![\"Bruno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/60306fd2-e350-4118-8923-a1096567bc83.jpg\")
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Bruno only had two losses on his record as he prepared to fight Tillis, who had 11<\/p>\n
The British boxing icon had true dynamite in his gloves, with 38 of his 40 conquered opponents not seeing the final bell.<\/p>\n
But one of his most iconic, and bloody, stoppage wins came when he shared the ring with Tillis.<\/p>\n
The pair faced off on March 24 1987, as Tillis’ former foe, Mike Tyson<\/a>, watched on from his ringside seat with a keen eye on proceedings.<\/p>\n With a potential title shot with Tyson on the line, both men were out to prove they were the one who deserved it.<\/p>\n Tillis had already been opposite ‘Iron Mike’ a year prior, and beating Bruno would have given him a chance to settle the score.<\/p>\n He was the first man to take Tyson the distance, but lost their clash via unanimous decision.<\/p>\n Ultimately, it was Bruno who cemented his right to the title shot with Tyson down the line.<\/p>\n After leaving Tillis bloodied and unable to push beyond the fifth round, Bruno returned to winning ways.<\/p>\n What happened when they fought?<\/p>\n Bruno had to be aware of Tillis’ sharp defence early on, which gave him so much success in taming Tyson previously.<\/p>\n But unfortunately he wasn’t at the peak of his lightning powers, and was an easy target for Bruno on the night.<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Bruno battered Tillis, with Tyson watching on as he did his level best to put his name in the thoughts of TysonCredit: Shutterstock<\/p>\n The fifth round was ultimately the turning point as Bruno bloodied the nose of Tillis and it gave him trouble, as he began dabbing at his nose with his glove.<\/p>\n And midway through the stanza, a crushing shot through the guard followed by a swift uppercut sent the American staggering towards the ropes.<\/p>\n Bruno was unable to land the big final punch, but his opponent was hurt and a series of clipping shots were met with no response by Tillis.<\/p>\n The referee stepped in with Tillis raising his hand in submission, and the partisan British crowd saluted their hero who was back in the winning column.<\/p>\n Tillis’ white shorts were left splattered with blood and he took some real facial damage, with his last chance at reaching the big time was emphatically over.<\/p>\n Who is James ‘Quick’ Tillis?<\/p>\n After turning pro in 1978, Tillis had a lot of early success and won his first 20 fights and was notorious for his excellent display against Tyson.<\/p>\n 5<\/p>\n Tillis shared the ring with Tyson at his peak, but never quite made it to the big timeCredit: Getty<\/p>\n But after losing to Bruno one year later, he became more of a journeyman and was far away from launching his own push for world silverware.<\/p>\n Despite being an impressive technician, it ultimately didn’t convert into sustained success.<\/p>\n But he was able to finish career with an impressive resume, having shared the ring with a whole host of greats including Evander Holyfield who he was later beaten by in 1988.<\/p>\n Tillis retired in 2001 with his best years beyond him, and although not reaching the heights of his opposition, was a true warrior.<\/p>\n What did this win mean for Frank Bruno?<\/p>\n The Brit came into his clash with Tillis after losing his world title fight against Tim Witherspoon in July 1986.<\/p>\n By beating a respected veteran like Tillis in such as bloody display, Bruno was able to come back to winning ways and spark a new surge towards a world title shot.<\/p>\n Watch Frank Bruno brutally KO’d by James Smith aka the ‘Bonecrusher’ who punched harder than Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis <\/p>\n Bruno followed up the victory on a brief European tour taking victories over Chuck Gardner and Reggie Gross.<\/p>\n And in his biggest step towards a world title shot, Bruno took on and stopped Joe Bugner in an iconic duel to round off a successful year, which then in turn, set up his inevitable clash with Tyson.<\/p>\n What did Bruno go on to do after defeating Tillis?<\/p>\n Two years after beating Tillis, Bruno then got his wish and shared the ring with heavyweight legend Tyson for the WBA, WBC and IBF titles.<\/p>\n The bout faced significant delays due to issues with Tyson’s personal life, but he eventually got his shot under the bright lights of Las Vegas.<\/p>\n But ultimately it changed little, as their clash ended in a similar fashion to when Bruno and Tillis fought, although this time not in the Briton’s favour.<\/p>\n It wasn’t until 1995 that Bruno finally won a world title fight, when he defeated Oliver McCall for the WBC heavyweight title.<\/p>\n![\"Bruno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/frank-bruno-james-tillis-1029522898.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Tillis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/mike-tyson-james-tillis-boxing-819903062.jpg\")
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![\"Bruno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/NINTCHDBPICT000622524497.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"5.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/fd66f9d4-7773-4023-be3d-46da4a78cce0.jpg\")
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