“A big man”
Boxwelt mourns: former Ali opponents is dead
01.09.2025 – 6:31 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
In the 1970s, Joe Bugner had his great time in the ring. He met the “biggest” twice. Then later he made a career in a different area.
Former heavy weight boxer and actor Joe Bugner is dead. According to the British Association British Boxing Board of Control, the British -born Briton died in a nursing home in the Australian city of Brisbane at the age of 75. The PA news agency also confirmed death. Dementia had been diagnosed some time ago at the triple family man Bugner.
In 1973 Bugner lost to Box-Idolen Muhammad Ali and a few months later Joe Frazier. Even two years later, he clearly lost to Ali in Kuala Lumpur, but kept in both duels over the full number of rounds.
British promoter Frank Warren, who had already represented Tyson Fury, spoke of sad news and praised Bugner in a contribution on the “X” platform as “big man who will be missing. I send my condolences to his family. May he rest in peace.”
In 1971 and two years later, Bugner defeated the German boxer Jürgen Blin, who had also died, who had also died twice in the fight for the European championship title. Bugner celebrated 69 victories in his career, received 13 defeats and won a draw.
In the mid-1980s, he emigrated to Australia. Shortly afterwards he ended his career, but returned again in 1995. Bugner also works as an actor before and after retirement. In 1994 he played alongside Jean-Claude van Damme and Kylie Minogue in the action thriller Street Fighter. The boxer was also in front of the camera in several films next to Bud Spencer.