The great Frank Bruno Myth

It's also not as if Bruno had Tyson reeling from post to post either. It was a brief moment that was magnified by it's rarity.

 

I agree with JT. It was a good shot, but although stunned it's not like Bruno had him on ***** street, and Tyson recovered fairly qucikly.

My personal favorite "Bruno myth" is that he had a glass jaw. He didn't.

 

Another thing that a lot of folks have forgotten is that Bruno was rabbit punching quite a bit in there and doing whatever he could just to survive.


Still, I happen to like Bruno and always felt he was a very good fighter.

 

So china chinned that Tyson couldnt floor him (albeit a flash KD)? Tyson must have been feather fisted then :yep

 

Bruno had good size, good skills, and good power. If he did not have the skills, or power, he does not stun and rock Tyson.

Bruno's main problem was lack of confidence, and somewhat shaky long-term stamina.

In the Tyson vs Bruno fight, I think Bruno saw a sports psychologist before the fight , and his corner had to give him a pep talk that he " could it "


Buster Douglas was focused and confident when he meet Tyson. He was in the ring not only to win for himself, but for his mother who recently passed away.

 

If Tyson had rocked Bruno like that in the first, he woulda followed up instantly and finished him. Bruno froze at the big important moments. Gotta take advantage of those opportunities. Douglas did.

 

After watching the first Tyson/Bruno fight I thought Tyson could be beaten and two fights later he was.

 

Well I would be willing to bet at odds of 35/1 , that you did not call the Douglas fight.:yep

 

are you mad....lennox lewis couldnt even drop him. and your calling him glass jawed:huh

he can take punishment but cant stop them form hitting him. he would either freeze or try and clinch. and his clinching skills were very poor more of him hugging on to them bending over in which an uppcercut would smack him righ ton the chops and he would have to repeat this process to have a chance.

 

Bruno's chin wasn't the best, but it was far from glass jawed. Overall, I'm high on the prime Frank Bruno. I'm talking about the way he was when he knocked out Gerrie Coetzee in 1984. I liked Bruno's fast hands, excellent punching power, overawing physical size and strength, and his stand-up boxer/puncher style. Bruno's jab was excellent.

This is not to say that Bruno lacked weaknesses...he did have his flaws. But they did not prevent him from being a bonafide top 10 contender.

I also believe that Bruno was less good of a fighter later in his career, when he beefed up to around 245 lbs. That made Bruno more muscle bound in my opinion.

 

Bruno, as mentioned, had confidence issues that actually stemmed from being beaten by his father when he was a child.

 

Bruno's power was immense, what was his KO percentage again? better than all his contemporaries i'd wager

 

I did sometimes used to wonder weather Frank's extremely muscled physique was to blame for his "Going Rigid" when caught with a good shot - not his chin, as Frank usually had to take quite a few "full Bloodieds" to actually introduce him to the floor, but wondered if this type of Physique does not have the ability to absorb good shots as a more normally fat covered muscled fighter might have ?
I remember years ago Buster Douglas, Knocking down Big Mike Williams (a Bruno Build Type) with a Jab ! Weaver and Norton also had problems on occassion holding a big shot, in Norton's case it may of been physcological to a degree, and of course its no disgrace after being caught on the button by such as Shavers and Foreman. Just a thought but on reflection i do not thing Frank's Chin - if viewed in isolation was that Bad compared to many others (Trevor Berbick got Flattened by Bernardo Marcado it can happen with the juggernaughts )

As for Franks Stamina Issues, Again i suspect that Physique had something to do with it, also a contributory factor my be Franks burning of Energy through Mental/emotional Pressure, it must of been a Burden for Frank, that in Every big fight he had the Hopes and Desires of a whole nation weighing on his shoulders, where as his american opponent was simply fighting for himself Family and Friends, Much Much less Pressure.

Frank was Far from Perfect, By here was also not as bad as is often cited.