Frank Bruno vs. Ricky Hatton

I'd say Bruno. Everyone and their nan knows who Frank Bruno is. Not only was he a big star when boxing was more mainstream, he was hugely popular and frequent on all the various talk shows, etc, as well as all the tv adverts he was in (HP, Persil).

Though my mum did shock me the other day when she asked (out of the blue, and she never talks about boxing) if Ricky Hatton was still fighting.
She'd seen the Ali visit on the news and said Ricky looked like a fat little dumpling. :rofl

 

Frank Bruno

 

Bruno, definitely.

Boxing is less popular, but it isn't "niche". It still gets reported on all the major news outlets when someone high profile has a fight.

 

Frank Bruno by an absolute mile. Hell my mum knows who Frank Bruno is.

 

I've never warmed to Hatton because he played the public and beat up on smaller fighters. When he finally moved up he looked pretty average at times. When he moved up again to Elite level he got starched X2.

 

Yup, he had a lot of people fooled including myself.

 

More to the point though...... which one had the better Chin?

 

that's right, the pure definition of a fraud.
Bruno was limited, but at least didn't manipulate the braindead masses like Hatton did.

 

You've pretty much summed up Brunos career there as well.......

 

I'd say Bruno was more popular. The British sporting public loves a hard luck loser, which big Frank generally was for most of his career until he hit paydirt at the fourth attempt. Just being a heavyweight at a time when the UK was crying out for a decent one gave him a headstart. Add in "D'ya know what I mean Harry", the HP sauce ads and his big, cuddly Frank image and he became a national hero. By contrast, the British press and public generally distrust and are cynical towards a winner, making it their mission to tear them down. Look at the cynicism Lennox Lewis, a winner by anyone's standards, received and contrast that with the adulation Bruno got. Aside from Hatton and Calzaghe, look at the hating on Andy Murray, Lewis Hamilton, Man United etc... About the only exception to the rule is Freddie Flintoff!

 

It's Bruno by miles.

 

When he moved up to elite level, he took the genuine world title belt from a modern great. When he moved up to all-time great level he got starched fair enough but that isn't anything to be ashamed of.

You could say the same as the above for pretty much any British world champ or top contender of the last decade. Woods, Witter, Harrison, Arthur, Brodie, Eastman, to an extent Calzaghe. All looked good beating up on poor opposition at the start of their careers and average at times when they fought at world level (only Woods, Eastman and Calzaghe actually stepped up to elite level and only Calzaghe successfully).

 

I would say Bruno. However I don't think there's a lot in it, I remember leading up to the Mayweather fight all the guys at work were discussing it, basically repeating opinions they'd heard on ssn and passing them off as their own, these are guys whose knowledge begins and ends with knowing who Tyson is, all claiming to be big Hatton fans. On top of that I've had conversations with people I've met in the pub a few times, as soon as you say you don't follow football and you're into boxing they start talking about Hatton and asking you if you agree that he's the best thing since sliced muhammad ali brand bread, if you ask them whether they enjoyed such and such a fight they invariably clam up.

 

So because you thought he was better than he actually was, that's somehow his fault?

Bottom line, there were a lot of British world champions/top contenders who took on worse opposition for longer than Hatton did during his WBU days. He at least took on several 10-20 level guys and Tackie who was top 10. Look at Junior Witter. For the five years between the Judah and Ndou fights he beat up on a load of garbage, none of whom would even have made the world top 50. Look at Clinton Woods' opposition up until he fought Jones. Both of them looked a million dollars beating up on nobodies, ony to be in for a much tougher time when they eventually stepped up.

Hatton beat better fighters than these guys did and sought better challenges and yet you never hear anyone calling them "frauds" or accusing them of "fooling the public". Of course that's probably because nobody outside the boxing hardcore gives a toss about them. But, hey, it's not his fault he's popular.

 

You not got the message yet ****** boy? Your lies are not going to be swallowed by true boxing fans, however much you try to tarnish people's names by arguing black is which!