There’s a big difference between bareknuckle boxing and pro boxing, and we can see that here…
Certainly recently, there’s been a growing fascination about fighters from different sports facing each other. Regarding the saga between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, the hype has literally been immense.
This is nothing new though, as martial artists have been challenging each other for year. Pitting different styles against each other in a ‘kumite’ style contest is how the UFC actually started.
Styles Make Fights
Today we’ll find out what happened when a bareknuckle boxing champion named Joe ‘Lethal Weapon’ Savage issued a challenge to all boxers. Savage had competed in ‘no rules’ kumites in Japan during the early 1990’s.
Interestingly his reputation was so grand that even the legendary Lennox Lewis apparently turned him down. As we’ll see later in the article, the reason behind this refusal was probably not fear.
Bert Cooper Accepted The Challenge
National and world (WBF) heavyweight boxing champion Bert Cooper was happy to accept Savage’s challenge. Promoters packed out the seats in the Civic Arena in Canada. ‘Smokin’ Bert would later claim he had bought in to Savage’s hype, to an extent.
Here’s how it went down, followed by the full story, including quotes from Cooper, below:
The Full Story
Via The Sweet Science, here’s the full scoop on this crazy fight:
The One British Heavyweight Heavyweight No Wanted to Face
Throughout the rich history of boxing, Great Britain has produced legendary fighters from Bob Fitzsimmons to Henry Cooper to Lennox Lewis to Prince Naseem Hamed.
Born in London, England, the last undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Lennox Lewis, made his bones in one of the greatest eras of heavyweight boxing amidst luminaries such as Evader Holyfield, Mike Tyson, George Foreman and Riddick Bowe.
In the long list of great fighters emerging from the British isles, one name remains noticeably absent.
In the late ’80s and early ’90s, a West Midlands heavyweight by the name of Joe “Lethal Weapon” Savage was wreaking havoc on the underground circuit, reportedly knocking seasoned pros unconscious with one punch.
Capturing the title of World Heavyweight bare-knuckle champion, Savage, a legitimate tough guy, amassed an incredible 42 wins — all by way of knockout.
According to reports, “Savage looked the part; shaved head, powerful arms, and numerous tattoos.”
By all accounts, Savage was a throwback to the gritty early-20th century fighters who could fight for 50 plus rounds.
After dominating the bare-knuckle circuit with savage ease — including one instance that saw the Lethal Weapon claim a crushing knockout with a completely detached ear (!) — Savage wanted to transition into professional boxing for one night only to take on the champion.
Not unlike the talks of Cuban Olympian Teofilo Stevenson fighting Muhammad Ali in the ’70s, Savage wanted no tune-ups; his sights were set on George Foreman, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson.
The promoters arranged a month-long publicity campaign where he would claim that he was the man for the prize ‘on sheer strength and brutality’.
His catchphrase was “I want to kill everyone.”
Increasing the likelihood of a super fight, British promoters dangled pots of gold to unleash the bare-knuckle legend on the boxing world for one unforgettable night.
“I challenge Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno,” a serious Savage said, “in the same night. I’ll knock them out.”
This bold challenge only helped fuel the Lethal Weapon’s already legendary reputation in the combat community while drumming up interest for a British super showdown between giants.
Unfortunately, Savage had built a reputation so fearsome current champions were turning him down in terror.
Lennox Lewis. Razor Ruddock. Frank Bruno. Mike Tyson.
They all declined.
None of them wanted that work.
Except for one.
Former world heavyweight title challenger “Smokin'” Bert Cooper.
Cooper, fresh off a humiliating knockout loss to rising prospect Larry Donald, had nothing to lose.
“F*** it,” Cooper said, according to witnesses. “If I die, I die.”
