“In the late ’80s and early ’90s, British sport had its icons – Ian Botham, Gazza, and Frank Bruno,” reflects veteran sports commentator Paul Dempsey. “But Frank was the one people loved most.”
Bruno’s popularity stemmed from more than just his boxing. Fans connected with his resilience, his honesty, and his unshakable belief that he would one day become world champion.
That dream was nearly shattered—three times. Bruno suffered painful defeats in world title fights against Tim Witherspoon, Mike Tyson, and Lennox Lewis. But each time, he came back, and with each return, the nation’s affection for “Big Frank” only deepened.
By 1995, promoter Frank Warren was determined to give Bruno one more shot. Working with Don King, he pitched Bruno as the perfect opponent for WBC heavyweight champion Oliver McCall—a fighter King had few promotional plans for.
“Don had lined up a title shot for Tyson when he came out of prison,” Warren recalls. “I told him, ‘Let Bruno fight McCall. He’s got no chance, but it’ll do big numbers at Wembley.’ Eventually, Don agreed.”
A Summer of Anticipation
The date was set—September 2, 1995. With no major sporting events that summer, all eyes turned to Bruno vs. McCall.
“It felt like the whole country was watching,” says Dempsey, who hosted Sky Sports’ coverage that night. “There was massive interest. This wasn’t just about boxing—it was national.”
McCall was no stranger to British fans, having shocked Lennox Lewis at Wembley Arena the year before. But this time, sentiment was different.
“When he beat Lennox, most people didn’t care,” Dempsey notes. “But with Frank, people were emotionally invested. It was like, ‘Please, don’t break our hearts again.’”
The Strategy: Jab, Pressure, Patience
Warren and Bruno’s long-time trainer George Francis developed a simple game plan: use the jab, keep moving forward, and don’t let McCall dictate the pace.
Warren had scouted McCall in his first title defense, where he had struggled against a 45-year-old Larry Holmes. “Larry gave him trouble with his jab, and Frank had a long reach and a big jab,” says Warren.
Over the years, Bruno had been criticized for faltering late in fights, notably against Witherspoon and ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith. But by ’95, he had worked hard to improve his conditioning. He brought in strength coach Keith Morton and trained with intense discipline—swimming included.
Still, doubts remained.
“Frank didn’t always know what to do when he got clipped,” says Dempsey. “It didn’t come naturally—he wouldn’t move his feet or get behind the jab quickly enough.”
Glenn McCrory, former IBF cruiserweight champion and Sky commentator, agreed. He’d sparred countless rounds with McCall and knew his danger firsthand. “He was wild. You wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley,” McCrory says. “When I saw Frank in the ring that night, he looked so nervous.”
Fight Night: A Nation Holds Its Breath
Wembley Stadium was packed with 23,000 fans, and countless more watched in bars and living rooms across the UK. Warren even had Nigel Benn and Naseem Hamed planted on opposite sides of the ring to distract McCall, who often looked beyond the ropes during fights.
From the moment the bell rang, Bruno executed the plan perfectly. A stiff jab, forward pressure, and a measured pace. He even rocked McCall in the opening round, but didn’t rush in—he knew McCall had never been stopped and had gone toe-to-toe with Tyson in sparring.
The crowd roared with every jab. Bruno opened a swelling under McCall’s eye by Round 2, and through the middle rounds, he maintained control.
McCrory believes the crowd played a role. “They lifted Frank and maybe even made McCall hesitant. Put that fight in the U.S., and McCall might’ve steamrolled him.”
McCall came alive briefly in the fourth and again in the 10th, but Bruno always answered with volume and precision. When the 11th round came, the tension was palpable. Bruno was bloodied, mouth open, holding on.
“It got really shaky,” McCrory recalls. “You thought, ‘He’s going to lose it again.’”
But Bruno didn’t crumble this time.
“The last six minutes were something else,” says Dempsey. “Frank just refused to fall apart.”
History Made
When the final bell rang, Bruno had done enough. The judges scored it 117-111, 117-111, and 115-113. After years of heartbreak, he was finally the WBC heavyweight champion of the world.
“No one’s putting Frank Bruno in a list of the top 10 British fighters based on skill,” Dempsey admits. “But he did it with heart. He had guts, resilience, and belief. He just wanted it more than anyone.”
