The Boxing History Blog

 Frank Bruno Franklin Roy Horatio Bruno was born on 16th November 1961 to his houseproud Jamaican mother, Lynette and Dominica father Robert Bruno, in Hammersmith, London. His father was a warehouseman in a bakery and suffered from chronic diabetes and his district nurse mother worked all the hours she could to be the backbone of the family and help to provide for her six children. Frank was the youngest of her brood and wanted for nothing. He soon grew to be the biggest on the block, and trouble had a way of finding the young future heavyweight champion of the world. Bruno was not a nasty kid, but street fights, teenage gangs, trouble with the law and expulsion were just part of the ritual on the tough streets of Wandsworth, South London. “At school, he was a bully boy,” Lynette explained, “and I had parents of other boys constantly knocking on my door to complain. I punished Franklin by keeping him in but he was not evil. He didn’t bully other boys to hurt them. He just liked to ...

Ricky Hatton, MBE British boxing lost one of its most loved stars when it was announced that Ricky Hatton, the former two-weight world champion, was found dead at his Manchester home at 6.45 am by a member of the public, who alerted the police on Sunday 14th September 2015.  A tribute from his family said: "He had a heart as big as his smile, and his kindness, humour and loyalty touched everyone who was lucky enough to know him," the Hatton family said. "As a family, our loss is immeasurable, and words cannot truly capture the pain we feel. Yet in the midst of our grief, we have been deeply moved by the overwhelming outpouring of love and support. "Richard's memory will forever remain in our hearts, in the hearts of his fans, and in the sport he loved so dearly." Hatton was born on 6th October 1978 to Publican parents Ray and Carol, as Richard John Hatton, at the Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, Greater Manchester. When Ricky was born, the family lived ...