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Boxing Legend Accuses Promoter of Handing Out ‘Brown Evelope’ to Judges Before Mike Tyson’s Fights

Published 02/18/2022, 12:55 PM EST

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Known for his massive punching power, the former WBC titleholder, British stalwart Frank Bruno, was a highly celebrated athlete of the 80s and 90s. Bruno maintained a phenomenal record of 40 wins and 5 losses. Those losses came against some of the greatest heavyweights, like Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.

Recently, Bruno featured to the show named ‘Anything Goes With James English’. While interacting, he recalled his match against ‘The Baddest Man on Earth’. ‘True Brit’ unveiled the stunning story behind the historic showdown of 1989.

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Accusing the renowned promoter Don King of bribery, he said, “Much different hasn’t like when Don King has his runners and judges and whatever gives him a brown envelope, sort something out before them the night before, yeah.”

According to Bruno, the fight was supposed to take place in Wembley stadium in England. But it was postponed several times to schedule it in Las Vegas Hilton in Nevada. However, he further added that if he would have fought in his home country, then it would have created a big difference.

The Mike Tyson vs Frank Bruno fight

‘The Baddest Man on Planet’ and ‘True Brit’ locked their horns twice in their career. However, according to Bruno, the first match was fought under the dark shadow of fraud and corruption.

The fight took place in February 1989 for the unified WBA, WBC, IBF, and lineal heavyweight titles. It was a highly spectacular event at that time. ‘Iron’ Mike was a hero coming out of a sensational 1st round knockout of undefeated Michael Spinks.

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‘Kid Dynamite’ stepped in the ring not to win, but to destroy his opponent with a killer instinct. Both fighters exchanged some lethal shots in the center of the ring as soon as the bell rang.

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As per the expectations, Tyson got the first-round knockdown with the lethal right hook. However, ‘True Brit’ came back on his feet and shocked Tyson with a perfectly crafted left-right combination, that stumbled the champion for first time in his career.

However, ‘Iron’ Mike dominated the further rounds. In round 5, Tyson forced Bruno to the ropes and seized the latter with a lethal combination, when the referee intervened before Bruno collapsed in the ring.

Watch this story – 5 Crucial Things to Know About Ryan Garcia’s Next Opponent – Emmanuel Tagoe

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‘The Baddest Man on Planet’ emerged as victories via technical knockout.

 

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Written by:

Abhishek Singh

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Abhishek Singh is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. Following the completion of his training as an amateur boxer, he is currently preparing to appear for trials at the state and national levels. With over 3 years of experience in playing the sport, Abhishek is also the holder of a Bachelor's in Arts degree from the University of Delhi.
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