Friday, February 24. 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Bruno a softie outside of the ring Tyson's former sparring partner to get his shot at the champ
The Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — The British lion who will enter Mike Tyson's den is an affable man with right-hand punching power and a sentimental streak.
Frank Bruno cried recently when he saw his two young daughters on a television show beamed to his training camp in Arizona where he was preparing for tomorrow night's heavyweight title challenge.
"Frank really is a gentle giant," Laura Mooney said. She is the mother of Bruno's daughters and lives with him.
"We'll have such a celebration if he beats Tyson," she said. "We'll both cry, that's for sure."
A Bruno victory could have an entire nation shedding tears of joy. No British fighter has won the world heavy championship in this century.
"Saturday night, there will be a new heavyweight champion from England." Bruno said.
Tyson is a prohibitive favorite to remain unbeaten in the scheduled 12 round bout at the Las Vegas Hilton, which will be televised by HBO.
Two other title fights will be on the card, and Trevor Berbick, a former World Boxing Council heavyweight
champion, will meet James "Buster" Douglas in a 10-round bout. Brum and Tyson are not strangers.
Bruno sparred two rounds with Tyson when Tyson was 15, and the two sparred again when Bruno was preparing to fight Mike Jameson, who returned from the race on July 8, 1983, in Chicago, in his only fight in the United States.
Tyson, who didn't turn pro until 1984, recalled the sparring sessions, which he thought totaled about 20 rounds, as just good workouts.
Bruno, who spent some time in a reform school at age 11 after striking a teacher, won the British Amateur Association heavyweight title in 1980.
When he tried to turn pro in 1980, his application was rejected by the British Boxing Board of Control that he was short-sighted in the right eye.
A specialist was consulted, and he recommended surgery that was being performed in the Soviet Union and Colombia.
Bruno flew to a clinic at Bogota, Colombia, in February 1981 for the delicate operation, which was successful. It was paid for by Terry
It was not, however, until Feb. 10, 1982, that Bruno was granted a professional boxing* license.
Lawless, now his manager.
"He is a formidable opponent." Tyson said. "He's a number one contender. He didn't get there by just lying on his butt."
Yet, despite his good record and financial success in boxing — he's getting $3.8 million to challenge Tyson — Bruno has been stung by charges that he is a manufactured fighter, fed mostly a diet of sub-par opposition and that he has a "glass jaw."
Bruno hasn't fought since an eight-ground knockout on Oct. 25, 1987, in London over aging Joe Bugner, who unsuccessfully beat Muhammad Ali.
Bruno's jaw almost derailed his career in 1983.
In an article in the independen
Weekend in London, Jimmy Tibbs,
who was Bruno's trainer at the time,
recalled:
the end of the first round that caught Bruno on the side of the head.
Bruno was fighting Floyd "Jumbo" Cummings in London. Cummings, who had not won since 1981, threw a round-foot right near
"Had Frank attempted to take a step, he would have gone. Fortunately, he was still upright when the bell went and we were able to grab him. It could have all ended right there."
Bruno stopped Cummings in the seventh round and remained unbeaten through his first 21 fights before being knocked out in the 10th round by James "Bonercusher" Smith on May 13, 1984, at Wembley Stadium in London. Bruno had won the first nine rounds.
"I was a young man when I fought
Tim and Smith Witherspoon (the
other boxer to defeat him)." Bruno
Syon (the boxer's Sjon) Yvon
matured early. "I a man now
The last British boxer to win the heavyweight championship was Bob Fitzsimmons, who knocked out James J. Corbett in the 14th round in 1897. He lost the title in 1899 when he was knocked out in the 11th round by James J. Jeffries.
Officials repudiate magazine's criticism of Colorado players
The Associated Press
BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado officials said that a Sports Illustrated article calling the school's football program an "Oklahoma waiting to happen" was untrue and unfair; but in the last two days alone, four players have had problems with the law.
Defensive tackle Stephen Cole Hayes was arrested Tuesday for investigation of shoplifting charges. Authorities said that payphone owner Josephs department store concealing a number of items in a backpack.
in a statement issued Wednesday, E. Gordon Gee, the president of the University of Colorado, expressed confidence the pre-announcement bill Bill McCattoney and assailed the national magazine's story as unfair.
Hayes also was found to have an outstanding warrant for failing to appear on a traffic violation.
kunning back O.C. Oliver was arrested early Wednesday for fail-
up to appear in court on a traffic violation. He was taken to the Boulder County Jail. Freshman running back Marcus Relflord was back in court Wednesday after pleading not guilty last week to charges of sexual assault and other crimes. He entered an 18-year-old woman after entering her dormitory room through a window.
Relfilid's attorney said that he might seek a change of venue. Another hearing was schedule for March 8.
And a woman sued by Colorado receiver George "Andy" Massuco for slander in an alleged sexual assault has filed counter-charges. Massuco sued the woman after she accused him of raping her in January; and on Wednesday she countersued, accusing him of trying to intimidate a witness.
Massucco, 20, has been charged with sexual assault but denies that he had sex with the woman.
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