If Bruno Had Being A Contender In The 1940 s?

Well, there wasn't a lot of activity in the heavyweight class in England at the time because World War II was going on. Some British heavys managed to get out of fighting in the war and still box. Bruce Woodcock being one. Not sure how that happened.

Anyway, Joe Louis wasn't really defending his title from 1942 to 1946. Just a couple title fights for Miltary Relief efforts while he was in the service. So, if Frank Bruno was a contender in the late 1940s, and he got a shot, he'd be fighting the "older" Joe Louis who fought Conn, Mariello and Walcott.

And I could see Frank doing quite well against that older, slower, mostly jabbing version of Louis. But I don't see Joe taking on a monster like Bruno at that stage in his career. Conn and Mauriello were former light heavys.

So, Big Frank would probably be fighting Woodcock for the vacant title, and I could see Frank obliterating him to win BBBofC recognition as champ, while Charles and Walcott fought for the vacant title in the States.

If Joe, in his comeback, decided to fight Bruno (like Joe fought Lee Savold) in 1951, I think Bruno beats Joe.

The question is really how would Frank Bruno do against Joe's successors, Charles and Walcott.

That would determine if title control went to the States and the IBC in the 1950s, which it did when Woodcock lost to Savold, or if Frank Bruno would've been able to defeat the likes of Charles and move the heavyweight title picture to the UK in the 1950s (which the British Boxing Board of Control desperately wanted).

 

Yes, Frank can beat some of those contenders. I mean those contenders fought each other multiple times often winning and losing against the same guys. They all got over losses and would win their next fight. Frank would be right in there with them. Win some. Lose some. I can’t see Frank standing out though just as a lot of those guys didn’t. These guys were all so competitive. Real professionals. For every Turkey Thompson or Pat Valentino that Bruno might beat he can also lose to a Joe Baxi or an Elmer Ray but perhaps beat them in a rematch too.

My big problem with Frank is that he won’t get opponents served up to him who were on their way out because you didn’t get a rating that way I the 1940s. A contender losing a fight was not automatically on the skids in the 1940s in the way a contender automatically was in the 1980s or 1990s.

Once Pinklon Thomas lost a fight he never beat a good fighter again. And it was not just Thomas. David Bey, Quick Tillis, john Tate, Tyrell Biggs, Razor Ruddock. That’s just how it was in the modern era, where there were promotional monopolies that sickened a fighter into accepting the role of has been.

So you could have a guy artificially feasting on these shells in a way that never happened in earlier eras. Bruno being one of them. Morrison being another. Talented guys.. but enhanced by the reluctance of the named guys they beat.

It was not like that in the 1940s. Just look at all those guys. Red Burman, Tony Musto, Lee Savold, Tami Mauriello, Lou Nova, Bob Pastor.. they would win a rematch and still beat rated fighters after losing title fights. They were tough. They all were. And they are not even the best ones.

In the 1940s Frank is only fighting guys with ambition. Guys who want to win. In real life those were the fights Frank never won.

 

I don't agree. Lou Nova never really beat anyone after 1941. He wasn't much of a threat to anyone after that. Mostly fought guys with 500 records. Lost to anyone rated.

I could see Bruno dominating the 1940s contenders as easily as he beat guys like Carl Williams, Pierre Coetzer, Gerrie Coetzee, Quick Tillis and Jose Ribalta. Buddy Baer may have posed the most significant threat. But Bruno would've been a HUGE threat to Baer, was well.

Lou "Yoga" Nova vs. Big Frank would've made for an interesting prefight buildup, however. Two quirky guys.

(Nova begins around the 8-minute mark)

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What a guy!