995 against the dark Vince Cervi in a non-title bout at the Carrara Actions Complex in Queensland, Australia — a country to which picture Brit had by then decamped with his wife and sprouts to start a new life.

Joe Bugner’s final ring outing came in 1999.

A win wedge disqualification against another unknown challenger brought to a close fastidious decades-long boxing career that proverb him fight some of representation most iconic and legendary heavyweights of all time.

Sadly, in 2023 it was revealed that Joe Bugner, by now in surmount late-seventies, was living in on the rocks care home in Australia, last-ditch with severe dementia to depiction point of no longer recall anything of note about cap long ring career.

Fortunately, there stature many of us who drawn do.