Gary Mason !

Gary sadly died in a road accident in January 2012..knocked over by a van whilst on his bike.
I was a fan.he was solid but limited very slow but durable and powerful...think Frank Bruno but slower but more durable.Would never have beaten the top guys but was deffo top 10 contender..unlucky to run in Lennox as he probably couldve beaten some of the other top ten contenders at the time....quit due to eye damage and also being a bright fella he reckoned to make money outside the ring...sadly business ventures failed and he lost his job on sky tv as a pundit for swearing on air...shame as he was v good...a thoroughly likeable man and a solid fighter who was slightly below championship level..but only just.

 

I tend to think of the likes of Mason as 'old-school' heavyweights - guys who relied on lots of strength, power, toughness and guts basically. Unfortunately for him he ran into Lewis, but he fought reasonably well.
I always wanted to see him versus Bruno, and they fought in the same era so with a bit of luck and timing, such a fight could have been made.

 

Mason v Bruno never on the cards as they were handled by the same people..Terry Lawless etc..their methods were lots of low risk fights whilst looking for the big pay day...nothing wrong with that i suppose...they would never have let mason v bruno happen...had it have happened it wouldve been a heavyweight version of benn v eubank in terms of appeal.
A 50-50 fight too.

 

No, Mason although quite popular amongst the hardcore for his decent analysing and sad early death, was no where near as popular as the Bomber.

He got the dates on Sportsnight which gave him some fan recognition, but his plodding, earnest style did not catch the imagination.

If the match had happened it would of been a big event just because Bruno against a contender was always big in this Country.

As for the match, if it had happened Bruno would of won, as Lawless would not of risked his cash cow losing to a stable mate.

That the match did not happen, in part because the timing was out, suggests it would of been close. I think Bruno would of busted Mason up for a mid round stoppage, but the longer the fight went on the greater Mason's chances.

 

Gary Mason was a decent heavyweight having only lost once to Lewis. I spoke to him a few times after seeing him around Carshalton. A very likeable guy, his funeral was packed at All Saints, lots of the boxing fraternity came along despite it being a rainy cold day. A great champion.

 

Lewis said in his book that he hit harder than anyone he faced.
Lack of speed limited Gary...but he wouldnt have been a pushover for anyone.

 

Mason was not always in the best of shape, but he normally paced himself well. That said the matches with Bigfoot and Wills were ordeals to watch, as Mason soon run out of ideas when he could not get the job done early. There were also times in the Biggs fight were you figured he was struggling stamina wise.

 

I remember Gary Mason, him Big Frank and Horace Notice were the top three Brits late 80s I think. He looked massive even against Lewis and it was a shame about the eye as once Tyson was off the scene I am sure he would have got a shot at one of the belts.
I think he had a jewellery shop didn't he, even when he was a pro fighter?

 

"Fukk, where's my tie?"

 

Radio Interview

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN48Xwys5Zo


obituary - http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2011/jan/07/gary-mason-obituary


Funeral

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SdqEKdiwTk

As Tbooze said, his dedication could be wanting but he was a tough cookie. Was in the shadow of Frank Bruno somewhat. A nice bloke by all accounts

 

I saw a few fights of his on TV,and as far as I know he was never put down as a pro.Beat Tyrell Biggs and a few other good menWas giving a fair account against Lennox but so did Bruno.Regarding stamina,sometimes seemed to be flagging in fights,but seemed to recover well and get through it.Reasonably fast hands though slowish afoot and a good puncher.Appeared on the Gladiators show and did well on it.He was a witty man and as said came across as a nice character.Horrible what happened to him.