Was Frank Bruno an elite fighter?

[FrankieBruno]

Lennox Lewis made Bruno look like a world beating, elite fighter. Tyson made Bruno look like a chump.

Wasnt it Bruno who first took Prime Tyson to 5 rounds?

[juggernaut666]

Wasnt it Bruno who first took Prime Tyson to 5 rounds?

When did this happen?Prime?

[FrankieBruno]

when did this happen?prime?

89............

[juggernaut666]

You dont become some level of champion and not be elite ,his one biggest flaw was stamina but had successful wins otherwise .Only one person ever truly dominated him and that was Tyson when he was still relatively good,i think he gets a pass there.One exception to this rule would be guys like Carnera and Valuev level fighters.

[juggernaut666]

89............

Tysons prime was never without Rooney ... Tyson went past 5 rnds on multiple occasions in those years.

[D-MiZe]

I'd have a hard time not considering anyone who was a top ten caliber guy thru most of their prime as an elite level guy. I mean most divisions got like 1500+ guys him them. If the top 0.5%-1% of them can't be considered elite that seems like a hell of a curve we're grading fighters on.

Per your definition that group is normally comprised fully of world champions. Someone like Mayweather, Pacquiao etc are elites. Think we're devaluing the word by calling world champions elite.

[Hitman Hodgson]

He had an elite jab, and power, and was technically good. However, his stamina, and chin were not. He'd be top 3 in the current era though, easily.

[Eff Pandas]

Per your definition that group is normally comprised fully of world champions. Someone like Mayweather, Pacquiao etc are elites. Think we're devaluing the word by calling world champions elite.

I think 99% of the time all the title holders are top ten guys so yea, but there are also non-champions in that mix so its not exclusively title holders. Mainly I just got a wider view than most of what is elite. Seems like the popular boxing fan definition of "elite" is maybe 1 or 2 guys in a division max. I respect what the #11 guy had to do to get where he's got & I think many boxing fans would call that #11 guy a bum sooner than he'd call him elite & I think thats nuts & way to snobby of a way to look at the immense talent it takes just to get to that #11 spot among 1,500-2,000 fighters. If your kid was the #11 best anything among a 1,500-2,000 kid pool most parents would be bragging or hyping that **** to friends non-stop. Boxers aren't appreciated as much lol.

[soul_survivor]

He won the WBC world heavyweight championship, the most prestigious championship in boxing.

There are thousands and thousands and thousands of boxers around the world.

Out of all of those boxers, he was the one holding the biggest prize in the game. If he wasn't elite, then you may not know what elite means. Go look it up.

So, what, it doesn't make him elite. Wilder is the current WBC champ, is he elite? The guy has only ever fought one guy even resembling world class. So what makes Bruno elite with the same title?

In 1995, no one in their right mind would have ranked Bruno above Lewis, Bowe, Holyfield, Moorer or Foreman. This so called champion isn't even top 5.

Now, there's no denying Bruno was good, at times better than we expected and he won a big prize against all the odds. That does not make him elite.

[LacedUp]

Elite

world champions

contenders

journeymen/gatekeepers

prospects

club fighters

Journeymen over prospects?