Bruno vs Lewis - 'Battle of Britain' or 'Battle for British Acceptance'?

The Way We See Sport, The Way We See Life

In October 1993, Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis made history when they met in Cardiff with the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title on the line. The contest was the first time that two British born heavyweights had contested a world title, but the build-up to the bout was overshadowed by a bitter war of words between the fighters.

Bruno questioned both Lewis's legitimacy as a champion - he had won the title when Riddick Bowe refused to face him and had dumped the WBC title in a waste bin - and perhaps more acutely Bruno questioned how British Lewis was, given he had emigrated to Canada as a boy and had won Olympic Gold representing Canada in 1988 - ironically defeating Bowe in the Final. Bruno was at the time, a national treasure in Britain and in the build-up to the fight, he sought to utilise this support in his favour declaring himself a 'True Brit'.

Perhaps stung by Bruno's words, Lewis responded accordingly, questioning Bruno's credibility as a boxer; highlighting how the popular Bruno had spent more time in recent years "dressed up in girl's clothing" during pantomime performances than he had in the ring. Lewis then went a step further and declared that Bruno was an 'Uncle Tom' such was his perceived subservience to White Britain in Lewis's eyes. Understandably, Bruno was furious, declaring he was going to "knock Lewis back to Canada!" and the stage was set for 'The Battle of Britain'.

In this episode, Chris and Nathan assess the spiky build-up to the contest, what occurred in the ring on the famous night at the Arms Park and how the fight impacted upon British boxing and its status in years to come.