His timing was unfortunate and he certainly didn't deserve to be the poor man's Bruno he was perceived as but he wasn't far superior to Bruno- what ring results indicate that? The only fighter who shared a ring with Bruno and proved himself far superior was Tyson. Mason's opponents were often fighters Bruno had already beaten and his fight v Lewis really wasn't that close. I was a fan of his at the time, I preferred his laid back and straight forward interviews compared to Bruno's later antics and I was sure he'd beat Lewis (maybe I had my bias vision glasses on) so I'm certainly not dismissing Mason or that he might have been able to beat Bruno but far superior is an overstatement of epic proportions.
I would have said Bruno and Mason were on a similar level and I think a fight between them would have been evenly matched and exciting. I wouldn't like to say who would have won.
Gary played indoor cricket for the Kent Messenger Newspaper Group in Strood, Kent. I got to play against him and this led to a funny moment. The games were played in a large enclosed net - Gary was wicket-keeping and I was batting. After completing a run I walked behind him - he didn't notice I was there, and he decided to flop back onto the net - he crushed me. Fortunately it didn't hurt as the net absorbed the weight and we had a good laugh about it afterwards. We shared a drink and he seemed like a really nice bloke - just as he comes across here.
Thanks for upload. Mason was a good lad and a decent heavyweight in his day. Very strong and powerful. Pity he run into Lennox who was one of the best ever. Masons only defeat but no shame at putting up a good scrap against the best.
Got teary eyed watching this,mason would've destroyed Bruno an never got the chance, Horace notice would've done Bruno too,rip Mr mason you inspired alot of us amateurs in Britain back in the day
Mason might have beaten Bruno but there's really nothing in his record (which was a very padded one btw) to back up your claim he'd have destroyed Bruno when Witherspoon and Lewis didn't. As for Notice? Somebody is a bit of a Bruno hater lol.
@boxing fan uk Witherspoon comprehensively beat Bruno? Witherspoon was down on the score cards at the half way mark, lead by only 1-2 points going into the 11th and was troubled by Bruno throughout, by the own admission. He says that fight is the closest he came to losing in a fight he won and is always miffed that he doesn't get more credit for overcoming adversity and beating Bruno late and is often annoyed when people don't respect Bruno as a worthy adversary. It depends on your definition of comprehensively beating somebody- technically I guess any stoppage or knockout that isn't shrouded in controversy is a comprehensive result but that's not how most would describe the win for Witherspoon in that fight. Tyson comprehensively defeated Bruno twice, thoroughly dominating the rematch. Lewis struggled with Bruno and was also trailing at the half way mark but caught him with a wild, some would say lucky punch in the 7th that had a lot of power behind it (if your someone who calls McCall's punch v Lewis lucky then you should call Lewis' left v Bruno lucky too- I'm not so I don't). Bruno didn't go down from that punch and required another 10 unanswered punches before the referee intervened (with Bruno still upright). I wouldn't dispute that Bruno v Mason would have been close or that Mason had a chance. Had he not had a detached retina it would have been interesting to see if he could have rebuilt post Lewis. Due to his laziness and lack of dedication and the fact he'd already fallen out of love with the sport (he was talking about retirement before the Lewis fight in terms of having only 18 months- 2 years left) I'm not sure he would have but he never got the chance to prove otherwise. Nonetheless, Bruno had a higher calibre of opponent than Mason and I'd be inclined to edge towards him. Only Tyson was able to take Bruno out early and Mason was no Tyson. Had the fight gone late there's every chance that would have favoured Bruno as Mason was not always in peak condition and tended to come in heavy in some fights. I've no doubt it'd have been a terrific fight though- one for the ages and a domestic classic.
@boxing fan uk Witherspoon was ahead by 2-3 points at the time of stoppage? Ok, I'll accept that without checking and take your word for it. I recall him being 1-2 points ahead but it's a little while since I watched the fight in its entirety and my memory isn't infallible. He was certainly not ahead by the half way point though and had several tricky moments in the fight- by his own admission his toughest fight that he won. To complain about my describing Lewis' win over Mason as dominant (a description that I've already agreed was likely excessive) but then call Witherspoon's win comprehensive is contradictory in itself (unless you have a different view of a comprehensive win than I). Nobody in their right mind would dispute the stoppage of either Bruno v Witherspoon or Mason v Lewis but the same could be said of the stoppage if Vitali v Lewis- yet nobody calls that a comprehensive win and rightly so. Bruno gave Witherspoon a more thorough test than Mason did Lewis, and in a 15 round fight where he was still very much in with a chance until the very end he was never hopelessly behind on the score cards. Until Witherspoon beat Bruno to the punch in the 11th it never seemed inevitable that Bruno would be stopped whereas it never seemed likely Mason would last the 12 against Lewis (admittedly due to eye damage). I don't think I'm being excessively harsh on Mason- as I've said I was a Mason fan and would be inclined to be biased towards him. Had you asked me at the time I'd have said Mason would have KOd Lewis had his eye not swelled shut and that Lewis was lucky but I was never an impartial observer in that fight and desperately wanted Mason to win. Looking back it seems to me that whilst Lewis wasn't having it easy he was certainly winning most of the rounds. As for Bruno v Lewis, yes that's technically a majority draw but at least on judge and most newspaper columnists had Bruno winning (mainly 4-2 rather than 5-1) and a fair impression of the fight would be that he was having the better of it - including most of the 7th- until Lewis showed it wasn't just his right hand that can take a fighter out.
@boxing fan uk maybe so- we'll never know though. All we can do is judge what happened. Even without an imagined future free of injury, Mason's career was a good one. If I were ranking a top ten all time- or post war (there were so many differences in the sport pre war that it clouds the issue beyond reason) British heavyweights list then I'd certainly have Mason on there. I'd like to think Mason could have achieved more had he been injury free but I don't know he would- nobody can- and I'd have to admit my outlook might be rose tinted as I was a Mason fan and never a neutral when watching his fights. When people say they think Mason was better than Bruno or could have beaten Frank I don't mind as I've no strong opinion and they could be right- I'd have edged towards Bruno but then I bet Hooker would unify the 10 stone titles last week, so my predictions are fallible and maybe I'd have been wrong. Saying Mason was a far superior fighter and would have destroyed Bruno though- that's either based on the most rose tinted glasses ever giving a warped perception of how good Mason was, likely due to the sympathy one feels for his early career end and tragically untimely death or due to some serious irrational Bruno hating.
@boxing fan uk I'm not sure that Lewis wasn't focused against Bruno. Their fight was quite the genuine grudge match and Lewis wanted to put on a dominant display. Bruno was able to jab with Lewis and Lewis always struggled v good jabbers and Bruno's jab was excellent that night. Lewis resorted to increasingly desperate tactics as he couldn't get his jab going. I couldn't agree with your assessment of Tyson as a slugger either. He was an aggressive pressure fighter but he used an excellent jab and head movement to get inside and had a brilliant punch variety, lightning fast speed and awesome power. I don't think Mason compares to Tyson at his peak, either in style or ability. I'm sure Mason could have put Bruno under pressure and made him uncomfy but also I'm sure that Bruno would have posed problems for Mason with his jab- much as Lewis did. Also, I'm not criticising Mason's performance v Lewis. I thought Lewis performed brilliantly v a world class opponent and showed his potential as a world beater that night. His most under rated performance in many ways- particularly amongst American audiences.
Great person and character. Not naming names, but when I see the hype and money surrounding ill-tempered British heavyweights today, it is a crying shame because IMO Gary beats all but maybe one of them..
Quick fisted for a HW, with a dependable chin, but his feet weren't the fastest. Probably the most articulate out of the three British HW fighters of this specific era.
Gary was tough & a rounded fighter, but was not supreme enough in any enough to win a world title. I was most upset though that the media mocked him stating he left only £1000 in his will
I don't agree Mason was a superior fighter to Bruno...Frank was a world class heavyweight fighter (he would have destroyed Notice)...Gary was a very solid British and European fighter though...he also understood that Bruno matched very well against Lewis...a point that a lot of critics never quite understood and which he made after losing against Lennox...
Mason died prematurely which means people turn up the hyperbole and make stupid remarks. He was a lovely guy and interviewed well. I was a fan of his and was gutted when he lost/ retired and when he died. Nonetheless, he'd have been lucky to survive 3 rounds with Tyson in '91 (and less v the peak version). He had a padded record (more so than your average prospect) but did have some good wins. I was a felt he gave good value in his fights and liked to hear him talk. I won't rewrite history though or reinvent facts. Destroy Bruno? No chance. Beat Bruno? Maybe, but my money would be on Frank. People don't like to acknowledge that Lewis dominated Mason whereas he had fits against Bruno. Horace Notice, whilst I've no wish to detract from good domestic level champions, doesn't figure to win one fight in ten against Bruno, who was never out of shape or carrying weight like Mason. Just remember the guy for what he was and leave the "could have would have" fairy tales alone.
@boxing fan uk I've watched the fight several times, initially as it happened and last time about a month ago. With the passing of time I see it more and more as a comfortable win for Lewis- and I'd be of a biased view as I'd picked Mason to win, was quite a fan of his and desperately wanted him to win- having not rated and disliked Lewis at the time. Lewis took the first couple of rounds, marking Mason up alarmingly early. Mason forced the action in rounds 3-4 as his eyes were already badly marked up and he knew he didn't have 12 rounds in him. Lewis was timing him much better in the 5th and 6th, Mason's desperation playing into his hands. I'd probably say 4-2 in rounds to Lewis but I'd not argue with somebody had it wider (even a shut out although that'd seem harsh). Maybe dominated is slightly over stating it but the writing seemed on the wall early on and Lewis had it a lot easier than I'd expected despite looking temporarily ragged in round 4. I was gutted at the time and still would have liked to see Mason prevail. Lewis' limitations were just as much on show v Mason as they were in his Bruno and Tucker fights though. Until Steward took over he never looked like a potential great to me- a good fighter with brilliant moments but amateurish (and not in a good way) with weaknesses that Bowe and Holyfield could have exposed- but he went to the next level with Manny.
@boxing fan uk I wouldn't dispute that he was hit hard or claim he had it easy. For me he was either winning most rounds or edging them with his jab and foot work though. Mason just seemed ragged - likely due to poor vision- for much of the fight. Whilst he was taking some lumps I never felt the fight was slipping from Lewis' grasp. Those who claim Lewis couldn't handle a rough gut check fight should watch him v Mason though. O'Connell never did seem to score for Lewis lol but to be fair, whilst I didn't agree with his Holyfield score (I had it 7-5 for Lewis) I wasn't outraged by the drawn scorecard. The Williams card, with Holyfield given the 5th, was the biggest liberty I've seen taken since Guererra gave Leonard 10-2 v Hagler though.
Such a nice guy was Gary,managed to meet him at the Lewis/Ruddock fight at Earls Court and was working for Sky,I threw him my witches hat as the fight was on Halloween Night.....always had time for the fans and could read a fight so well RIP m8
Gary mason. Genuine top class man . How can you not love him
A beautiful kind warm human.sorely missed .rest in peace gary.
Nice interview with Gary, I met him very briefly in the late 80s and he was an absolute pleasure. Really down to earth and warm. RIP Gary. ✝️
He was indeed a class guy. Be at peace Gary.
RIP to both Mason & Wogan.
Mason minus the eye injury would have been a contender for years if not a world title holder.
I played indoor cricket against Gary. It seemed like innocent fun, and yet he got a ball in the eye and it ruined his career. Such a shame.
Such a lovely guy. The only thing he did wrong was being around at the wrong time. Far superior fighter to Bruno.
His timing was unfortunate and he certainly didn't deserve to be the poor man's Bruno he was perceived as but he wasn't far superior to Bruno- what ring results indicate that? The only fighter who shared a ring with Bruno and proved himself far superior was Tyson. Mason's opponents were often fighters Bruno had already beaten and his fight v Lewis really wasn't that close. I was a fan of his at the time, I preferred his laid back and straight forward interviews compared to Bruno's later antics and I was sure he'd beat Lewis (maybe I had my bias vision glasses on) so I'm certainly not dismissing Mason or that he might have been able to beat Bruno but far superior is an overstatement of epic proportions.
I would have said Bruno and Mason were on a similar level and I think a fight between them would have been evenly matched and exciting. I wouldn't like to say who would have won.
Gary played indoor cricket for the Kent Messenger Newspaper Group in Strood, Kent. I got to play against him and this led to a funny moment. The games were played in a large enclosed net - Gary was wicket-keeping and I was batting. After completing a run I walked behind him - he didn't notice I was there, and he decided to flop back onto the net - he crushed me. Fortunately it didn't hurt as the net absorbed the weight and we had a good laugh about it afterwards. We shared a drink and he seemed like a really nice bloke - just as he comes across here.
RIP Mason. Good fighter and nice man. Articulate.
What a lovely guy. He reminds me of Joe Joyce in his fighting style.
Gary Mason was such a nice guy and funny too!
A funny and articulate man. I was lucky enough to meet him socially and he was just the same off camera.
My favourite boxer of all time. Rest in peace Gary. You are greatly missed..
Thanks for upload. Mason was a good lad and a decent heavyweight in his day. Very strong and powerful. Pity he run into Lennox who was one of the best ever. Masons only defeat but no shame at putting up a good scrap against the best.
RIP Gary xxx
Good fighter. Solid chin - Lennox never knocked him over. RIP Gary
Mason was tough as hell.
RIP Gary 🙏🏾
Got teary eyed watching this,mason would've destroyed Bruno an never got the chance, Horace notice would've done Bruno too,rip Mr mason you inspired alot of us amateurs in Britain back in the day
Mason might have beaten Bruno but there's really nothing in his record (which was a very padded one btw) to back up your claim he'd have destroyed Bruno when Witherspoon and Lewis didn't. As for Notice? Somebody is a bit of a Bruno hater lol.
@boxing fan uk Witherspoon comprehensively beat Bruno? Witherspoon was down on the score cards at the half way mark, lead by only 1-2 points going into the 11th and was troubled by Bruno throughout, by the own admission. He says that fight is the closest he came to losing in a fight he won and is always miffed that he doesn't get more credit for overcoming adversity and beating Bruno late and is often annoyed when people don't respect Bruno as a worthy adversary. It depends on your definition of comprehensively beating somebody- technically I guess any stoppage or knockout that isn't shrouded in controversy is a comprehensive result but that's not how most would describe the win for Witherspoon in that fight. Tyson comprehensively defeated Bruno twice, thoroughly dominating the rematch. Lewis struggled with Bruno and was also trailing at the half way mark but caught him with a wild, some would say lucky punch in the 7th that had a lot of power behind it (if your someone who calls McCall's punch v Lewis lucky then you should call Lewis' left v Bruno lucky too- I'm not so I don't). Bruno didn't go down from that punch and required another 10 unanswered punches before the referee intervened (with Bruno still upright). I wouldn't dispute that Bruno v Mason would have been close or that Mason had a chance. Had he not had a detached retina it would have been interesting to see if he could have rebuilt post Lewis. Due to his laziness and lack of dedication and the fact he'd already fallen out of love with the sport (he was talking about retirement before the Lewis fight in terms of having only 18 months- 2 years left) I'm not sure he would have but he never got the chance to prove otherwise. Nonetheless, Bruno had a higher calibre of opponent than Mason and I'd be inclined to edge towards him. Only Tyson was able to take Bruno out early and Mason was no Tyson. Had the fight gone late there's every chance that would have favoured Bruno as Mason was not always in peak condition and tended to come in heavy in some fights. I've no doubt it'd have been a terrific fight though- one for the ages and a domestic classic.
@boxing fan uk Witherspoon was ahead by 2-3 points at the time of stoppage? Ok, I'll accept that without checking and take your word for it. I recall him being 1-2 points ahead but it's a little while since I watched the fight in its entirety and my memory isn't infallible. He was certainly not ahead by the half way point though and had several tricky moments in the fight- by his own admission his toughest fight that he won. To complain about my describing Lewis' win over Mason as dominant (a description that I've already agreed was likely excessive) but then call Witherspoon's win comprehensive is contradictory in itself (unless you have a different view of a comprehensive win than I). Nobody in their right mind would dispute the stoppage of either Bruno v Witherspoon or Mason v Lewis but the same could be said of the stoppage if Vitali v Lewis- yet nobody calls that a comprehensive win and rightly so. Bruno gave Witherspoon a more thorough test than Mason did Lewis, and in a 15 round fight where he was still very much in with a chance until the very end he was never hopelessly behind on the score cards. Until Witherspoon beat Bruno to the punch in the 11th it never seemed inevitable that Bruno would be stopped whereas it never seemed likely Mason would last the 12 against Lewis (admittedly due to eye damage). I don't think I'm being excessively harsh on Mason- as I've said I was a Mason fan and would be inclined to be biased towards him. Had you asked me at the time I'd have said Mason would have KOd Lewis had his eye not swelled shut and that Lewis was lucky but I was never an impartial observer in that fight and desperately wanted Mason to win. Looking back it seems to me that whilst Lewis wasn't having it easy he was certainly winning most of the rounds. As for Bruno v Lewis, yes that's technically a majority draw but at least on judge and most newspaper columnists had Bruno winning (mainly 4-2 rather than 5-1) and a fair impression of the fight would be that he was having the better of it - including most of the 7th- until Lewis showed it wasn't just his right hand that can take a fighter out.
@boxing fan uk maybe so- we'll never know though. All we can do is judge what happened. Even without an imagined future free of injury, Mason's career was a good one. If I were ranking a top ten all time- or post war (there were so many differences in the sport pre war that it clouds the issue beyond reason) British heavyweights list then I'd certainly have Mason on there. I'd like to think Mason could have achieved more had he been injury free but I don't know he would- nobody can- and I'd have to admit my outlook might be rose tinted as I was a Mason fan and never a neutral when watching his fights. When people say they think Mason was better than Bruno or could have beaten Frank I don't mind as I've no strong opinion and they could be right- I'd have edged towards Bruno but then I bet Hooker would unify the 10 stone titles last week, so my predictions are fallible and maybe I'd have been wrong. Saying Mason was a far superior fighter and would have destroyed Bruno though- that's either based on the most rose tinted glasses ever giving a warped perception of how good Mason was, likely due to the sympathy one feels for his early career end and tragically untimely death or due to some serious irrational Bruno hating.
@boxing fan uk I'm not sure that Lewis wasn't focused against Bruno. Their fight was quite the genuine grudge match and Lewis wanted to put on a dominant display. Bruno was able to jab with Lewis and Lewis always struggled v good jabbers and Bruno's jab was excellent that night. Lewis resorted to increasingly desperate tactics as he couldn't get his jab going. I couldn't agree with your assessment of Tyson as a slugger either. He was an aggressive pressure fighter but he used an excellent jab and head movement to get inside and had a brilliant punch variety, lightning fast speed and awesome power. I don't think Mason compares to Tyson at his peak, either in style or ability. I'm sure Mason could have put Bruno under pressure and made him uncomfy but also I'm sure that Bruno would have posed problems for Mason with his jab- much as Lewis did. Also, I'm not criticising Mason's performance v Lewis. I thought Lewis performed brilliantly v a world class opponent and showed his potential as a world beater that night. His most under rated performance in many ways- particularly amongst American audiences.
Good stuff Gary. RIP
Good man Gary, top fighter, would love to have seen him v Bruno… could have gone either way…🥊
A nice bloke and hard as nails. Such a pleasant and articulate champ compared to some of today's loud mouths. RIP champ.
Great person and character. Not naming names, but when I see the hype and money surrounding ill-tempered British heavyweights today, it is a crying shame because IMO Gary beats all but maybe one of them..
Quick fisted for a HW, with a dependable chin, but his feet weren't the fastest. Probably the most articulate out of the three British HW fighters of this specific era.
Where can i get That jumper Gary is wearing
Debenhams
🤣🤣🤣 tis that still about@@N17-o2r
To grate men Gary and Terry Rip
i use to see gary on im road drive his bmw hiscar use to shout to him your best R I P garry a good man shoud all way s be remmber
I had a semi stroke trying to read that
Gary was tough & a rounded fighter, but was not supreme enough in any enough to win a world title. I was most upset though that the media mocked him stating he left only £1000 in his will
What a contrast to Lewis? No arrogance or pretense!
Always liked Gary....
I don't agree Mason was a superior fighter to Bruno...Frank was a world class heavyweight fighter (he would have destroyed Notice)...Gary was a very solid British and European fighter though...he also understood that Bruno matched very well against Lewis...a point that a lot of critics never quite understood and which he made after losing against Lennox...
Mason died prematurely which means people turn up the hyperbole and make stupid remarks. He was a lovely guy and interviewed well. I was a fan of his and was gutted when he lost/ retired and when he died. Nonetheless, he'd have been lucky to survive 3 rounds with Tyson in '91 (and less v the peak version). He had a padded record (more so than your average prospect) but did have some good wins. I was a felt he gave good value in his fights and liked to hear him talk. I won't rewrite history though or reinvent facts. Destroy Bruno? No chance. Beat Bruno? Maybe, but my money would be on Frank. People don't like to acknowledge that Lewis dominated Mason whereas he had fits against Bruno. Horace Notice, whilst I've no wish to detract from good domestic level champions, doesn't figure to win one fight in ten against Bruno, who was never out of shape or carrying weight like Mason. Just remember the guy for what he was and leave the "could have would have" fairy tales alone.
@boxing fan uk I've watched the fight several times, initially as it happened and last time about a month ago. With the passing of time I see it more and more as a comfortable win for Lewis- and I'd be of a biased view as I'd picked Mason to win, was quite a fan of his and desperately wanted him to win- having not rated and disliked Lewis at the time. Lewis took the first couple of rounds, marking Mason up alarmingly early. Mason forced the action in rounds 3-4 as his eyes were already badly marked up and he knew he didn't have 12 rounds in him. Lewis was timing him much better in the 5th and 6th, Mason's desperation playing into his hands. I'd probably say 4-2 in rounds to Lewis but I'd not argue with somebody had it wider (even a shut out although that'd seem harsh). Maybe dominated is slightly over stating it but the writing seemed on the wall early on and Lewis had it a lot easier than I'd expected despite looking temporarily ragged in round 4. I was gutted at the time and still would have liked to see Mason prevail. Lewis' limitations were just as much on show v Mason as they were in his Bruno and Tucker fights though. Until Steward took over he never looked like a potential great to me- a good fighter with brilliant moments but amateurish (and not in a good way) with weaknesses that Bowe and Holyfield could have exposed- but he went to the next level with Manny.
@boxing fan uk I wouldn't dispute that he was hit hard or claim he had it easy. For me he was either winning most rounds or edging them with his jab and foot work though. Mason just seemed ragged - likely due to poor vision- for much of the fight. Whilst he was taking some lumps I never felt the fight was slipping from Lewis' grasp. Those who claim Lewis couldn't handle a rough gut check fight should watch him v Mason though. O'Connell never did seem to score for Lewis lol but to be fair, whilst I didn't agree with his Holyfield score (I had it 7-5 for Lewis) I wasn't outraged by the drawn scorecard. The Williams card, with Holyfield given the 5th, was the biggest liberty I've seen taken since Guererra gave Leonard 10-2 v Hagler though.
love you Gary big hearted man with a brain RIP
Such a nice guy was Gary,managed to meet him at the Lewis/Ruddock fight at Earls Court and was working for Sky,I threw him my witches hat as the fight was on Halloween Night.....always had time for the fans and could read a fight so well RIP m8