I played Rugby League against Mason, he was a big powerful man but surprisingly athletic and dexterous. He was also a true gentleman, really down to earth and easy to chat with. RIP Gary Mason you did well
My favourite memory of Gary Mason was actually during the first Bruno-Tyson fight. Gary Mason was at ringside jumping up and pounding on the canvas screaming "f### him up Frank!" Great tv coverage from back in the day.
In the pantheon of heavyweight boxing Mason has been quickly forgotten, but 37 fights with just a single loss to one of the greats, and many wins over some tasty opposition, that's a hell of a record.
I once had the great pleasure of meeting Gary Mason when he was working as security in a club in Wimbledon after he had retired . I was always a fan of his boxing ability but was so impressed with his engaging personality. Happy to chat with a drunk fat lad about boxing after realising I had followed his career. We must have chatted for 10 minutes about the sport he obviously loved. Rest in Peace Gary, a true gentleman 🙏
@brutusleao well Brutus, that may say more about than you realise. Even though I’d had a couple of beers I know how to conduct myself, especially in front of people I admire.
Thank you for showing these stories! So many greats like Gary Mason i have yet to hear about. That last rally after Lennox hurt him showed that he had the heart of a champion. Unfortunate to hear he has passed away but glad to know he left a lasting positive legacy outside the ring and is remembered well. Rip Mr. Mason
Gary Mason was a really good fighter and had plenty big wins to his name ! His only loss was to Lennox Lewis and that's nothing to be ashamed about ! RIP Gary !
Gary was a very good friend of mine who I miss dearly. Such a lovely funny kind hearted generous man. Sorely missed. Taken too early. Knew his strengths in and out of the ring. Proper knockout merchant in the ring and a proper gent this side of the ropes. Think of you often Gary. Miss your smile and twinkle in your eyes. Rest in brother.
thank you for bringing Gary Mason into view to more people, i remember watching his fights live on UK tv , he was great to watch , always fought hard and over time has not received the acclaim he was due. video's like these help to correct that. great record , great guy. sad to hear he has passed away, RIP the gentle giant.
For me (controversial) but Lewis was one of the best if not the best HW there’s ever been. When his head was in the game, I’m not sure who could of beat him. Mason was an underrated warrior
@@alunmorgan2352 Toughest era in Heavyweight history. Ali, Foreman,Frazier, Ken Norton, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers etc. Any of those would have made mincemeat of Gary Mason.
@@andyelliott8027I doubt it. He would be severely physically disadvantaged from one of the most technical HWs in history with the benefit of the sports evolution. And the way they win fights was essentially the same. Same reason Joe Louis wouldn’t beat Lennox. That were flag bearers of their time limited by time itself. But pushing the sport forward single-handedly at times so Lennox could run while they trudged ahead. In his absolute prime, Lennox would struggle to beat Liston. Ali had uniquely a granite chin AND incredible speed. Lennox has a solid chin and good speed but Liston at his peak you’d need those two In spades he was weirdly vulnerable but only to a specific style. But Ali was the only one really with a jab so fast it negated liston’s lethal jab. It literally knocked people out. Lennox depends on his jab, fighting the guy with by far and by all his peers and near-peers the strongest job in boxing history is not going to be favorable matchup. It’s a battle of the Jabs that in his prime I can’t not pick listons unless he’s other world quick like Ali’s. Not sure he’d beat Holmes either for similar reasons. Another giant using his jab but Larry was dynamic with it. Lennox’s entire game plan depends on unsettling his man with his jab. I’m not a fan of Larry but that wouldn’t work. His jab isn’t as solid as Larry’s despite being very good. Larry could bang too. And could wear punishment very well. Lennox had this weird thing where he went from 100 to 0 real quick. Almost no fighters in history would be able to get inside long enough to make the damage accumulate and him lose focus. Larry is that type of guy as was Sonny. Other than that, I’d probably put my money on Lennox vs the field who I think is the most prolific HW specifically of all time in terms of who he fought and his success /dominance against ATGs consistently .
@@andyelliott8027 Again I can't argue too much. All I can say is the era Lewis was in was pretty special also. Both era would have ruined everybody in this one
Rare respectful gem of a video, where it's not about trashing some unfortunate loser, but about highlighting a forgotten champion by showing how he dealt with adversity. Beautifully told short story about two greats.
I knew Gary after he retired and was living in Camberwell. We usually bumped into each other at the newsagents in the morning. He always had time to reason about boxing and he was so down to earth. RIP big man 🙏🏾
Gary was an excellent fighter who trained at Terry Lawless's Royal Oak gym in his early days, a man who trained 4 fighters to world titles. Sadly Gary Mason died in a bicycle accident at the age of 48.
Fantastic video...and thanks for sharing Gary's story. He was a good man and his mentality should be encouraged. HOO-YAH & God Bless Gary's Soul and Memory.
Lennox was an all-time great with quality in every area. Arguably the best resume of any heavyweight in history, imho (but that's open to debate) Rest in Peace, Gary, one of my heroes growing up and was I first falling in love with Boxing.
It's not My opinion,it's the opinion of Ring magazine and a matter of public record and recorded boxing history. It's there in black and white.@@jukeboxtimebomber
Another excellent vid. Mason had a great record better then most. The injury put paid to his career but he was as tough as they come. And you're right he was a great guy, humble, very intelligent and just a top bloke.
Gary Mason is the forgotten man of HW boxing. A great record and huge potential, thwarted by a detached retina. Reputed to be a lovely chap too. RIP Champ.
Been watching boxing since i was a young kid. Never knew about Gary Mason before. He must have been very good to give Lennox a good fight. If he didnt have the eye injury, he probably beats Lennox.
@@ppuh6tfrz646 Lewis wasn’t prime either. He was older than Tyson and only fought one more time. A good big man usually beats a good small man and when Lewis was good, he was very good.
@@timthompson8297 It isn't as straightforward as you make it out to be. Fighters don't all peak at the same age. Tyson peaked in 1988 and was 14 years past his prime when he fought Lewis plus he was out of the ring for 4 years between 1991 and 1995. That's a lot of ring rust.
I feel he would have gone to win the fight against Lennox had it not been for the eye injury. What a warrior and underrated boxer and KO artist. In my mind he would have cleaned up Mike Tyson as well if they ever fought
You learn something everyday, i never knew that Gary Masons record was that good, 1 loss to Lennox and he give him a great fight although his eye was damaged he would of prob' carried on had it not been stoped. Lennox is an all time great far as im concerned, just shows how good Mason was, its sad injury forced him out the game, luckily we have memories that live on forever 🙏
Lewis was an ATG no way could mason beat him, if we talk about other great HWs like Tyson, Holyfield etc yeah they can have a chance against lewis but not mason
Ahh, it's glorious to see proper heavyweights before they dropped the super heavyweight division and allowed the big slow dumptrucks to bore the life out of us. They bore us even when not fighting, it states in this that Gary Mason fought 6/7 times per year, I mean how times did Mike Tyson defend his belt within the first 12 months of winning it? 4 or 5 times off the top of my head. Middleweight and below are what I enjoy watching most, proper boxers
That was a great fight for as long as it lasted! Lennox Lewis is certainly the best Heavyweight Britain has ever had. And one of the all-time greats!👏🏾👍🏾💪🏾👌🏾 R.I.P. Gary Mason.🙏🏾
The gentle giant. What a fighter and what a great man. I was shocked to read of his untimely and tragic death. Crushed by a transit van that had cut a corner at 5 in the morning. Gary was on his way to work on his bicycle where he worked as a porter or something.
the fact, that this fight is the only one lose in Mason's record is pretty weird. i think all of the fighters from the top were just afraid of giving him a chance. such a puncher.
The world needs more people like Gary Mason. A gentleman. Rest in Peace, Big Fella.
I played Rugby League against Mason, he was a big powerful man but surprisingly athletic and dexterous. He was also a true gentleman, really down to earth and easy to chat with. RIP Gary Mason you did well
I met Lennox at my gym once. He is incredibly nice.
My favourite memory of Gary Mason was actually during the first Bruno-Tyson fight. Gary Mason was at ringside jumping up and pounding on the canvas screaming "f### him up Frank!" Great tv coverage from back in the day.
@@a5dr3 that's boxers for ya,strong yet gentle,they knew how painful it was in the ring so they aint that arrogant.
Mason was hit by a van in London whist cycling. So tragic.
@@Joe21671Did he fk tyson up I didn't see that fight?
you can't find a better story, better narration, better edited video than BLTV, thank you for every video and please keep making them. Rip Mr. Mason
Except for the fact that they used f'ing clickbait for the thumbnail.
@@zoomingbyyou’re mad over a thumbnail ? 😂
In the pantheon of heavyweight boxing Mason has been quickly forgotten, but 37 fights with just a single loss to one of the greats, and many wins over some tasty opposition, that's a hell of a record.
Cause he never went past the British scene but it was probably because of his eye
Yea the eye unfortunately was his Achilles heel 😂@@dawg4769
Said I've never heard of him
He was very slow though wasnt he
@@CameronCopus-r2s But affective, or he wouldn't have chalked up all those victories
Gary mason a top fighter and a great human being,sorely missed we need more people like Gary in the world RIP🤝👏🏴🥇🥊
Sad ending. He apparently lived in a small pokey run-down flat and had no money or anything.
and he was riding his bike when he was killed, he was 48@@DameTremonti
@dfcvda 😭 Never bring a bicycle to a car fight.
He had so much life yet to live, great guy and great athlete.😰
I once had the great pleasure of meeting Gary Mason when he was working as security in a club in Wimbledon after he had retired . I was always a fan of his boxing ability but was so impressed with his engaging personality. Happy to chat with a drunk fat lad about boxing after realising I had followed his career. We must have chatted for 10 minutes about the sport he obviously loved. Rest in Peace Gary, a true gentleman 🙏
Men like this in security industries(especially bouncers)are extremely dangerous for stupid drunk people...this man had a real grenades in his fists
Meet Gary at a boxing show in London. Shook hands and chatted for a couple of minutes....an absolute gentleman
Grande técnico de lenox, bater no olho, ganhou várias lutas desde jeito
I met Lennox. He is incredibly nice.
@brutusleao well Brutus, that may say more about than you realise. Even though I’d had a couple of beers I know how to conduct myself, especially in front of people I admire.
Thank you for showing these stories! So many greats like Gary Mason i have yet to hear about. That last rally after Lennox hurt him showed that he had the heart of a champion. Unfortunate to hear he has passed away but glad to know he left a lasting positive legacy outside the ring and is remembered well.
Rip Mr. Mason
Gary Mason was a really good fighter and had plenty big wins to his name ! His only loss was to Lennox Lewis and that's nothing to be ashamed about ! RIP Gary !
He's not in the all-time top 100 heavyweights.
And he didn't actually lose, ref retired him for a cut
@@rneomanThat's a loss in boxing 🥊
I didn’t realise Mason was so good. I knew he hit hard but he looks solid in this video
I never heard of Gary. Why haven't i ever heard of him?
Gary was a very good friend of mine who I miss dearly. Such a lovely funny kind hearted generous man. Sorely missed. Taken too early. Knew his strengths in and out of the ring. Proper knockout merchant in the ring and a proper gent this side of the ropes.
Think of you often Gary. Miss your smile and twinkle in your eyes. Rest in brother.
Didn’t know anything about Gary Mason until this video. From all accounts a very good fighter and good man too. RIP Champ.
thank you for bringing Gary Mason into view to more people, i remember watching his fights live on UK tv , he was great to watch , always fought hard and over time has not received the acclaim he was due. video's like these help to correct that. great record , great guy. sad to hear he has passed away, RIP the gentle giant.
RIP.
Great video as always BLTV
RIP? Lennox isn’t dead
Hes talking about Gary Mason
Met Gary Mason back in the late 90's as he lived near a friend. He was nice, smiling and laughing away, proper genuine guy. RIP
Never stop these
For me (controversial) but Lewis was one of the best if not the best HW there’s ever been. When his head was in the game, I’m not sure who could of beat him. Mason was an underrated warrior
Ali would HAVE beaten him. The unbeaten Foreman that Ali KO'd would have beaten him too. Very few others would though, possibly a peak Larry Holmes.
@@andyelliott8027 I won't argue as hard to say. Different times.
@@alunmorgan2352 Toughest era in Heavyweight history. Ali, Foreman,Frazier, Ken Norton, Ron Lyle, Earnie Shavers etc. Any of those would have made mincemeat of Gary Mason.
@@andyelliott8027I doubt it. He would be severely physically disadvantaged from one of the most technical HWs in history with the benefit of the sports evolution. And the way they win fights was essentially the same. Same reason Joe Louis wouldn’t beat Lennox. That were flag bearers of their time limited by time itself. But pushing the sport forward single-handedly at times so Lennox could run while they trudged ahead.
In his absolute prime, Lennox would struggle to beat Liston. Ali had uniquely a granite chin AND incredible speed. Lennox has a solid chin and good speed but Liston at his peak you’d need those two In spades he was weirdly vulnerable but only to a specific style. But Ali was the only one really with a jab so fast it negated liston’s lethal jab. It literally knocked people out. Lennox depends on his jab, fighting the guy with by far and by all his peers and near-peers the strongest job in boxing history is not going to be favorable matchup. It’s a battle of the Jabs that in his prime I can’t not pick listons unless he’s other world quick like Ali’s.
Not sure he’d beat Holmes either for similar reasons. Another giant using his jab but Larry was dynamic with it. Lennox’s entire game plan depends on unsettling his man with his jab. I’m not a fan of Larry but that wouldn’t work. His jab isn’t as solid as Larry’s despite being very good. Larry could bang too. And could wear punishment very well. Lennox had this weird thing where he went from 100 to 0 real quick. Almost no fighters in history would be able to get inside long enough to make the damage accumulate and him lose focus. Larry is that type of guy as was Sonny.
Other than that, I’d probably put my money on Lennox vs the field who I think is the most prolific HW specifically of all time in terms of who he fought and his success /dominance against ATGs consistently .
@@andyelliott8027 Again I can't argue too much. All I can say is the era Lewis was in was pretty special also. Both era would have ruined everybody in this one
Good vid. Its great to remember Gary Mason, a true gentleman.
Without the eye injury Mason could have been an immensely feared heavyweight that many would have avoided.
Yeah he reminds me a lot of Mercer
Great video. It's nice to see some content on the career of Lennox Lewis. RIP Gary Mason.
Is that Gary MANSON the mass murderer ? Was he related to Gary Mason?
@andyelliott8027 Somehow, I spelt the name wrong by mistake, I meant to write Mason lol 😅
Imagine these dudes against today’s champions… it would be tough for todays champs…
Rare respectful gem of a video, where it's not about trashing some unfortunate loser, but about highlighting a forgotten champion by showing how he dealt with adversity. Beautifully told short story about two greats.
Genuinely a big hard man respect!! Loved 80s British boxing and free to watch !
You said it. Free to Watch👍👊
I met Gary Mason once when he visited the Midlands late 90s; we shook hands. He was genuine, a true champion, RIP Gary Mason..
I met him briefly in Hitchin, a proper Gentleman, so sad .
I knew Gary after he retired and was living in Camberwell. We usually bumped into each other at the newsagents in the morning. He always had time to reason about boxing and he was so down to earth. RIP big man 🙏🏾
Bltv always delivers great content for us.
Yep
this kind of Man we miss theses days on Earth, 💖🙏 Great Gary Mason, thanks...
Gary was an excellent fighter who trained at Terry Lawless's Royal Oak gym in his early days, a man who trained 4 fighters to world titles. Sadly Gary Mason died in a bicycle accident at the age of 48.
Thanks for uploading again! Missed this
this channel is amazing, the quality of the videos omg
This was great 👍 thank you so much , always followed Gary’s career so sad he passed away 🥲 rip gary mason ❤️
Fantastic video...and thanks for sharing Gary's story.
He was a good man and his mentality should be encouraged.
HOO-YAH & God Bless Gary's Soul and Memory.
Lennox was an all-time great with quality in every area. Arguably the best resume of any heavyweight in history, imho (but that's open to debate)
Rest in Peace, Gary, one of my heroes growing up and was I first falling in love with Boxing.
The best resume was held by Muhammad Ali who beat 3 of the all-time top 10, two of them twice,and 15 of the all time top 100.
@@andyelliott8027 You’re entitled to your opinion.
It's not My opinion,it's the opinion of Ring magazine and a matter of public record and recorded boxing history. It's there in black and white.@@jukeboxtimebomber
@@jukeboxtimebomber it's a fact not an opinion
lewis is nowhere close to Ali or even the top HWs of all time
@@theinformationbomber7102 Whatever you want to believe 🙂
What a fight! Uff. I watched this, then watched the entire thing. Unbelievable. Respect to this legends
Wow, forgot about Mason🎉, Thanks! Loved watching him💥
Another excellent vid. Mason had a great record better then most. The injury put paid to his career but he was as tough as they come. And you're right he was a great guy, humble, very intelligent and just a top bloke.
RIP in peace Mr Mason, taken from us far too soon. Will always be in the hearts of British boxing fans forever x
Lenox had the BEST jab
At that time yeah for sure, his jab was better than every other HW boxer already. Lennox Lewis and Larry Holmes have the two best jabs in HW history
Gary Mason was a tough fighter with tremendous power. RIP.
I used to know Gary Mason and he would’ve laughed at the body they photoshopped his head onto 😂
Gary Mason was a warrior, with the heart of a lion! 🥊🥊
As a70+ old git, RESPECT to both those guys. Seriously.💜
Rip big man, true warrior and a true gentleman out of the ring too 🙏
Meet Gary Mason at a funeral a lovely guy with a good sense of humor RIP
I didn't realise he'd gone.
RIP Big Gary
He only died 13 years ago so there hasn't been time for the news to circulate.
@@ppuh6tfrz646 I live in NZ,so wouldn't be news here,Pal.
@@mowerman60 And the internet is a relatively new thing over there...
He was out on his pushbike and a bus collided with him , sad loss
@@twmlloyd5257 It was a van not a bus.
RIP Gary. A great boxer, a great loss
That thumbnail looks like a hybrid Frank Bruno, and Ronnie Coleman 😂
GREAT VIDEO GREAT CHANNEL GREAT CONTENT GREAT ATHLETE GREATEST BOXING CHAMPIONS AND HISTORY
Gary Mason is the forgotten man of HW boxing. A great record and huge potential, thwarted by a detached retina. Reputed to be a lovely chap too.
RIP Champ.
RIP MR GARY MASON . YOU ARE A CHAMP IN YOUR OWN RIGHT , IN AND OUT OF THE RING .
Lennox had such an underrated chin.
Another Masterpiece
Lennox at his athletic prime around this fight.
First thing I noticed at 0:09 was an illegal ssa forearm
Thanks for your videos. my favorite boxing vids on youtube. Why did you switch from bltv, to bltv extra to bltv highlights?
Great coverage
Fantastic fighter Mason was ! one of the best of British !
Stop using photoshop clickbait thumbnails
That's not photo shop. I was there and that's exactly how it was.
Always liked to hear from Mr Mason. He was a great man. I still think about some of the very wise things he said. RIP.
What a legend of a man Mason was x❤x
That thumbnail man...🤣
😂😂😂 “Got ‘em”… Uploader -
Great video as usual
Gary mason, Gone, but never forgotten, just a thoroughly nice man who had a heart of gold.
lennox = beat tyson = and that is a massive statement !
What a guy, what a record! I'll be going back and looking at his career.
Gary Mason was good; Lennox Lewis was great - RIP Gary. Thanks for uploading.
God bless them both . Two great men . Great boxers .
why did u make a new account?
Gary was a hard man to stand up to that proud of you brother rip
I loved the post fight interview best
Lennox Lewis a British legend 🇬🇧❤️
Legend! Not only British legend. LEGEND!!!
Canadian. Does he sound British to you? Even now?
@@andreastzanneskastritis4367 omg! Another legend! Lol
@@juice6570 All of a sudden everyone's a legend!
Hit by hard punches ..Mason was going to Attack again....what a Heart
Mason never got the recognition he deserved. Hard fighter.
Been watching boxing since i was a young kid. Never knew about Gary Mason before. He must have been very good to give Lennox a good fight. If he didnt have the eye injury, he probably beats Lennox.
I get so tired of hearing people say Tyson was better than Lewis. A good big man usually beats a good small man.
Lewis never faced a prime Tyson.
Tyson was basically a stationary target when he fought Lewis.
@@ppuh6tfrz646 Lewis wasn’t prime either. He was older than Tyson and only fought one more time. A good big man usually beats a good small man and when Lewis was good, he was very good.
@@timthompson8297 It isn't as straightforward as you make it out to be.
Fighters don't all peak at the same age.
Tyson peaked in 1988 and was 14 years past his prime when he fought Lewis plus he was out of the ring for 4 years between 1991 and 1995.
That's a lot of ring rust.
@@ppuh6tfrz646 The "Prime Tyson" that supposedly peaked in 1988 was partly an illusion created by a sequence of poor opponents.
I feel he would have gone to win the fight against Lennox had it not been for the eye injury. What a warrior and underrated boxer and KO artist. In my mind he would have cleaned up Mike Tyson as well if they ever fought
He had a great record and mixed it with the best 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👍🏽🙏🏽
RIP Gary Mason 😞
Lewis always used that uppercut punch well; more so than most other boxers. It was a great addition to his arsenal and gave him a distinct edge.
I remember the fight it was amazing big fan of both guys rest in peace Gary Mason.
Loved watching Mason fight
Wasn't Bob Fitsimons from New Zealand?
Solid Fighter. Sadly taken from us too soon.
RIP Gary Mason.
Brother, what kind of editing is that on your thumbnails? Lmao.
You learn something everyday, i never knew that Gary Masons record was that good, 1 loss to Lennox and he give him a great fight although his eye was damaged he would of prob' carried on had it not been stoped. Lennox is an all time great far as im concerned, just shows how good Mason was, its sad injury forced him out the game, luckily we have memories that live on forever 🙏
Mason's defense let him down terribly in that fight with Lewis.
Great fight by Lewis. How much closer would it have been if not for Mason's eye injury I wonder?
Lewis was an ATG no way could mason beat him, if we talk about other great HWs like Tyson, Holyfield etc yeah they can have a chance against lewis but not mason
Ahh, it's glorious to see proper heavyweights before they dropped the super heavyweight division and allowed the big slow dumptrucks to bore the life out of us. They bore us even when not fighting, it states in this that Gary Mason fought 6/7 times per year, I mean how times did Mike Tyson defend his belt within the first 12 months of winning it? 4 or 5 times off the top of my head. Middleweight and below are what I enjoy watching most, proper boxers
That was a great fight for as long as it lasted! Lennox Lewis is certainly the best Heavyweight Britain has ever had. And one of the all-time greats!👏🏾👍🏾💪🏾👌🏾
R.I.P. Gary Mason.🙏🏾
The gentle giant. What a fighter and what a great man. I was shocked to read of his untimely and tragic death. Crushed by a transit van that had cut a corner at 5 in the morning. Gary was on his way to work on his bicycle where he worked as a porter or something.
Lennox is the best, cool as, not scared of anyone
nothing beats a clean boxed fade👍
Gary was a very Good steady fighter...lots of heart
R.I.P Gary
Funny I never heard of Gary Mason😂
RIP Gary Mason. Sorely missed and a true Gentleman...
These thumbnails man 😆
Gary mason was one of mike tysons main sparring partners dude had a killer punch and a iron jaw
Not true, they never sparred
You're probably thinking of Oliver McCall.
yep there is youtube footage of Tyson sparring McCall, and McCall handles himself very well.
@@nickmetcalfe4536 gary mason was tysons sparring partner gang it’s documented
@@abraxis20 nope mason was a documented sparring partner
Great man
British boxers are the best in the world!
Lewis had such precision with his long reach. Excellent, clean fighter.
1991?? I can't believe that it was that long ago. Mason was a tough fighter, and a really nice man RIP Gary.
the fact, that this fight is the only one lose in Mason's record is pretty weird. i think all of the fighters from the top were just afraid of giving him a chance. such a puncher.
Hear that?.... 6, 7 fights a year! Those where the days