The fight game has lost another giant. Joe Bugner, the Hungarian-born heavyweight who grew up in Britain, became an adopted Australian, and went toe-to-toe with Muhammad Ali twice, died in Brisbane on September 1, 2025. He was 75. Bugner spent his last years in a care facility battling dementia, and earlier reports also mentioned treatment for skin cancer.

He was more than a fighter with a granite chin. He was a survivor who lived three lives on three continents—and who never quite escaped the shadow of Ali, Frazier, and the golden age of heavyweights.

Joe Bugner was a former British, European, and Commonwealth heavyweight champion who began his pro career at just 17 years old. He shot to fame after a controversial win over heavyweight great Henry Cooper, which earned him the British, Co

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