Joe Bugner, a boxer who went the distance with Joe Frazier once and Muhammad Ali twice — once for the heavyweight title — and later became an actor and pro wrestler, died Monday in Brisbane, Australia. He was 75.
The British Boxing Board of Control confirmed his deaths but did not provide details. “It is with great sadness that the former British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion, and world championship contender Joe Bugner has passed away at his care home in Brisbane, Australia,” said the British Boxing Board of Control.
Born József Bugner on March 13, 1950 in Hungary, he was raised in the UK. After a successful amateur boxing career, Bugner turned pro and promptly lost his first match. But then he won 18 in a row and 31 of 32, plus one draw — earning a shot for the European, British and Commonwealth heavyweight championship against revered British fighter Henry Cooper. He won the 1971 bout in a controversial decision and went on to defend his Euro title once before losing all three to Jack Bodell later that year.
Bugner reclaimed the European heavyweight crown in 1972 and defending it successfully four more times. During that span, in February 1973, while George Foreman was the champion, Bugner was pitted against Ali, and went the distance with the former and future champ, losing by unanimous. Less than three months later, Bugner fought a bruising 12-round match against ex-champion Joe Frazier, losing on points.
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But Bugner then won his eight fights and earned a rematch in mid-1975 with Ali, who had regained his world title by beating Chuck Wepner — whom Bugner has defeated five years earlier. Breathlessly billed as “The Fight of a Lifetime,” the battle went the full 15 rounds, with the GOAT winning on points. It would Ali’s last fight before the classic “Thrilla in Manila” against Frazier.
Bugner regained his triple crown — the Euro, Brit and Commonwealth titles — in his next bout, knocking out Richard Dunn in the first round. He continued to box with varying results into the late 1990s, facing such notables as Earnie Shavers in 1982, Frazier’s son Marvis Frazier in 1983 and Anders Eklund the following year. He finished his pro career with a record of 69-13-1, including 41 wins by knockout.
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Bugner began a sporadic second career as an actor in the late 1970s, landing bit roles through 2010 in movies including Street Fighter (1994) as guesting on such TV series as Time Trax, Hey Dad! and The Lost World and the 1999 miniseries Journey to the Center of the Earth. Later he appeared in the UK version of I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! and in The Contender Australia.
