Hungarian-born British-Australian boxer Joe Bugner rests his gloved hands against the ringside rope on November 21,1972. Photo: Getty Images
Joe Bugner was a heavyweight boxer who tackled the greats, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, and took them both the distance in fights in the 1970s. Hungary-born Bugner boxed under the British flag but struggled to gain the affection of the British public after beating that country’s boxing champion Henry Cooper in 1971 to capture the British, Commonwealth and European titles. He lost those belts later in the year but was European champion again by the time he fought Ali for the first time, in 1973, in a non-title fight in Las Vegas. Ali won on points and Frazier did the same five months later in a fight at Earl’s Court in London. Bugner met Ali for a second time in 1975, on that occasion a world-title fight in Kuala Lumpur, and the American again won on points in a bout over 15 rounds. A boxing career spanning 32 years ended in 1999, by which time Bugner had relocated to Australia — where he spent the final years of his life in a care home after being diagnosed with dementia. Bugner died on September 1, aged 75. — Agencies/Allied Media
