József Kreul Bugner (born 13 March 1950) is a Hungarian-born

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

former heavyweight

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

and actor. He holds triple nationality, being a

citizen Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

and a

naturalised citizen Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

of both

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. He unsuccessfully challenged Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight championship in 1975, losing by unanimous decision. As an actor, he is best known for his role in the 1994 action film ''Street Fighter'' alongside

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the a ...

and

Raul Julia Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...

. Born in Szőreg, a southeastern suburb of

Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...

in southern

, Bugner and his family fled after the 1956 Soviet invasion and settled in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. Standing at with a prime weight of around , Bugner twice held the

and

British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...

heavyweight titles and was a three-time

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

heavyweight champion. He was ranked among the world's top ten heavyweights in the 1970s, fighting such opponents as

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fi ...

Ron Lyle Ronald David Lyle (February 12, 1941 – November 26, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1971 to 1980, and in 1995. He challenged unsuccessfully for the world heavyweight championship, losing to Muhammad Ali in 1975. Kno ...

Jimmy Ellis Jimmy Ellis may refer to: * Jimmy Ellis (boxer) (1940–2014), American boxer * Jimmy "Orion" Ellis (1945–1998), American singer * Jimmy "Preacher" Ellis (born 1935), American musician * Jimmy Ellis (1938–2012), lead singer of The Trammps * Ji ...

, Manuel Ramos,

Chuck Wepner Charles Wepner (born February 26, 1939) is an American former professional boxer. He fell just nineteen seconds short of a full fifteen rounds against world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in a 1975 championship fight. Wepner also scored notab ...

Earnie Shavers Earnie Dee Shaver (August 31, 1944 – September 1, 2022), best known as Earnie Shavers, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1969 and 1995. A two-time world heavyweight championship challenger, he is known as one of the harde ...

Henry Cooper Sir Henry Cooper (3 May 19341 May 2011) was a British heavyweight boxer, best remembered internationally for a 1963 fight in which he knocked down a young Cassius Clay before the fight was stopped because of a cut eye from Clay's punches. Coo ...

Brian London Brian Sidney Harper (19 June 1934 – 23 June 2021), known professionally as Brian London, was an English professional boxer who competed from 1955 to 1970. He held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight title from 1958 to 1959, and twice ...

Mac Foster MacArthur "Mac" Foster (June 27, 1942 – July 19, 2010) was a 20th-century American heavyweight professional boxer. He competed from 1966 to 1976, winning 30 of his 36 professional bouts, with all his victories achieved by knockout. He stopped ...

Rudie Lubbers Rudolfus Josefus Maria "Rudie" Lubbers (born 17 August 1945) is a retired Dutch boxer who competed at the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics. In 1964 he finished ninth as light-heavyweight and in 1968 fifth as heavyweight. Nationally, Lubbers won six ...

Eduardo Corletti Héctor Eduardo Corletti (born 14 August 1941) is a retired Argentinian heavyweight boxer. As an amateur he won a silver medal at the 1959 Pan American Games and finished ninth at the 1960 Summer Olympics. Next year he turned professional and in ...

, Jurgen Blin and George Johnson. Bugner retired from boxing in 1976, but over the next two decades, he made sporadic comebacks with varying success. He moved to Australia in 1986, adopting the nickname "Aussie Joe", beating fighters such as Greg Page,

David Bey David Bey (March 11, 1957 – September 13, 2017) was a heavyweight boxer who held the USBA title. He unsuccessfully challenged Larry Holmes for the heavyweight title in 1985. Bey was an outstanding amateur boxer who had taken up the sport to ...

Anders Eklund Anders Eklund may refer to: * Anders Eklund (boxer) * Anders Eklund (murderer) {{hndis, Eklund, Anders ...

and

James Tillis James Tillis (born July 5, 1957) is a retired American professional boxer and actor. Known as "Quick", he was known for his fast hand speed, quite astonishing for a man of his size and build. A natural southpaw, Tillis turned around to orthodo ...

before retiring again after a TKO loss to

Frank Bruno Franklin Roy Bruno, (born 16 November 1961) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1996. He had a highly publicised and eventful career, both in and out of the ring. The pinnacle of Bruno's boxing career was winning ...

in 1987. He made a final comeback during the 1990s, winning the Australian heavyweight title in 1995 and the lightly regarded World Boxing Federation (WBF) heavyweight championship in 1998 at the age of 48 against

James "Bonecrusher" Smith James "Bonecrusher" Smith was born in April 13, 1953 at Mangolia, Nort Carolina, USA. James "Bonecrusher" Smith is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1999, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1986 to 1987. Ea ...

. He retired for the last time in 1999 with a final record of 69-13-1, including 43 wins by knockout.

Early years

Bugner and his family fled to the

in the late 1950s because of the Soviet Union's invasion of Hungary in 1956 after the Hungarian Uprising of that year. Initially, he was one of about 80 refugees housed in the students' Hostel at Smedley's factory in

Wisbech Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland Port of Wisbech, port and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bord ...

. They settled in the

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...

town of St Ives near the

Fens A fen is a type of wetland. Fen, Fenn, Fens, Fenns, may also refer to: People * Fen (name), a Chinese given name and surname * Fen Cresswell (1915–1966), New Zealand cricketer * Fen McDonald (1891–1915), Australian rules footballer * Kees ...

, and so, as local custom dictated, he was known as a Fen Tiger. At school, Bugner excelled in sports and was the national junior discus champion in 1964. He lived and trained in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

during his early boxing years; he was a regular at Bedford Boys Club under the training of Paul King and attended Goldington Road School in Bedford.

Boxing career

1960s

Bugner had a short amateur career, fighting sixteen times and winning thirteen bouts. He turned professional in 1967 (at the unusually young age of seventeen) on the advice of his then-trainer and friend, Andy Smith. Smith was unhappy with the choice of Bugner's opponents and believed that he could better control the quality of his opponents if Bugner turned professional. He had a losing debut against Paul Brown on 20 December 1967 at the London Hilton, where he suffered a TKO in the third round. Showing gritty determination after his debut, the teenage Bugner went on to win a remarkable 18 consecutive fights in under two years during 1968 and 1969 (including 13 stoppage victories) before narrowly losing to the older and vastly more experienced Dick Hall. He bounced back and rounded off the 1960s with three further stoppage victories.

1970s

In 1970 Bugner emerged internationally as an outstanding young prospect, and by the end of the year, he was world-rated. He won nine consecutive bouts that year, including victories over well-known boxers such as

, Manuel Ramos, Johnny Prescott,

Charley Polite Charlie Polite is an American boxer, born in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He is 6 feet 3 inches tall. Life Born in Garnet, SC, raised in Springfield, MA, he was described as an "odd American journeyman." Boxing career Charlie Polite started o ...

, and George Johnson. Bugner was now positioned to challenge world-rated Englishman

, who had nearly knocked out

a few years previously, for Cooper's

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an titles. However, because Bugner was still too young to fight for the British Commonwealth title (the minimum age was twenty-one years old at the time), this much-anticipated bout had to be postponed until the following year. While waiting to come of age, in 1971, he defeated Carl Gizzi and drew with Bill Drover just weeks later and weeks before facing Cooper. Early in his professional years, Bugner earned a reputation as a tough, durable but often exceptionally defensive and cautious boxer; he retained that image for the rest of his career. He was often criticised for lacking natural aggression in the ring. Some observers argued that Bugner's heart was never in boxing after an early opponent, Ulric Regis, died from

brain injuries Neurotrauma, brain damage or brain injury (BI) is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors. In general, brain damage refers to significant, undiscriminating t ...

soon after being outpointed by Bugner at

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Shoreditch Town Hall Shoreditch Town Hall is a municipal building in Shoreditch, London. It is a Grade II listed building. History In the mid-20th century, the vestry board decided to procure a vestry hall for the Parish of St. Leonard's; the site they selected h ...

. Many said that Bugner never punched his full weight after that.

Defeat of Henry Cooper

In March 1971, Bugner finally met veteran

Cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...

, and won a fifteen-round decision. Bugner won the bout by the slimmest of margins, 1/4 point, on the card of the lone official,

Harry Gibbs Sir Harry Talbot Gibbs, (7 February 191725 June 2005) was Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1981 to 1987 after serving as a member of the High Court between 1970 and 1981. He was known as one of Australia's leading federalist ...

. The British sporting public and press were deeply divided about the verdict. Many felt that Cooper deserved the decision due to his steady aggression. But Bugner fought effectively on the defence and often scored with his left jab, and in the opinion of many, was the rightful winner of the bout. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', among others, scored the fight in favour of Bugner. Still, the outcome of the bout is regarded as one of the most controversial in British boxing history. Nonetheless, Bugner was now the

, British Commonwealth, and European champion, and for the first time, he was ranked among the world's top ten heavyweights. Bugner would remain in the world ratings for most of the 1970s. Bugner retained his European title with a decision over tough German heavyweight

Jürgen Blin Jürgen Blin (24 April 1943 – 7 May 2022) was a mid-20th century German boxer, who was the Heavyweight Champion of Germany, and European Heavyweight Champion in 1972, and internationally represented the state of West Germany. Early life Bli ...

However, later in 1971, Bugner surprisingly lost decisions to underdogs

Jack Bodell Jack Bodell (11 August 1940 – 9 November 2016) was an English professional boxer, active during the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, Bodell started out as a light heavyweight, winning the 1961 ABA championships and a bron ...

and Larry Middleton; sandwiched between these losses was a victory over Mike Boswell. The Bodell fight was particularly costly, depriving Bugner of his British, British Commonwealth and European championships. Bugner's relative inexperience, his youth and lack of an extensive amateur background were the chief causes of these defeats. In 1972 Bugner won eight consecutive fights, including a knockout over

for the European championship. By the end of this, Bugner demonstrated much-improved ring ability and acquired enough experience that his manager began seeking matches against the world's best heavyweights.

Prime years

In 1973 Bugner began the year by retaining his European belt with a victory over the capable Dutchman

. The 23-year-old Bugner then lost twelve-round decisions to

and

. Despite being clearly defeated, Bugner fought well and won the respect of the boxing media and the public alike. After their bout, Ali declared that Bugner was capable of being world champion. Ali's trainer

Angelo Dundee Angelo is an Italian masculine given name and surname meaning "angel", or "messenger". People People with the given name *Angelo Accattino (born 1966), Italian prelate of the Catholic Church *Angelo Acciaioli (bishop) (1298–1357), Italian Rom ...

later echoed that sentiment. The fight with Frazier in July 1973 at

Earls Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

in London was deemed a classic. After being knocked down by a tremendous left hook in the tenth round, Bugner arose and staggered Frazier to close the round. Frazier took the decision, but only narrowly, and arguably only

George Foreman George Edward Foreman (born January 10, 1949) is an American former professional boxer, entrepreneur, minister and author. In boxing, he was nicknamed "Big George" and competed between 1967 and 1997. He is a two-time world heavyweight champio ...

and

ever gave Frazier a harder fight. Many regard the Frazier bout as being Bugner's best career performance. After the Ali and Frazier fights, Bugner won a further 8 bouts in a row, his most notable victories being over ex-WBA World Heavyweight Champion

, and

. By the end of 1974, Bugner was rated among the top five heavyweight contenders in the world. Bugner challenged

for the world championship in June 1975, the bout being held in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, with Ali winning a relatively one-sided fifteen-round decision. Bugner performed fairly well but maintained a strictly defensive posture throughout most of this fight, perhaps due to the blistering tropical heat, and as a result, he was widely scorned by the media and public. In an interview during an April 2008 reunion with Henry Cooper, Bugner defended his tactics in the Ali fight as having been necessary due to the extreme temperature and humidity of the outside venue.

Regains British, European & Commonwealth titles

Early in 1976, Bugner announced his retirement from boxing, stating that he no longer felt motivated to fight professionally. Within months however he returned to the ring, expressing disgust at Richard Dunn's performance against Ali and in October, he blasted out Richard Dunn in the first round to reclaim the British, British Commonwealth and European championships. Onlookers state that they had never seen Bugner angry before and that while Dunn's supporters had waged a quite unsportsmanlike campaign against Bugner, if he had fought like that in his earlier career, he could have gone further. In 1977, Bugner lost a close twelve-round decision away from home to top contender

. The scores were 57–53 and 56–54 for Lyle against 55–54 for Bugner. After this bout, Bugner again retired, making only sporadic comebacks to the ring over the next decades.

1980s

Bugner returned to the ring for brief periods in the 1980s and 1990s but was never as effective as he had been during his prime due to his age and inactivity. After a three-year absence from the ring, Bugner returned in May 1980, knocking out fringe contender Gilberto Acuna, before promptly retiring again. In 1982, a ring-rusty Bugner (having had only one short fight in 5 years and weighing in some 25 lbs above his prime fighting weight) fought the hard-hitting top contender

, but was stopped in the second round due to a badly cut eye. However, Bugner decided to continue his comeback, stopping the useful John Denis and fringe contender Danny Sutton, as well as domestic contenders Winston Allen and Eddie Neilson. In 1983, a subdued and unmotivated Bugner lost to

Marvis Frazier Marvis Frazier (born September 12, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division. Early life Marvis is the son of former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, Joe Frazier. Marvis was at ringside for all ...

, showing little ambition throughout the bout. He followed this with a decision over future European champion

Anders Eklund Anders Eklund may refer to: * Anders Eklund (boxer) * Anders Eklund (murderer) {{hndis, Eklund, Anders ...

and a controversial loss to future World Title challenger Steffen Tangstad. Bugner appeared to have done enough to win the Tangstad fight, however, like with the Frazier and Eklund bouts, he appeared unmotivated and uninterested throughout.

Comeback in Australia

In 1986 Bugner moved to

, where he adopted the nickname ''Aussie Joe'' after becoming an Australian citizen. In Australia, Bugner launched a fairly successful comeback, earning good victories over world title contenders

and

and an impressive victory over former WBA heavyweight champion Greg Page, gaining a world ranking in the process, after which he spoke of challenging reigning heavyweight champion

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...

. However, there was great clamour for a fight with fellow Briton

. The bout was touted as the biggest all-British heavyweight bout since Cooper Vs Bugner in 1971. The bout took place on 24 October 1987, and Bugner suffered an eighth-round TKO loss to the much younger and fresher world title contender for the Commonwealth championship in front of a huge crowd at

White Hart Lane White Hart Lane was a Association football, football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater i ...

football stadium. Bugner promptly retired again following this defeat, only his 3rd stoppage defeat in 20 years.

1990s

Inspired by the 45-year-old

's recapture of the heavyweight title, Bugner made a final comeback in 1995, beating Vince Cervi to win the Australian heavyweight title, followed by a win over West Turner. Bugner then fought fellow Briton and world title contender

Scott Welch Scott Roy Welch (born 21 April 1968) is a retired British professional boxer. As an amateur, Welch became one of the ABA champions at heavyweight. He travelled the world as a professional boxer, winning the Southern Area belt, the British, Com ...

for the WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Title. Welch proved too young and fresh for the now 46-year-old Bugner, handing him a TKO defeat in the 6th round. Bugner continued to fight on against far younger opponents. In 1996 he defeated the respectable Young Haumona for the Pacific and Australasian Heavyweight title, retained it against Waisiki Ligaloa in 1997, added the Australian title by defeating the tough

Colin Wilson Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was an English writer, philosopher and novelist. He also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism and the paranormal, eventually writing more than a hundred books. Wilson called his phil ...

and defending both titles against

Bob Mirovic Bob "The Big Bear" Mirovic (born 25 February 1966) is an Australian boxer of Croatian descent. Standing at 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) and with a reach of 203 cm (80 inches), he started boxing at the age of 22 in 1987. He has fought ...

in 1998. In 1998 Bugner's long-term tenacity finally gave him a world crown, albeit a lightly regarded title - the WBF version of the heavyweight crown - by defeating former WBA World Heavyweight Champion

. At the age of 48 years and 110 days, it made him the oldest ever boxer to hold a minor

championship belt A championship belt is a large, extravagantly designed belt used primarily in combat sports such as boxing, mixed martial arts, and professional wrestling to signify the champions of the promotion or company, much like a cup or trophy in other s ...

. Bugner fought just once more. In June 1999, at the age of 49, he defeated the durable fringe contender Levi Billups, who was disqualified for low blows.

Fight record

His record for 83 professional fights is 69 wins (41 on knockouts), 13 Losses and 1 Draw. In an interview in 2004, Bugner said that the hardest puncher he had ever faced was

and the biggest beating he took was from

Life outside boxing

After moving to Australia, Bugner and his wife, Marlene, opened a vineyard. It failed in 1989, and he lost an estimated two million

Australian dollar The Australian dollar (sign: $; code: AUD) is the currency of Australia, including its external territories: Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island. It is officially used as currency by three independent Pacific Island s ...

s. He now lives in Brisbane,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. Bugner has worked in the

film industry The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...

. During the 1970s, he appeared in one of several PSAs themed ''Be Smart, Be Safe''; these dealt with instructing children on how to safely cross a road or a street. In 1979 Bugner featured in an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

film, '' Io sto con gli ippopotami'' with

Bud Spencer Carlo Pedersoli (31 October 1929 – 27 June 2016), known professionally as Bud Spencer, was an Italian actor, professional swimmer and water polo player. He was known for action-comedy and Spaghetti Western roles with his long-time film partn ...

and

Terence Hill Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with longtim ...

, he worked with

in his films in the 1980s. He worked as the expert adviser on the

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

film, '' Cinderella Man'', which was a film about the heavyweight boxer

James J. Braddock James Walter Braddock (June 7, 1905 – November 29, 1974) was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from 1935 to 1937. Fighting under the name James J. Braddock (ostensibly to follow the pattern set by two prior world boxing ...

. Bugner was dropped part way through the project, which prompted him to call Crowe, "a gutless worm and a f*****g girl". Bugner suffers from a serious back injury he sustained from training for fights in his middle years. He also has financial problems. These financial problems prompted him to re-enter the ring at such an advanced age. A benefit was held for Bugner in 2008 by Kevin Lueshing. In November 2009, Bugner replaced

Camilla Dallerup Camilla Sacre-Dallerup (born 6 April 1974) is a Danish author, life coach, hypnotherapist and former ballroom dancer. Dance career Dallerup was born in Aalborg, where she started dancing at the age of two and a half when her mother took her to ...

on day 4 of the British TV show '' I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!''. He left the show on day 16 after losing a bushtucker trial called 'Jungle Jail' to fellow celebrity Stuart Manning. Bugner has three children, James, Joe Jr., and Amy, from his ex-wife Melody. Bugner's autobiography, 'Joe Bugner - My Story', was published by New Holland Publishing (Australia) in November 2013.

Professional boxing record

, - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="9", 69 Wins (41 knockouts, 26 decisions, 2 disqualifications), 13 Losses (4 knockouts, 9 decisions), 1 Draw , - style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Res. , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Rd., Time , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - align=center , Win , 69-13-1 , align=left, Levi Billups , DQ , 9 , 1999-06-13 , align=left, Broadbeach, Australia , , - align=center , Win , 68-13-1 , align=left, James Smith , TKO , 1 , 1998-07-04 , align=left, Carrara, Australia , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 67-13-1 , align=left,

, SD , 12 , 1998-04-20 , align=left, Carrara, Australia , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 66-13-1 , align=left, Colin Wilson , UD , 12 , 1998-01-13 , align=left, Broadbeach, Australia , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 65-13-1 , align=left, Waisiki Ligaloa , TKO , 7 , 1997-06-03 , align=left, Southport, Australia , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 64-13-1 , align=left, Young Haumona , KO , 5 , 1996-07-05 , align=left, Carrara, Australia , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 63-13-1 , align=left,

, TKO , 6 , 1996-03-16 , align=left,

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, align=left, , - align=center , Win , 63-12-1 , align=left, West Turner , KO , 3 , 1996-02-02 , align=left,

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Australia , , - align=center , Win , 62-12-1 , align=left, Vince Cervi , UD , 12 , 1995-09-22 , align=left,

Carrara Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some Boxing the compass, west-northwest o ...

, Australia , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 61-12-1 , align=left,

, TKO , 8 , 1987-10-24 , align=left,

, London , , - align=center , Win , 61-11-1 , align=left, Greg Page , UD , 10 , 1987-07-24 , align=left, Sydney, Australia , , - align=center , Win , 60-11-1 , align=left,

, UD , 10 , 1986-11-14 , align=left, Sydney, Australia , , - align=center , Win , 59-11-1 , align=left,

, PTS , 10 , 1986-09-15 , align=left,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, , - align=center , Loss , 58-11-1 , align=left, Steffen Tangstad , SD , 10 , 1984-02-18 , align=left, Copenhagen, Denmark , , - align=center , Win , 58-10-1 , align=left,

Anders Eklund Anders Eklund may refer to: * Anders Eklund (boxer) * Anders Eklund (murderer) {{hndis, Eklund, Anders ...

, MD , 10 , 1984-01-13 , align=left,

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Marvis Frazier Marvis Frazier (born September 12, 1960) is an American former professional boxer who fought in the heavyweight division. Early life Marvis is the son of former heavyweight champion and Hall of Famer, Joe Frazier. Marvis was at ringside for all ...

, UD , 10 , 1983-06-04 , align=left,

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, , - align=center , Win , 57-9-1 , align=left, Danny Sutton , TKO , 9 , 1983-04-20 , align=left,

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, East Fi ...

, London , , - align=center , Win , 56-9-1 , align=left, John Dino Denis , TKO , 3 , 1983-02-16 , align=left,

Wood Green Wood Green is a suburban district in the borough of Haringey in London, England. Its postal district is N22, with parts in N8 or N15. The London Plan identifies it as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London, and today it forms a maj ...

, London , , - align=center , Win , 55-9-1 , align=left, Eddie Neilson , TKO , 5 , 1982-12-09 , align=left, Bloomsbury, London , , - align=center , Win , 54-9-1 , align=left, Winston Allen , KO , 3 , 1982-10-28 , align=left,

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

, London , , - align=center , Loss , 53-9-1 , align=left,

, TKO , 2 , 1982-05-08 , align=left,

Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks. The venu ...

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, align=left, , - align=center , Win , 53-8-1 , align=left, Gilberto Acuna , TKO , 6 , 1980-08-23 , align=left, Inglewood, California , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 52-8-1 , align=left,

, SD , 12 , 1977-03-20 , align=left,

Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The hotel is situated on the west side of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and The Mirage. It is one of Las Vegas's largest and best known landmarks. Caesars P ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, align=left, , - align=center , Won , 52-7-1 , align=left, Richard Dunn , KO , 1 , 1976-10-12 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 51-7-1 , align=left,

, UD , 15 , , 1975-07-01 , align=left,

Merdeka Stadium The Stadium Merdeka (also known as Merdeka Stadium/; English: Independence Stadium) is a stadium based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is known as the site of the formal declaration of independence of the Federation of Malaya on 31 August 1957. ...

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, align=left, , - align=center , Win , 51-6-1 , align=left, Dante Cane , TKO , 5 , 1975-02-28 , align=left,

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, align=left, , - align=center , Win , 50-6-1 , align=left, Santiago Alberto Lovell , TKO , 2 , 1974-12-03 , align=left, Royal

Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...

, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 49-6-1 , align=left,

, PTS , 10 , 1974-11-12 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 48-6-1 , align=left, Jose Luis Garcia , KO , 2 , 1974-10-01 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 47-6-1 , align=left, Piermario Baruzzi , TKO , 10 , 1974-05-29 , align=left,

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, align=left, , - align=center , Win , 46-6-1 , align=left, Pat Duncan , PTS , 10 , 1974-03-12 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 45-6-1 , align=left, Mac Foster , PTS , 10 , 1973-11-13 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 44-6-1 , align=left, Giuseppe Ros , PTS , 15 , 1973-10-02 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 43-6-1 , align=left,

, PTS , 12 , 1973-07-02 , align=left,

, London , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 43-5-1 , align=left,

, UD , 12 , 1973-02-14 , align=left,

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, align=left, , - align=center , Win , 43-4-1 , align=left,

, UD , 15 , 1973-01-16 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 42-4-1 , align=left, Dante Cane , TKO , 6 , 1972-11-28 , align=left, Ice Rink, Nottingham , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 41-4-1 , align=left, Tony Doyle , TKO , 8 , 1972-11-14 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 40-4-1 , align=left,

, KO , 8 , 1972-10-10 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 39-4-1 , align=left, Paul Nielsen , TKO , 6 , 1972-07-19 , align=left,

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, align=left, , - align=center , Win , 38-4-1 , align=left, Doug Kirk , TKO , 5 , 1972-06-06 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 37-4-1 , align=left, Marc Hans , TKO , 3 , 1972-05-09 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 36-4-1 , align=left, Leroy Caldwell , DQ , 5 , 1972-04-25 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 35-4-1 , align=left, Brian O'Melia , TKO , 2 , 1972-03-28 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 34-4-1 , align=left, Larry Middleton , PTS , 10 , 1971-11-24 , align=left, Ice Rink, Nottingham , , - align=center , Win , 34-3-1 , align=left, Mike Boswell , UD , 10 , 1971-11-17 , align=left,

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, align=left, , - align=center , Loss , 33-3-1 , align=left,

, PTS , 15 , 1971-09-27 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 33-2-1 , align=left,

, PTS , 15 , 1971-05-11 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 32-2-1 , align=left,

, PTS , 15 , 1971-03-16 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , style="background: #B0C4DE", Draw , 31-2-1 , align=left, Bill Drover , PTS , 10 , 1971-02-10 , align=left, Bethnal Green, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 31-2 , align=left, Carl Gizzi , PTS , 10 , 1971-01-19 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 30-2 , align=left, Miguel Angel Paez , TKO , 3 , 1970-12-08 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 29-2 , align=left, George Johnson , PTS , 10 , 1970-11-03 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 28-2 , align=left, Hector Eduardo Corletti , PTS , 10 , 1970-10-06 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 27-2 , align=left,

, TKO , 3 , 1970-09-08 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 26-2 , align=left,

, TKO , 5 , 1970-05-12 , align=left, Wembley, London , align=left, , - align=center , Win , 25-2 , align=left, Ray Patterson , PTS , 8 , 1970-04-21 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 24-2 , align=left, Manuel Ramos , PTS , 4 , 1970-03-24 , align=left, Wembley, London , , - align=center , Win , 23-2 , align=left, Roberto Davila , TKO , 4 , 1970-02-10 , align=left, Picadilly, London , , - align=center , Win , 22-2 , align=left, Johnny Prescott , PTS , 8 , 1970-01-20 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 21-2 , align=left, Charley Polite , TKO , 3 , 1969-12-09 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 20-2 , align=left, Eddie Talhami , TKO , 4 , 1969-11-11 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 19-2 , align=left, Phil Smith , TKO , 2 , 1969-10-14 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Loss , 18-2 , align=left, Dick Hall , PTS , 8 , 1969-08-04 , align=left, Hotel Piccadilly, Manchester , , - align=center , Win , 18-1 , align=left, Moses Harrell , PTS , 8 , 1969-06-09 , align=left, Belle Vue,

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, , - align=center , Win , 17-1 , align=left, Tony Ventura , PTS , 8 , 1969-05-20 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 16-1 , align=left,

Jack O'Halloran Jack O'Halloran (born April 8, 1943) is an American actor and former boxer. O'Halloran fought in 57 professional boxing matches (including fights with future heavyweight champions George Foreman and Ken Norton), but he is best known for acting ...

, PTS , 8 , 1969-04-15 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 15-1 , align=left, Lion Ven , TKO , 5 , 1969-03-25 , align=left, Wembley, London , , - align=center , Win , 14-1 , align=left, Ulric Regis , PTS , 8 , 1969-03-11 , align=left, Shoreditch, London , , - align=center , Win , 13-1 , align=left, Terry Feeley , TKO , 1 , 1969-02-25 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 12-1 , align=left, Rudolph Vaughan , TKO , 2 , 1969-01-21 , align=left,

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, London , , - align=center , Win , 11-1 , align=left, George Dulaire , TKO , 4 , 1968-12-19 , align=left, Bethnal Green, London , , - align=center , Win , 10-1 , align=left, Gene Innocent , TKO , 3 , 1968-11-12 , align=left, Wembley, London , , - align=center , Win , 9-1 , align=left, Paul Brown , TKO , 3 , 1968-11-04 , align=left,

Connaught Rooms The Freemasons' Tavern was established in 1775 at 61-65 Great Queen Street in the West End of London. It served as a meeting place for a variety of notable organisations from the 18th century until it was demolished in 1909 to make way for the ...

, London , , - align=center , Win , 8-1 , align=left, Vic Moore , TKO , 1 , 1968-10-08 , align=left, Royal Albert Hall, London , , - align=center , Win , 7-1 , align=left, Obe Hepburn , TKO , 1 , 1968-08-18 , align=left,

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...

, London , , - align=center , Win , 6-1 , align=left, Paul Brown , TKO , 4 , 1968-05-28 , align=left,

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

, London , , - align=center , Win , 5-1 , align=left, Billy Wynter , PTS , 6 , 1968-05-21 , align=left, Bethnal Green, London , , - align=center , Win , 4-1 , align=left, Mick Oliver , RTD , 3 , 1968-05-06 , align=left, Mayfair, London , , - align=center , Win , 3-1 , align=left, Bert Johnson , KO , 3 , 1968-03-26 , align=left, Bethnal Green, London , , - align=center , Win , 2-1 , align=left, Jim McIlvaney , TKO , 2 , 1968-02-27 , align=left, Bethnal Green, London , , - align=center , Win , 1-1 , align=left, Paul Cassidy , TKO , 2 , 1968-01-30 , align=left,

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in the East End of London northeast of Charing Cross. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common land, Green, much of which survives today as Bethnal Green Gardens, beside Cambridge Heat ...

, London , , - align=center , Loss , 0-1 , align=left, Paul Brown , KO , 3 , 1967-12-20 , align=left,

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

Exhibition boxing record

References

External links

*
Career Record Extended
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bugner, Joe 1950 births Sportspeople from Szeged Australian male boxers Heavyweight boxers Australian people of Hungarian descent Hungarian emigrants to England Living people People from St Ives, Cambridgeshire European Boxing Union champions English male boxers Commonwealth Boxing Council champions English emigrants to Australia Sportspeople from Cambridgeshire Naturalised citizens of Australia Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants