NOW THIS IS HOW YOU RECORD A BIG FIGHT! AN HOUR OF PREFIGHT STUFF THEN THE WHOLE FIGHT! I LOVE IT! I can tell you're a true boxing fan because i do the same thing when I record fights!
I met Tim this last Saturday and he is a absolute gent, so much time for the fans a real gentleman, also he was a very good boxer, two time HW champ man ;-)
Great upload, this was the fight that got me started in boxing. Here we are 26 years later and I had a great amateur career, turned pro and now head coach for my hometown,...... such nostalgia :)
Love ❤️ your story- I took up boxing 🥊 after getting started in 1st grade at age 5 with kids that were held back wanting to fight- joined a boxing team at age14/15 - Keep up good work- I want to help at local gym
I love the story that Witherspoon tells of the aftermath when disgruntled fans tried to bust down the door to get at him and but were instantly calmed by the sight of Muhammad Ali. Magic.
Those warped screens from video tape recordings are a part of our history! This is great stuff, a guy determined to salvage the best bits from his old VHS recordings before the very last player gets taken down to the tip.
Awesome extensive boxing lead up coverage to the fight indeed and I dare say one of the best telecast broadcast video I have seen of a heavyweight championship fight between Frank Bruno of England #1 Contender challenger for the heavyweight title vs.Tim Witherspoon USA WBA Heavyweight championship and considered to be an important fight of the 80's heavyweight division!! This video deserves an A+ rating or 4 star **** for great quality and complete boxing fight coverage.
Another occasion when collective delusion in Britain was exposed as such by a world class opponent. Frank, after several other devastating knock-outs, eventually found his true level in pantomime.
I was at this fight, ringside. And watching it today brings back a few memories. Mostly taking 4 hrs to get out of the damned car park after the fight. Okay Frank wasn't an out and out punching maniac and yes Witherspoon was not the greatest champion ever. But compared to modern HW boxing. This is still ten times better. Look what you have today Tyson Fury. And a whole bunch of show ponies.
This is excellent lots of build and takes me back to summer 1986. Bruno did pretty well against Terrible Tim - no shame in losing to a good champ. Tim Witherspoon was a mighty heavyweight and very skilled. Tim nearly stopped Larry Holmes in his first title match and was one of the best.
8:20 1986 : Bruno v Witherspoon Wembley Stadium Ringside seat £150 2024 Joshua v Dubois Wembley Stadium Ringside seat £4,000 ….yea I’ll find a stream and watch it at home then 👍🏻
Frank Bruno. Up There With Nelson And Winston Churchill As Far As I’m Concerned . A Great British Hero. Respect To Terrible Tim As Well. I’m 53 now . I Remember It All . GREAT POST !!!!!!!
I remember reading an interview where he claimed the same thing, interesting comment for a fighter to make for someone he beat but maybe a tacit admission that he saw that Bruno was not fighting to his strenghts...Witherspoon would have given a young Tyson or Lewis in the early 90's an interesting fight...
I wanted to see a Tyson Witherspoon fight. Did they pick Douglas because he fought tucker? Why not weaver, Witherspoon, broad, McCall. Anyone tougher than Douglas.
@@kriskalbfleisch5020 they picked douglas aa a filler fight for an increasingly distracted and problem beset Tyson. He hadnt already fought Douglas who had put together 3-4 good wins. Thats why he was chosen.....if Tyson had won he than would have had the 3 best contenders in the world Ruddock ,Foreman and Holyfield in his sights for the next year or so in that order....with a possible "easy" fight vs a Snipes or Adilson Rodriguez... in 1990 James Broad was not even in the top 25 in the world and Weaver was 38 and again long past title shot consideration...mccall was tysons sparring partner of several years in early 1990..and Douglas had just beat him...Witherspoon pretty much became a journeyman after Dec 1986...Don King blacklisted him...so no one would fight him...no money in it and dangerous....all quite convenient because apart from Foreman and Holyfield in the late 80s only a motivated and in shape Witherspoon could have presented a threat....by 1991 guys like bowe,lewis and mercer and morrison were around and refreshing the division..
Thanks for this, remember it well! Bruno was an under rated fighter, just like Bugner years before! He was in some good fights, the first Tyson fight was brutal ..... strange ... looking at today's heavyweights Bruno had good hand speed for such a big lad!
Bruno had a knockout punch like a kick from a heifer, but his defence was spotty (against top opponents, anyway), his stamina was suspect and his jaw was made of glass. Of his five defeats, three occured when he was running rings round his opponent for most of the fight, but was then turned into a shambling wreck with zero survival instinct by one big head punch. Once he was knocked bandy you could forget defence or clinching, Frank just stood there swaying, with his gloves around his waist and his chin stuck invitingly out like a diving board. Jumbo Cummings also had him (again with one single punch) on the verge of a knockout, but the bell saved him. Frank had heart, but he was lacking at the very top level. He was always at the top of the bottom or the bottom of the top. He only got a victory at world championship level in the end because Oliver McCall, a shambling, drug-addled wreck of a fighter, got lucky with Lennox Lewis being careless and cocky.
I was 10 and this was the year I fell in love with boxing.I also vividly remember the end of this recording and seeing my first glimpse of tyson here.the next few months after I caught tysons fights v ribalta,frazier,Ratliff,scaff,and berbick on it v, saw spinks tangstad, spoon v Smith, Biggs v hey, Joey bugners comeback fights in Australia, itv in the mid 80s really covered boxing
Frank had a couple of fundamental flaws; his stamina was questionable and he had no idea how to hold when hurt and it took him 4 world title attempts before he learned it. Better late than never I suppose!
Love seeing Bruno getting hammered with that Witherspoon overhand right. Bruno was a dirty fighter, always holding and hitting behind the head as in his fights with Mike Tyson. That really is a dangerous tactic to use on your opponent.
In many respects the fight proved that Lawless's careful approach had been flawed, instead of trying to blast his way through Witherspoon (he fought a very cautious contest and for 7 1/2 rounds it worked but when he caught by an overarm right by Spoon in that 7th round the tide changed quite a bit, in the 11the round though he got a second wind before spoon countered with the right. The fight showed he was world class but the lack of proper fights under lawless undid him
A lot of the time Tim Witherspoon is residing in Surrey where I work and still runs 10k every day and has time for everyone. He reckons that if they had swiched trainers then Frank would have beaten him. A lovely guy
Yep...Witherspoon's comments are very perceptive...To me Bruno's display here was world class but even he could not undo the damage of Lawless and Tibbs's misdevelopment of him as a fighter..Mid way through the 7th round he was doing very well, but he approach to the fight should have been using his power to crush his opponents or blast through them...This is what Bruno should have done here...Spoon was a better bit only marginally...
Two likable guys. I do miss the heavyweights of the 80's and early 90's. A couple of guys in the bunch, who if they had their shit together may have been able to challenge Tyson, Witherspoon being one of them. After Feb 25th 1989, if you would have told me that Bruno would fight Tyson again in 96, I would have bet my life that Bruno was history and would never had made any impact on the heavyweight division.
Sad postscript to the start of the video as Terry Lloyd went on to be killed in 2003 when covering Iraq as a journalist. The coroner recorded a verdict of "unlawful killing by U.S. forces."
Tim weatherspoon lived up to his nickname in this fight And now we know why they call him terrible tim Because he really had to dig deep to win this fight
Look at the finish, Bruno landing clean punches first but Witherspoon throwing bombs back and taking all Franks shots, it came down to a question of chin and Tims was way better. Bruno was dominating on the scorecards
Bruno is a great man and a good friend! We love him here in the states. Come join my new TH-cam Channel, going to be doing a break down of Bruno and I's fight in the near future!
At the time I couldn't stand the hype that surrounded Bruno. He knocked over 16 or so washed up journeymen - and they bulled him up like he was the new Joe Louis. But in retrospect Bruno was a top-ten heavyweight who had good fights with Bonecrusher Smith; Witherspoon, and Lennox Lewis. He also rocked a young Mike Tyson. So if we put the hype to one side, he was one of our better heavyweight contenders - who fought in an era when the heavyweight division was teaming with great fighters and gave a good account of himself. But as you see in this broadcast, the hype around him was ridiculous. We say boxing is overhyped today, but today's hype is nothing compared to the 80s and 90s when there was a ratings war between ITV and the BBC. If anything, SKY brought a sense of perspective back to British boxing. Maybe not as many people see the fights, but neither does the hype go OTT.
Anita Dobson?? Err... biggest fight in the UK in a generation & you have an Eastenders actress on the panel????? Lmfao, hahahaha... I'm lost for words, what where the BBC thinking. A shame Frank ran out of steam but a great occasion & coverage, thx very much for posting.
And now we have loads of shrill LOUD verbal diarrehea suffering female box tickers who couldnt care less about boxing presenting,commentating, punditing boxing and ruining it for us men. Woke has killed boxing and football thos side of the pond especially since summer of 2020 and blm and me too.
@@jacksonirving4594 and those 40 hangers on/ freeloader " friemds" in identi white tracksuits needed airline tickets 1 month stays in 5 star london hotels, spending,drinking and whoring money....it wasnt free and Don deducted it as expenses....other deductions were day light robbery...
Bruno comes in with his gay ring and gauche Rolex and calls Witherspoon flashy? The irony! Bruno to this day still thinks his opponent own's a famous British pub chain :/ 'Yeah and he's got loadsa pubs, Harry, ah, ah, ah!'
Yeah. I gotta say I agree. I thought his mannerisms were very solid in and out of the ring. I think mentally he was pretty sharp. Yeah, he was done dirty apparently so strange he wasn't more? Although, I dont buy the robbery line, I feel it's budgeting and losey receipt keeping.
I remember watching it on video thanks to my Dad taping the highlights. BBC I think. I couldn’t remember if it was shown live on television or not but this clears it up!!
Was it that Bruno was too heavily muscled? He seemed to tire in every fight. Bruno did have the greatest chin, but he didn't have a glass chin either. With the exception of the Tyson rematch, it appeared that Bruno stamina failed him more than his chin. He never went down against Lewis, that is saying something considering Lewis was landing right hands when the fight was called to a halt.
Bruno may not have gone down easilly, but one hard whack on that jaw turned him into a swaying target dummy. Cummings did it, Smith did it, Lewis did it. We saw the same thing every time it happened.
@@theradgegadgie6352 exactly when he got hit hard apart from freezing his left hand oddly seemed to freeze at his knee and he presented himself as a free shot punchbag...thats what happened here...i dont think he got hit in any of these losses due to stamina...the same thing happened in round 3 and 7 with Tyson and Lewis...Frank was world class...and it says it all if Frank had had Witherspoons chin and surviveability Frank would have won this fight
witherspoon knew what punches would hurt bruno right from round 1 - big looping rights and left hooks. don't think bruno's defense was ever good enough as much as his stamina. never had enough head movement. also surprised how few right hands he through in this fight.
Complete HBO version for those who'd care to compare and contrast th-cam.com/video/w38dppI8Ro4/w-d-xo.html Just watched this fight the first time yesterday. Was the HBO version. Interesting hearing Larry Merchant continuously just straight up RAIL Witherspoon for coming in at 235 lbs, as well as Tubbs, Page, and other American champions/contenders of the day. I wonder how much of an utter ass-hat he'd have made of himself if he'd done any commentary for Joshua vs Ruiz. I also read the other day a quote from Sugar Ray that he'd made in the mid 80's on the same subject, but it was not for this specific fight here, making scathing remarks about 80's era heavyweights disgracing the sport and the belt they were fighting for etc. I did see him say in the DAZN broadcast post fight show for Joshua vs Ruiz that he owed Andy an apology and all that sort of good stuff. Having read his old comments much more than month after the AJ loss had me thinking that he must've really thought Andy was a terrible representative of the sport etc, but fair play, he didn't really mention anything of that sort publicly as far as I'm aware, and he did apologize and give Ruiz his credit in the immediate aftermath of the fight, publicly and on the broadcast. More should. This fight though, very entertaining i thought. I think "Terrible" Tim deserves a good amount of credit for how he hung in the fight, and turned everything around after probably legitimately losing the first 5-6 rounds, and then, after getting back into the fight, he never really seemed to give any inch of it back. Maybe that weight he was being slated for on the HBO broadcast was helping him soak up that Bruno punishment? Once Bruno had begun to noticeably tire even I could see there really wasn't much left on the punches he was throwing. Nonetheless, great effort for both, tough break for Bruno and the British fans. But, nothing to be ashamed of to my untrained eyes. Can't wait to get the two hours later today to watch this version of the fight.
@@timwitherspoon1378 Oh I must certainly will do so, and I also offer the same invitation to you, Mr. Witherspoon! Click on "my" picture (Vitali Klitschko post Lennox Lewis fight) and check out the fights I have posted, if you're ever bored enough to do so! Many, many fights in the best quality available on TH-cam, many of the fights I've edited myself in a manner to make them "one of a kind". Again though, and I cannot stress this enough in a written text reply to a YT comment, thank you so, so, very much for the reply!!!
ITV covered in the morning of thirty five years ago and I enjoyed it. Dickie Davies hosted it and ringside commentators of Jim Watt and Reg Gutteridge.
I know they have to do it because it is an English event in front of a huge English audience but they are really blowing smoke up Bruno's ass, he did well but he LOST by stoppage and in his own back yard too. Witherspoon isn't getting much credit for winning.
Id always wondered what that charming " blowing smoke up your arse" expression meant.Id heard it on countless American buddy buddy cop films of the 80s airing on British tv..but until than i didnt know until you explained it so eloquently....if i were to thank you good sir...i hope you wouldnt think i wss blowing smoke up your arse?... or i was shitting you?...
I was 7 years old when this fight took place and I remember my Dad taping it and I watched it a few days after. I was gutted that big Frank lost but I thought oh he’ll win it next time. How wrong I was!! Big occasion at Wembley stadium, was it live on television I can’t remember??
According to the definition on BoxRec.... Knockdown An official knockdown is ruled in boxing when a fighter is punched and: a) a part of his/her body other than the feet touch the canvas (such as his butt or glove) b) when a fighter is being held up by the ropes (i.e. the fighter would have fallen had the ropes not been there) c) when a fighter is hanging on, through or over the ropes and d) cannot protect himself and, for whatever reason, is lodged on a position where he can't fall A slip or fall to the canvas by a boxer, resulting in any of the above conditions, is not a knockdown. Note: The Association of Boxing Commissions Referee Rules and Guidelines state: "Before a bout can resume after a boxer has been knocked down, fallen or slipped to the floor of the ring, the Referee shall wipe his gloves." The referee wipes the gloves on his shirt to remove any dirt or debris that might have gotten on the fighter's gloves from the canvas. That being the case, Witherspoon landed two shots on Bruno while he was officially knocked down.
Terrible reff. He should have stopped it before that but he even let Bruno take a couple of punches after he was down. Little wonder that Bruno is now suffering from brain damage.
If ever there should be an "A+ for EFFORT" belt given to title contenders, Frank Bruno should've got one! He did everything he was asked to do, except win the "Big One" in 4 of his 5 title fights. He was the EBU Heavyweight champ in the mid-80's and then 10 YEARS LATER, the WBC Champ! Only George Foreman held on that long in boxing for a belt--And he was re-gaining the Championship! It's sad that his celebrated "Storybook" life and marriage ended in his post-boxing days, but I'm sure Frank will do well in the end having done his best in the 1980's and 90's! Cheers!!! (About the "Champ" in this piece, Mr. Tim?! He lived TOO LARGE and trusted the WRONG PEOPLE! He's now Penniless, in Bad Health, and living in some ghetto of Philadelphia!!!)
Is that what you think? Bruno is a great man and a dear friend of mine. He put up one hell of a fight and could take a punch! Bruno and I have never felt anything intentionally bad happened between us. We are even planning on collaborating on a project together.
@@timwitherspoon1378 Indeed, yes, that is my personal opinion. Incidentally, I never questioned Franks integrity, on the contrary, I respect the bloke massively. I don't think boxing has anything to do with 'good intentions', by definition it's a sport inherrently loaded with 'bad intentions', that's the whole idea of boxing, to win. A thousand pardons if you consider my opinions differ to yours, but that's the whole principal of opinions, they are uniquely individual. I wish you the very best with any collusion, alliance you achieve, all the best.
@@dougieroberts7045 They were love taps lol Why would you be happy if I got hurt in life? We were young warriors and a bit impulsive and I was in the moment against an amazing fighter. My impulsiveness got the best of me. People wanted to see two massive grown men pound the life out of each other. That is what we provided and our aggression sometimes got out of hand but that is the nature of a fighter. Many of us fighters have serious long term injuries/disabilities due to the entertainment we provided. After the fans got their entertainment and the corporations got their money we were left with nothing often times. I am a human and I have a family, I hurt and love like everyone else. If I looked into your life are you free of imperfections? Should I wish failure on you if I knew the sins you committed? I guess it depends on what they were. What you don't know and I don't often talk about is how I have devoted my life to charity especially fighting for boxers when their careers are over. We are currently trying to create an organization to help boxers during and after their careers. Those lower and mid level boxers help create the giants yet have no protections. They take massive beatings and when they get to old they are left to fiend for themselves. The reason I am saying this is it always bothers me to see the hateful remarks directed towards boxers especially those that have given so much to the sport. My advice to you is never wish the things I experienced in life on anyone that doesn't truly deserve it. Remember for your entertainment we/boxers wake everyday with neurological disorders, internal organ damage and mental health issues and many times without the health coverage to help us.
@@timwitherspoon1378 I would not be happy if yourself or anybody was hurt in life, I never alluded to that. I fully understand and acknowledge that in the 'heat of battle' things can get out of control, henceforth the need for a referee to prevent circumstances escalating. I understand what you are saying regarding fighters being permanently effected by injuries sustained but it strikes me as ironic to create circumstances and then claim to be a victim of the circumstances but of course, nobody wants to see anybody seriously hurt , unfortuneately it is part of the sport and fair reason why many wouldnt venture into the boxing ring, it does take a very brave man to enter a boxing ring. I did actually know that you are involved in boxers welfare and that you are clearly an honourable man, but I never questioned your integrity as a human being. Anything that is done to help others is a commendable act by any standards. I have no ill intent thought or neferious thoughts for anybody, my comment is a reasonable observation based upon my opinions and thankfually in the free world folk are still allowed to have opinions. I think it's unreasonable to say that boxers get it the ring for the entertainment of the masses, certainly by definition boxing is entertaining but if the truth be known then it should be know, boxers get into a boxing ring because it is financially rewarding, a lucrative sport to be involved in if one can achieve a given level. Certainly heavyweight title fights are lucrative. I wish you the best, you are obviously a man of passion and honour with no hidden agenda, however, you must always entitle others to vent their opinions,
@@dougieroberts7045 I have to say that comment you made is pretty horrible. Comeuppance means =a punishment or fate that someone deserves, so not sure you understand the word and perhaps you misused it. You may also not be aware of the bad things that happened to Tim in his life. Boxers are entertainers it is exactly what they doing, entertaining us. To you Tim, you are a great man and someone I really admire. Terrible Tim we love you brother!!!!!
frank bruno mmmmm nice fella n all but c'mon jab jab hook, jab jab hook, jab jab hook, hold hold hold jab jab hook hit behind the head n hold once more. And when get hit dont put hands up to defend hell no just trn into a bag of shit n go down like a sack of spuds. This is ofcourse he can get past round 8 and not gassed. Any boxer at heavyweight with good uper body movement multi versatile good head movement hand speed fitness would have not trouble with bruno simply coz by round 9 hes through n done n on his back needing gas n air. Imagine bruno in the 70 against frazier who was a 15 round fighter, frazier would go 15 rounds n not be out of breath or even in first gear ffs lmao meanwhile over at camp bruno theyve got out the defribilator clear lmao.......
One thing I can say about you European Fighters especially you black European finest when it come to fighting the real black Fighters y'all ain't shit Bruno ain't shitt
Thank you but Bruno is a great man and he was one hell of a fighter who could take a punch!!! Come join my new TH-cam Channel lots of great boxing content coming!
![F.HERO Ft. JSPKK x ลำไย ไหทองคำ x M-PEE - ไม่สนิทบิดหมด (Thai Riders Anthem) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kPJZ0UihBfk/mqdefault.jpg)
this is one of the very best boxing uploads on youtube, a real slice of UK heavyweight boxing history - great work!
Nice 👍 way to bring them down just keep punching them until there are faze then boom 💥.
NOW THIS IS HOW YOU RECORD A BIG FIGHT! AN HOUR OF PREFIGHT STUFF THEN THE WHOLE FIGHT! I LOVE IT! I can tell you're a true boxing fan because i do the same thing when I record fights!
This guy gets it! True up to a true fan
I used to do the same for Lennox Lewis' Fights.
I was 13 and just started to fall in love with boxing and I remember it all. Great nostalgia trip
I met Tim this last Saturday and he is a absolute gent, so much time for the fans a real gentleman, also he was a very good boxer, two time HW champ man ;-)
Great upload, this was the fight that got me started in boxing. Here we are 26 years later and I had a great amateur career, turned pro and now head coach for my hometown,...... such nostalgia :)
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Love ❤️ your story- I took up boxing 🥊 after getting started in 1st grade at age 5 with kids that were held back wanting to fight- joined a boxing team at age14/15 - Keep up good work- I want to help at local gym
I love the story that Witherspoon tells of the aftermath when disgruntled fans tried to bust down the door to get at him and but were instantly calmed by the sight of Muhammad Ali. Magic.
Thanks for uploading this. The majority of the footage I've never seen before and this was a real treat, so thanks a million.
Those warped screens from video tape recordings are a part of our history! This is great stuff, a guy determined to salvage the best bits from his old VHS recordings before the very last player gets taken down to the tip.
Awesome extensive boxing lead up coverage to the fight indeed and I dare say one of the best telecast broadcast video I have seen of a heavyweight championship fight between Frank Bruno of England #1 Contender challenger for the heavyweight title vs.Tim Witherspoon USA WBA Heavyweight championship and considered to be an important fight of the 80's heavyweight division!! This video deserves an A+ rating or 4 star **** for great quality and complete boxing fight coverage.
Another occasion when collective delusion in Britain was exposed as such by a world class opponent. Frank, after several other devastating knock-outs, eventually found his true level in pantomime.
I was at this fight, ringside. And watching it today brings back a few memories. Mostly taking 4 hrs to get out of the damned car park after the fight.
Okay Frank wasn't an out and out punching maniac and yes Witherspoon was not the greatest champion ever. But compared to modern HW boxing. This is still ten times better.
Look what you have today Tyson Fury. And a whole bunch of show ponies.
Tyson Fury would have beaten both.
Been a hardcore boxing fan since I was ten years old, and have never seen this footage until now. Thank you so much!
This is excellent lots of build and takes me back to summer 1986. Bruno did pretty well against Terrible Tim - no shame in losing to a good champ. Tim Witherspoon was a mighty heavyweight and very skilled. Tim nearly stopped Larry Holmes in his first title match and was one of the best.
I bet anyone under 18 has no idea what LP and SP mean on the old video footage.....great stuff
ref should've given standing 8 while Bruno was in the corner. This fight was winnable for Bruno
I've always loved the prefight stuff almost as much as the fight itself
Joe Darcy The background information helps fill in the picture of understanding various aspects of the boxers&the bout....I like it too.
huakklise...thanks for sharing your lovingly crafted old video tapes with us! A true fan!
a trip down memory lane for me wen i used pre record these fights on my grandparents VHS machine then watch them the following day :-)
Witherspoon has one of the strongest punches in history.
8:20
1986 :
Bruno v Witherspoon
Wembley Stadium
Ringside seat £150
2024
Joshua v Dubois
Wembley Stadium
Ringside seat £4,000
….yea I’ll find a stream and watch it at home then 👍🏻
Frank Bruno. Up There With Nelson And Winston Churchill As Far As I’m Concerned . A Great British Hero. Respect To Terrible Tim As Well. I’m 53 now . I Remember It All . GREAT POST !!!!!!!
I remember reading an interview where he claimed the same thing, interesting comment for a fighter to make for someone he beat but maybe a tacit admission that he saw that Bruno was not fighting to his strenghts...Witherspoon would have given a young Tyson or Lewis in the early 90's an interesting fight...
I wanted to see a Tyson Witherspoon fight. Did they pick Douglas because he fought tucker? Why not weaver, Witherspoon, broad, McCall. Anyone tougher than Douglas.
Mind you Douglas didn’t do too bad eh??
@@kriskalbfleisch5020 they picked douglas aa a filler fight for an increasingly distracted and problem beset Tyson. He hadnt already fought Douglas who had put together 3-4 good wins. Thats why he was chosen.....if Tyson had won he than would have had the 3 best contenders in the world Ruddock ,Foreman and Holyfield in his sights for the next year or so in that order....with a possible "easy" fight vs a Snipes or Adilson Rodriguez... in 1990 James Broad was not even in the top 25 in the world and Weaver was 38 and again long past title shot consideration...mccall was tysons sparring partner of several years in early 1990..and Douglas had just beat him...Witherspoon pretty much became a journeyman after Dec 1986...Don King blacklisted him...so no one would fight him...no money in it and dangerous....all quite convenient because apart from Foreman and Holyfield in the late 80s only a motivated and in shape Witherspoon could have presented a threat....by 1991 guys like bowe,lewis and mercer and morrison were around and refreshing the division..
Great upload. Thanks. Brought it all back
Thanks for this, remember it well! Bruno was an under rated fighter, just like Bugner years before! He was in some good fights, the first Tyson fight was brutal ..... strange ... looking at today's heavyweights Bruno had good hand speed for such a big lad!
Bruno had a knockout punch like a kick from a heifer, but his defence was spotty (against top opponents, anyway), his stamina was suspect and his jaw was made of glass. Of his five defeats, three occured when he was running rings round his opponent for most of the fight, but was then turned into a shambling wreck with zero survival instinct by one big head punch. Once he was knocked bandy you could forget defence or clinching, Frank just stood there swaying, with his gloves around his waist and his chin stuck invitingly out like a diving board. Jumbo Cummings also had him (again with one single punch) on the verge of a knockout, but the bell saved him.
Frank had heart, but he was lacking at the very top level. He was always at the top of the bottom or the bottom of the top. He only got a victory at world championship level in the end because Oliver McCall, a shambling, drug-addled wreck of a fighter, got lucky with Lennox Lewis being careless and cocky.
I was 10 and this was the year I fell in love with boxing.I also vividly remember the end of this recording and seeing my first glimpse of tyson here.the next few months after I caught tysons fights v ribalta,frazier,Ratliff,scaff,and berbick on it v, saw spinks tangstad, spoon v Smith, Biggs v hey, Joey bugners comeback fights in Australia, itv in the mid 80s really covered boxing
I identify with everything you just said, great, great days. . . . . Sunday mornings on ITV eh ? :)
Bruno an English powder puff should have been irish we like to beat the heak out of the English leslie dodds
Frank had a couple of fundamental flaws; his stamina was questionable and he had no idea how to hold when hurt and it took him 4 world title attempts before he learned it. Better late than never I suppose!
He didn't use his jab much either!!
I agree with you, at least he was persistent however. If only he could fight of a crouch.
Was this part of the series of matches for the Heavyweight Championship of the World to decide on a undisputed World Champion
great upload thanks. good old days
Forget about Bruno, I think Des wanted to get Anita Dobson in the ring that night.......
I think he wanted to get in the rim.. I mean ring..
Great job on this, thanks. We all found out what Don King was about after this. He still has bodyguards!!
Love seeing Bruno getting hammered with that Witherspoon overhand right. Bruno was a dirty fighter, always holding and hitting behind the head as in his fights with Mike Tyson. That really is a dangerous tactic to use on your opponent.
In many respects the fight proved that Lawless's careful approach had been flawed, instead of trying to blast his way through Witherspoon (he fought a very cautious contest and for 7 1/2 rounds it worked but when he caught by an overarm right by Spoon in that 7th round the tide changed quite a bit, in the 11the round though he got a second wind before spoon countered with the right. The fight showed he was world class but the lack of proper fights under lawless undid him
Agreed.
Bruno was a great physical specimen and a great competitor but Witherspoon was just a much slicker boxer.
A lot of the time Tim Witherspoon is residing in Surrey where I work and still runs 10k every day and has time for everyone. He reckons that if they had swiched trainers then Frank would have beaten him. A lovely guy
Yep...Witherspoon's comments are very perceptive...To me Bruno's display here was world class but even he could not undo the damage of Lawless and Tibbs's misdevelopment of him as a fighter..Mid way through the 7th round he was doing very well, but he approach to the fight should have been using his power to crush his opponents or blast through them...This is what Bruno should have done here...Spoon was a better bit only marginally...
@@kailashpatel1706 agreed. Tyson used his power to blow most of his opponents away in the 80’s. Bruno should have done the same thing.
Ahhh, good ole VHS tapes!
Anyone know if the ITV theme for this is a library track available on YT? It's a belter.
Two likable guys. I do miss the heavyweights of the 80's and early 90's. A couple of guys in the bunch, who if they had their shit together may have been able to challenge Tyson, Witherspoon being one of them. After Feb 25th 1989, if you would have told me that Bruno would fight Tyson again in 96, I would have bet my life that Bruno was history and would never had made any impact on the heavyweight division.
Sad postscript to the start of the video as Terry Lloyd went on to be killed in 2003 when covering Iraq as a journalist. The coroner recorded a verdict of "unlawful killing by U.S. forces."
Tim was right, Bruno was tired and was knocked out.
Tim weatherspoon lived up to his nickname in this fight
And now we know why they call him terrible tim
Because he really had to dig deep to win this fight
Witherspoon!! He wasn’t the owner of a cut price pub chain!! Auto spell I know!! 🤣🤣👍👍
Look at the finish, Bruno landing clean punches first but Witherspoon throwing bombs back and taking all Franks shots, it came down to a question of chin and Tims was way better. Bruno was dominating on the scorecards
All three judges had Witherspoon ahead.
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LOL bulk funny seeing all the commentator's and personalities so many years younger.
I worked around a British chef who spoke highly of Bruno though Lewis was more accomplished.. I heard Bruno was very popular across the pond.
Bruno is a great man and a good friend! We love him here in the states. Come join my new TH-cam Channel, going to be doing a break down of Bruno and I's fight in the near future!
At the time I couldn't stand the hype that surrounded Bruno. He knocked over 16 or so washed up journeymen - and they bulled him up like he was the new Joe Louis.
But in retrospect Bruno was a top-ten heavyweight who had good fights with Bonecrusher Smith; Witherspoon, and Lennox Lewis. He also rocked a young Mike Tyson.
So if we put the hype to one side, he was one of our better heavyweight contenders - who fought in an era when the heavyweight division was teaming with great fighters and gave a good account of himself.
But as you see in this broadcast, the hype around him was ridiculous. We say boxing is overhyped today, but today's hype is nothing compared to the 80s and 90s when there was a ratings war between ITV and the BBC.
If anything, SKY brought a sense of perspective back to British boxing. Maybe not as many people see the fights, but neither does the hype go OTT.
Bruno might have given Witherspoon a tough time, but Terrible Tim Witherspoon has been there and done it.
Anita Dobson?? Err... biggest fight in the UK in a generation & you have an Eastenders actress on the panel????? Lmfao, hahahaha... I'm lost for words, what where the BBC thinking. A shame Frank ran out of steam but a great occasion & coverage, thx very much for posting.
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And now we have loads of shrill LOUD verbal diarrehea suffering female box tickers who couldnt care less about boxing presenting,commentating, punditing boxing and ruining it for us men. Woke has killed boxing and football thos side of the pond especially since summer of 2020 and blm and me too.
Thanks for the video!
LWT man that takes me back
Excellent video. Thanks so much
witherspoon only got 90,000$ for the fight , Bruno 900,000£
That fucking Don King robbed him
@@jacksonirving4594 and those 40 hangers on/ freeloader " friemds" in identi white tracksuits needed airline tickets 1 month stays in 5 star london hotels, spending,drinking and whoring money....it wasnt free and Don deducted it as expenses....other deductions were day light robbery...
Bruno comes in with his gay ring and gauche Rolex and calls Witherspoon flashy? The irony! Bruno to this day still thinks his opponent own's a famous British pub chain :/ 'Yeah and he's got loadsa pubs, Harry, ah, ah, ah!'
Awesome telecast!
Punches while he is down - shit referee!
Tim was a real hard hitter and an rock solid chin. Coulf have beaten Tyson if he had not been moved aside by the Don
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1:12:00 start
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1:51:55 end
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Terrible Tim was a great fighter. He was the one fighter that would have beaten Tyson at the time. Very suspicious what happened to him.
Yeah. I gotta say I agree. I thought his mannerisms were very solid in and out of the ring. I think mentally he was pretty sharp. Yeah, he was done dirty apparently so strange he wasn't more? Although, I dont buy the robbery line, I feel it's budgeting and losey receipt keeping.
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The only terrible thing in this video is Don King
nice choice of clip at 7.10 lmao
Was this live on ITV then? I thought there was just highlights on both channels
It was just highlights on both channels; ITV showed theirs the following morning, and the BBC showed theirs in the evening.
I remember watching it on video thanks to my Dad taping the highlights. BBC I think. I couldn’t remember if it was shown live on television or not but this clears it up!!
God what was that commetators name, Des .. ?
“A power pack of black muscle” different times man!
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@@timwitherspoon1378 subscribed to your channel Tim 🙌🏾🥊
@@daviddrysdale2746 Thank you my friend!!!
But he's black, hence the black muscle.
@@russellfrancis6294 Yes, I am highlighting the fact that that would never be said today!
Was it that Bruno was too heavily muscled? He seemed to tire in every fight. Bruno did have the greatest chin, but he didn't have a glass chin either. With the exception of the Tyson rematch, it appeared that Bruno stamina failed him more than his chin. He never went down against Lewis, that is saying something considering Lewis was landing right hands when the fight was called to a halt.
Bruno may not have gone down easilly, but one hard whack on that jaw turned him into a swaying target dummy. Cummings did it, Smith did it, Lewis did it. We saw the same thing every time it happened.
@@theradgegadgie6352 exactly when he got hit hard apart from freezing his left hand oddly seemed to freeze at his knee and he presented himself as a free shot punchbag...thats what happened here...i dont think he got hit in any of these losses due to stamina...the same thing happened in round 3 and 7 with Tyson and Lewis...Frank was world class...and it says it all if Frank had had Witherspoons chin and surviveability Frank would have won this fight
@@Anthony-Testicali Indeed, Frank was an excellent boxer. I take nothing away from him that he's genuinely earned the hard way.
BBC Clutching at straws with no live coverage and bloody Anita Dobson
no live coverage in UK full stop, televised the night after.
Had a £50 bleachers seat paid as a birthday present by my Mum. Cried all the way home at 4am to Mill Hill!
Just outta curiosity, but as an American who is a VERY BIG fan of The Kinks I'm wondering if "Mill Hill" is a shortened version of Muswell Hill?
@@mariosanchez8236 no they’re 2 different places.
witherspoon knew what punches would hurt bruno right from round 1 - big looping rights and left hooks. don't think bruno's defense was ever good enough as much as his stamina. never had enough head movement. also surprised how few right hands he through in this fight.
Mickey duff looks young in this
A Power pack of Black Muscle.
Couldn't have said it better myself..
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Complete HBO version for those who'd care to compare and contrast th-cam.com/video/w38dppI8Ro4/w-d-xo.html
Just watched this fight the first time yesterday. Was the HBO version. Interesting hearing Larry Merchant continuously just straight up RAIL Witherspoon for coming in at 235 lbs, as well as Tubbs, Page, and other American champions/contenders of the day. I wonder how much of an utter ass-hat he'd have made of himself if he'd done any commentary for Joshua vs Ruiz. I also read the other day a quote from Sugar Ray that he'd made in the mid 80's on the same subject, but it was not for this specific fight here, making scathing remarks about 80's era heavyweights disgracing the sport and the belt they were fighting for etc. I did see him say in the DAZN broadcast post fight show for Joshua vs Ruiz that he owed Andy an apology and all that sort of good stuff. Having read his old comments much more than month after the AJ loss had me thinking that he must've really thought Andy was a terrible representative of the sport etc, but fair play, he didn't really mention anything of that sort publicly as far as I'm aware, and he did apologize and give Ruiz his credit in the immediate aftermath of the fight, publicly and on the broadcast. More should.
This fight though, very entertaining i thought. I think "Terrible" Tim deserves a good amount of credit for how he hung in the fight, and turned everything around after probably legitimately losing the first 5-6 rounds, and then, after getting back into the fight, he never really seemed to give any inch of it back. Maybe that weight he was being slated for on the HBO broadcast was helping him soak up that Bruno punishment? Once Bruno had begun to noticeably tire even I could see there really wasn't much left on the punches he was throwing. Nonetheless, great effort for both, tough break for Bruno and the British fans. But, nothing to be ashamed of to my untrained eyes. Can't wait to get the two hours later today to watch this version of the fight.
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@@timwitherspoon1378 Oh I must certainly will do so, and I also offer the same invitation to you, Mr. Witherspoon! Click on "my" picture (Vitali Klitschko post Lennox Lewis fight) and check out the fights I have posted, if you're ever bored enough to do so! Many, many fights in the best quality available on TH-cam, many of the fights I've edited myself in a manner to make them "one of a kind". Again though, and I cannot stress this enough in a written text reply to a YT comment, thank you so, so, very much for the reply!!!
did ITV win the live broadcast rights over the BBC?
there was no live broadcast from what I remember, it was televised the night after, which is truly pathetic.
ITV covered in the morning of thirty five years ago and I enjoyed it.
Dickie Davies hosted it and ringside commentators of Jim Watt and Reg Gutteridge.
Bruno didn't have the greatest chin, I meant to say.
I know they have to do it because it is an English event in front of a huge English audience but they are really blowing smoke up Bruno's ass, he did well but he LOST by stoppage and in his own back yard too. Witherspoon isn't getting much credit for winning.
Id always wondered what that charming " blowing smoke up your arse" expression meant.Id heard it on countless American buddy buddy cop films of the 80s airing on British tv..but until than i didnt know until you explained it so eloquently....if i were to thank you good sir...i hope you wouldnt think i wss blowing smoke up your arse?... or i was shitting you?...
I was 7 years old when this fight took place and I remember my Dad taping it and I watched it a few days after. I was gutted that big Frank lost but I thought oh he’ll win it next time. How wrong I was!! Big occasion at Wembley stadium, was it live on television I can’t remember??
Wow you remember that fight from your childhood! Come join my new TH-cam channel!
@@timwitherspoon1378 will do!! I certainly remember it, great fight!! 👍👍 subscribed 👍👍
And finally he won a champ title in fight with McCall
ahhhhh....awsoming ending song princess say im your number 1!! ;-)
Anthony Joshua is Frank Bruno 2.0
Thanks! I enjoyed that.
NEED TO GET RID OF JIM WATT AS A COMMENTATOR, NOBODY CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT HE IS SAYING,,,
TYSON was at the other level to the other boxer.
I still think Terrible Tim beat Larry Holmes
I totally agree Tim was robbed and he hurt Larry.
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Jumbo Cummings fought an old Joe Frazier to a draw.
Как так получилось что Френка даже забуревший Тим побил?
According to the definition on BoxRec....
Knockdown
An official knockdown is ruled in boxing when a fighter is punched and:
a) a part of his/her body other than the feet touch the canvas (such as his butt or glove)
b) when a fighter is being held up by the ropes (i.e. the fighter would have fallen had the ropes not been there)
c) when a fighter is hanging on, through or over the ropes and
d) cannot protect himself and, for whatever reason, is lodged on a position where he can't fall
A slip or fall to the canvas by a boxer, resulting in any of the above conditions, is not a knockdown.
Note: The Association of Boxing Commissions Referee Rules and Guidelines state: "Before a bout can resume after a boxer has been knocked down, fallen or slipped to the floor of the ring, the Referee shall wipe his gloves." The referee wipes the gloves on his shirt to remove any dirt or debris that might have gotten on the fighter's gloves from the canvas.
That being the case, Witherspoon landed two shots on Bruno while he was officially knocked down.
Frank Bruno was the original Anthony Joshua. Wilder will KO Joshua in fewer rounds than Witherspoon KO'd Bruno.
Gene Wilder had more balls than Deontay
A big muscle-bound wuss
Terrible reff. He should have stopped it before that but he even let Bruno take a couple of punches after he was down. Little wonder that Bruno is now suffering from brain damage.
I skipped to the last round
If ever there should be an "A+ for EFFORT" belt given to title contenders, Frank Bruno should've got one! He did everything he was asked to do, except win the "Big One" in 4 of his 5 title fights. He was the EBU Heavyweight champ in the mid-80's and then 10 YEARS LATER, the WBC Champ! Only George Foreman held on that long in boxing for a belt--And he was re-gaining the Championship! It's sad that his celebrated "Storybook" life and marriage ended in his post-boxing days, but I'm sure Frank will do well in the end having done his best in the 1980's and 90's! Cheers!!! (About the "Champ" in this piece, Mr. Tim?! He lived TOO LARGE and trusted the WRONG PEOPLE! He's now Penniless, in Bad Health, and living in some ghetto of Philadelphia!!!)
Thanks huakklise.
ugly scenes at the end of this fight.told to me by someone who was there
What's Big black and stiff!
Bruno Bruno 😂😂😂
Suk Don't laughing at your own jokes is poor form!
Glass Jaw Bruno 😂
Robbed was Bruno against Weatherspoon, bad referring, hit bruno twice when he was down, scandalous, glad Weatherspoon got his cumuppence.
Is that what you think? Bruno is a great man and a dear friend of mine. He put up one hell of a fight and could take a punch! Bruno and I have never felt anything intentionally bad happened between us. We are even planning on collaborating on a project together.
@@timwitherspoon1378 Indeed, yes, that is my personal opinion.
Incidentally, I never questioned Franks integrity, on the contrary, I respect the bloke massively.
I don't think boxing has anything to do with 'good intentions', by definition it's a sport inherrently loaded with 'bad intentions', that's the whole idea of boxing, to win.
A thousand pardons if you consider my opinions differ to yours, but that's the whole principal of opinions, they are uniquely individual.
I wish you the very best with any collusion, alliance you achieve, all the best.
@@dougieroberts7045 They were love taps lol Why would you be happy if I got hurt in life? We were young warriors and a bit impulsive and I was in the moment against an amazing fighter. My impulsiveness got the best of me. People wanted to see two massive grown men pound the life out of each other. That is what we provided and our aggression sometimes got out of hand but that is the nature of a fighter. Many of us fighters have serious long term injuries/disabilities due to the entertainment we provided. After the fans got their entertainment and the corporations got their money we were left with nothing often times. I am a human and I have a family, I hurt and love like everyone else. If I looked into your life are you free of imperfections? Should I wish failure on you if I knew the sins you committed? I guess it depends on what they were. What you don't know and I don't often talk about is how I have devoted my life to charity especially fighting for boxers when their careers are over. We are currently trying to create an organization to help boxers during and after their careers. Those lower and mid level boxers help create the giants yet have no protections. They take massive beatings and when they get to old they are left to fiend for themselves. The reason I am saying this is it always bothers me to see the hateful remarks directed towards boxers especially those that have given so much to the sport. My advice to you is never wish the things I experienced in life on anyone that doesn't truly deserve it. Remember for your entertainment we/boxers wake everyday with neurological disorders, internal organ damage and mental health issues and many times without the health coverage to help us.
@@timwitherspoon1378 I would not be happy if yourself or anybody was hurt in life, I never alluded to that.
I fully understand and acknowledge that in the 'heat of battle' things can get out of control, henceforth the need for a referee to prevent circumstances escalating.
I understand what you are saying regarding fighters being permanently effected by injuries sustained but it strikes me as ironic to create circumstances and then claim to be a victim of the circumstances but of course, nobody wants to see anybody seriously hurt , unfortuneately it is part of the sport and fair reason why many wouldnt venture into the boxing ring, it does take a very brave man to enter a boxing ring.
I did actually know that you are involved in boxers welfare and that you are clearly an honourable man, but I never questioned your integrity as a human being. Anything that is done to help others is a commendable act by any standards.
I have no ill intent thought or neferious thoughts for anybody, my comment is a reasonable observation based upon my opinions and thankfually in the free world folk are still allowed to have opinions.
I think it's unreasonable to say that boxers get it the ring for the entertainment of the masses, certainly by definition boxing is entertaining but if the truth be known then it should be know, boxers get into a boxing ring because it is financially rewarding, a lucrative sport to be involved in if one can achieve a given level. Certainly heavyweight title fights are lucrative.
I wish you the best, you are obviously a man of passion and honour with no hidden agenda, however, you must always entitle others to vent their opinions,
@@dougieroberts7045 I have to say that comment you made is pretty horrible. Comeuppance means =a punishment or fate that someone deserves, so not sure you understand the word and perhaps you misused it. You may also not be aware of the bad things that happened to Tim in his life. Boxers are entertainers it is exactly what they doing, entertaining us. To you Tim, you are a great man and someone I really admire. Terrible Tim we love you brother!!!!!
It's so old it looks like it's from the year 1980s future 2050
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Brunovs wother
EP
SP
SLP
frank bruno mmmmm nice fella n all but c'mon jab jab hook, jab jab hook, jab jab hook, hold hold hold jab jab hook hit behind the head n hold once more. And when get hit dont put hands up to defend hell no just trn into a bag of shit n go down like a sack of spuds. This is ofcourse he can get past round 8 and not gassed. Any boxer at heavyweight with good uper body movement multi versatile good head movement hand speed fitness would have not trouble with bruno simply coz by round 9 hes through n done n on his back needing gas n air. Imagine bruno in the 70 against frazier who was a 15 round fighter, frazier would go 15 rounds n not be out of breath or even in first gear ffs lmao meanwhile over at camp bruno theyve got out the defribilator clear lmao.......
Good comment, and funny too!
One thing I can say about you European Fighters especially you black European finest when it come to fighting the real black Fighters y'all ain't shit Bruno ain't shitt
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Who is "real black" then? African fighters?