This was the acid test for big Frank. Actually, not looking so big for once along side Cummings who was one of the few that could compare with Bruno's excellent physique.
When Frank was asked by Harry Carpenter post fight "Do you remember the right hand that hit you " Frank said "what right hand," maybe Frank thought we hadn't noticed, bless him.
I have a bit of a soft spot for Frank Bruno as is evident by the uploads. I admire him in lots of ways. As a youth he was on the road to nowhere, the path of least resistance. He was a big strong lad and as so often is the case the streets and his own bad decisions had given him a chip on his shoulder.. He was looking straight ahead.. one road, and what was at the end of it wasn't a disciplined character let alone a world heavyweight champion. Something had to give.. Frank Bruno looked at himself and changed his attitude and his life, most would be worthy of our respect for that alone.
He was given an opportunity, a path to something more meaningful, he embraced it wholeheartedly.
Was there an harder trainer..possibly not. He was loyal to those around him, those who had trained him and shown faith in him, even when being labelled an "Uncle Tom", ( by folk who REALLY had compromised themselves ) Shame on you!! After two big losses, Frank could have killed two birds with one stone.. by changing his team and surround himself with people who would remove that tag.. he didn't. And by the way, how basic and cruel can people be!! Frank dealt with all of that really well, better than most would have. The constant questioning of his stamina, his chin, how immobile he was etc etc. Did he have occasions when the old delinquent inside told him to lash out, or tell them to %$£ off, I am sure he did. As they say, you never lose the streets in you...
The loses will have hurt. Thankfully, most of Britain loved Frank, We knew his flaws, but equally, we knew he had the goods, he just needed to put it all together in one big fight.
He had the power, he had the belief and more importantly he had the bottle to get up again. He would put the criticisms and disappointments aside.. glue back the pieces of that shattered image in his mind and go back at it.
The taunts still came as Bruno knew they would, but he was man enough. Then, one amazing and emotional night in September 1995, that dream was realised. How many belts does it take to make a champion... A few thousand in this case!!
Most of the very emotional post fight interview was Frank crying and thanking all those that had stuck by him, and pleading to be believed that he "loved his people" and "wasn't an uncle Tom". He had just won the World heavyweight title, yet that slur was forefront in his mind.. Just shows how much that accusation hurt him.
Where Frank stands in boxing's hall of fame is largely irrelevant, where Frank stands in the minds of other human beings is much more import.. He was/is an inspiration. A testament to never giving up, amid all the negative scrutiny and cruel jibes. He had a loyalty that would make him a target for numb-nuts opportunists searching for any way to undermine him. In my mind Frank, winning the World heavyweight title is the least of your achievements.. and that's saying something.
22 дек 2022
