‘We felt invincible’: Boxing legend Frank Bruno discusses new book ahead of homecoming event

Former boxing heavyweight champion Frank Bruno will be returning to Wandsworth, his former stomping ground, to sign copies of his new book 60 Years A Fighter.

The boxer grew up in Barmouth Road and started boxing aged nine at Wandsworth Boys Club.

Written as he turned 60, the book shares the story of his remarkable life so far.

Mr Bruno opens up on his journey to becoming a World Champion and the fight which has come after retirement – with his mental health.

He will return to the area of his youth to sign copies of the new book at Wandsworth’s Southside Shopping Centre on October 14.

Speaking to the South London Press ahead of the book signing, Mr Bruno said he loved growing up in South London and in that time he felt “invincible”.

He said: “I was a bit of a lad loved to go out with my mates and we were in those days seen as naughty boys we used to pinch those returnable fizzy bottles and take them back to a get a few pence. We were just pests.

“My mum was a local lay preacher. She was very strict with me and I was always getting told off.

“I loved the area. It was a big adventure to me going out with my friends. We thought we were invincible.” 

He said watching his mum preach left him in “awe”.

Mr Bruno spent his days between 1977 and 1980 at the Sir Philip Game boxing club in Croydon, which has since closed down.

Speaking about his education, Mr Bruno said: “I went to a youth detention centre or a borstal where they suffered no fools.

“I was encouraged to use my aggression and my strength and was put into boxing. I was good at it. I enjoyed the dedication it needed and it gave me a focus. I have always said if I did not get into boxing I would have ended up in prison.”

Mr Bruno’s battle with poor mental health has been well documented, having been sectioned under the Mental Health Act more than once. But he has channelled these experiences into becoming a mental health advocate, working to help others engage with their issues. 

“My agent, Dave, used to phone me when I was in hospital and said ‘you need to let the world know what you have experienced’,” the boxer said.

“At the time it was all swept under the carpet so I was convinced to talk to a journalist who was to be trusted and get my story out there.

“It changed everything. I did loads of TV, politicians suddenly wanted to talk to me.

“I decided that the way a boxer trains should be put into a programme to show people how to look after themselves. We now have special programmes for young and old.”

When asked if there was anything he would do differently in his life, Mr Bruno said: “I would have dodged a few punches from Mike Tyson”.

In the new book, there are excerpts from a one-to-one chat with Mr Tyson.

“I am a South London lad who took opportunities when presented to me,” he said. “I was able to become a World Champion boxer and no one can take that away from me. But I have to keep grounded. I go shopping and wash the car, do a bit of gardening.”

You can order a pre-signed book here.

Pictured top: Frank Bruno battles with Mike Tyson in defence of his heavyweight title in 1996 (Picture: PA)