April 1988 issue, should Bruno have been in this top 10? Spinks was the ring mag champ at this time. Mike Tyson Evander Holyfield Tony Tucker Tim Witherspoon Pinklon Thomas Carl Williams Trevor Berbick Adilson Rodrigues Tyrell Biggs Mike Weaver
Is this before or after the Witherspoon fight ( I think its after). You could make a case he's somewhere near the bottom based on how he was doing well against Witherspoon (#4 here) before being stopped. But since being stopped by Spoon his best win was an old Bugner.
Definitely after. He lost to Bugner in 86 I belive. Then didn't really fight anyone decent. I remember him knocking Chuck Gardner out cold and a massive uproar that Bruno was fighting absolute bums.
Four fights in 1987 against middle aged journeymen Tillis, Gross, Gardner and Bugner probably wasn’t enough to argue his case. Then inactivity really hurt him as he waited for the Tyson fight
Funny, Bruno was ranked by other mags (Boxing Illustrated, KO) throughout 1988 and into the 1989 Tyson fight, but Ring was having none of it and didn't rank him in any issue (that I could see) during this period.
Ring Mag got it right that time. I remember the Mag rating Spinks their lineal champ. That was when Tyson had all the belts and basically had kod everyone decent. But they stuck to their guns despite what some said and kept Spinks as the champion. The old, man who beat the man who etc..
And, if I recall correctly, Tyson and his management (Cayton & Jacobs, etc.) at the time agreed with Ring.