Why was Frank Bruno more popular than Lennox Lewis among British boxing fans?

And of course, you were nothing in the 80s without a Spitting Image puppet; so here is Frank and 'arry talking tactics for the first Tyson fight! (ex Footballers Ian St John and Jimmy Greaves (Saint & Greavsie) front the report).

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The overwhelming core of Frank"s popularity over Lewis"s or on its own .........Frank was just a thoroughly lovable character...as gentlemanly,polite and likable a human as you could meet.....he had the thick London accent...he was on the free BBC.......his double act with Harry Carpenter also helped give him iconic status.

Frank is a British cultural icon...were it not for his sad decline in the early 2000"s into drug abuse...he probably would have been knighted.....imho he still should be....in the very early 1980s he was along with Lenny Henry and a dozen or so footballers..part of a new wave of Black British kids abd he was probably Britains most beloved sportsman of the time.

Lewis was respected and had a not insignificant following amongst Brits but during the first 12 years of his career he was a very quiet low key reserved character..when he did occasionaly speak he came across as aloof even arrogant.Calling Frank a Uncle Tom didnt help his cause at the time.

Its also very much on cue other factors such as developing in Canada...winning a olympic gold for them not Britain..his at the time North American accent...it took time for him to be fully embraced as he has been the last 2 decades

 

Lennox never embraced his inner Britishness. Fought for Canada in the Olympics and IIRC lived in Maryland most of his career (maybe still?).

 

To non Boxing fans in the UK, Bruno was far more relatable. He sort of grew up in front of the camera, especially the afore mentioned double act with Harry Carpenter which saw his confidence grow to the point he was a huge family favourite.
Lewis has always been shy and socially awkward. He really shouldn't have even tried to market himself, just fight and the acclaim would have come as it eventually has done.
Most Boxing fans, rather than the variety fringe that Frank attracted, were Lewis fans. There was no Blarney, he was the real thing. On the way up he was rolling over good domestic guys like Glenn McCrory and Gary Mason while Bruno's opponents were being dug up.
I was an amateur Boxer during Bruno's rise and can promise you that the mention of his name in our gym, and probably any other than the Royal Oak in Canning Town, would provoke an instant groan.

 

Because Lennox liked Britain but loved Canada.

 

that’s interesting. Not being from Britain I wasn’t aware that Bruno had the love of the people over Lennox. I wonder if that still holds true today now that both of their careers are over

 

Some people have eluded to it already, and I am sure others are speaking bollocks, but the truth is the Brits considered Lewis Canadian, and liked even Gary Mason over him.

 

He was better looking.

 

Bruno looked a lot smaller in that ad.

 

Did you cry when Tyson beat him?

 

Did you ever hear of a guy called Howard Henlan a heavyweight from Birmingham

 

Cracking post.

I think to put a lot of it in perspective, it wasn't as much a case of Lewis being unpopular (although he struggled to get over for the reasons stated above). Bruno was just exceptionally popular, in a way that is difficult to properly explain for people who were not in the country at that time. He was one of a handful of sportsmen who crossed over into the mainstream, and was truly a product of his times. His was a persona that Middle England at the time was comfortable with; he was the black man that white audiences would be happy to have as their next door neighbour or mate down the pub.

At the time, people lapped it up when Bruno played the buffoon with Harry Carpenter. Looking back it's less than comfortable viewing when we consider Bruno's issues over the years. Lewis was never able or willing to play that role, and unlike Benn or Eubank he was unable to establish a different persona that resonated with the British public.

The 80s/90s distinction is an interesting and important one. The shift of boxing away from terrestrial television had a huge impact on those who did not have the benefit of using it as a springboard for their careers. Warren's mid 90s Sky model was based on using stars who had already built their name on BBC and ITV, and the next wave after that really struggled to build their profile in the same way; Hatton being the notable and perhaps only exception before the rise of social media.

 

Haha not quite, but felt quite deflated for the day. Probably my first disappointment as a boxing fan.

 

I wonder how differently Bruno's career would have gone had he beaten Lewis.

 

I’ve met Frank numerous times and cannot stress that you couldn't meet more of a gentleman. He has time for everyone and speaks to them all the same from little kids to fellow pros. Loveable loser maybe, but he held the WBC Heavyweight strap and I’ll say this.. If Wilder fought against Bruno career opposition he’d probably have a lesser record thank Frank...