PRE-FRAMED Frank Bruno & Sir Henry Cooper Hand Signed Photo Montage Presentation

Frank Bruno At the height of his powers, Frank Bruno was the most popular sportsmen in the country and to this day the former world heavyweight champion remains a national icon. Born in London in 1961, Bruno turned professional in 1980 and 21 consecutive wins by knockout quickly earned him a reputation as one of boxing's most entertaining and explosive fighters and it was not long before he had his first shot at a world title. In 1986 he challenged American Tim Witherspoon for the WBA title but despite leading the contest on all three judges' cards, he was knocked down in the eleventh round. His second chance came three years later against Mike Tyson and although he was eventually stopped in the fifth, Bruno won a legion of new fans with a juddering left hook in the first round that visibly rocked Tyson and gave the Londoner brief hope of pulling of a sensational shock. Bruno refused to give up on his dream of winning a world title and nine years after his clash with Witherspoon, the dream was realised. Bruno faced American Oliver McCall for the WBC belt and after 12 gruelling rounds that tested the stamina of both fighters to the limit, Bruno emerged the victor on points. He was finally a world heavyweight champion. His reign was to last for only one more fight as Tyson claimed the belt in Glasgow the following year. It was to be Bruno's last professional bout and he duly retired in 1996 with a proud record of 40 victories from 45 fights, 38 of those 40 wins coming by knockout. Sir Henry Cooper Sir Henry Cooper is one of British sport's most popular and charismatic personalities of the past century and even today, some 35 years after he hung up his gloves for the final time, 'Our Enry' remains a national icon. Born in south London in 1934, Cooper grew up in the shadow of the Second World War and displayed all the resolve and determination in the ring that his peers had to show in everyday life and by 1970 he was officially recognised as the British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion. It was however his two famous clashes with Muhammad Ali in the 1960s for which he is best and most fondly remembered. The two men first fought in a non-title fight at Wembley in 1963 and Cooper stunned the boxing fraternity when he floored Ali in the fourth round with 'Enry's Ammer' - his trademark left hook. A dazed Ali eventually picked himself up and won the fight but with one iconic punch, Cooper had engrained himself in the national consciousness. The rematch three years later was more one-sided as Ali confirmed his monicker as 'The Greatest' but Cooper's reputation remained untarnished. He retired in 1970 after controversially losing to Joe Bugner on points but is still regarded as one of our greatest ever heavyweights and held the British title for 12 years. Cooper was named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in both 1967 and 1970 and he was knighted by The Queen in 1999. Own a piece of sporting history This is a wonderful item for any boxing fan and is a superb piece of sporting memorabilia. Each item is issued with a certificate of authenticity by our managing director.