József Kreul Bugner (13 March 1950 – 1 September 2025) was a Hungarian-born British–Australian professional boxer, who competed in the heavyweight division, and actor. He held triple nationality, originally being a citizen of Hungary and becoming a naturalised citizen of both the United Kingdom and Australia.
He unsuccessfully challenged Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight championship in 1975, losing by a unanimous decision. As an actor, he was often known for his villainous roles in films starring Bud Spencer and for his role in the 1994 action film Street Fighter alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme and Raul Julia.
Born in Szőreg, a southeastern suburb of Szeged in southern Hungary, Bugner and his family fled after the 1956 Soviet invasion and settled in Britain. Standing at with a prime weight of 16 stone 1lb (225 lbs or 102 kg), Bugner twice held the British and British Commonwealth heavyweight titles and was a three-time EBU European Heavyweight Champion. He was ranked among the world's top ten heavyweights of the 1970s, fighting such opponents as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Ron Lyle, Jimmy Ellis, Manuel Ramos, Chuck Wepner, Earnie Shavers, Henry Cooper, Brian London, Mac Foster, Rudi Lubbers, Eduardo Corletti, Jürgen Blin and George Johnson. The Daily Telegraph ranked him among the top ten British heavyweight boxers of all time.
Bugner retired from boxing in 1976 but made sporadic comebacks over the next two decades with varying success. He moved to Australia in 1986, adopting the nickname "Aussie Joe", defeating fighters such as Greg Page, David Bey, Anders Eklund and James Tillis before retiring again after a TKO loss to Frank Bruno in 1987. Initially, he was one of about 80 refugees housed in the students' hostel at Smedley's factory in Wisbech. They settled in the Huntingdonshire<!-- Do not change to Cambridgeshire; St Ives was part of Huntingdonshire at the time --> town of St Ives near the Fens. He lived and trained in Bedford during his early boxing years;
Boxing career
1960s
Throughout his brief amateur career, Bugner competed sixteen times, winning thirteen matches. On the recommendation of his then-trainer and friend, Andy Smith, he became a professional in 1967 (at the young age of 17). Smith was unhappy with the choice of Bugner's opponents and believed that he could better control the quality of his opponents if Bugner turned professional. He had a losing debut against Paul Brown on 20 December 1967 at the London Hilton, where he suffered a TKO in the third round. Showing gritty determination after his debut, the teenage Bugner went on to win a remarkable 18 consecutive fights in under two years during 1968 and 1969 (including 13 stoppage victories) before narrowly losing to the older and vastly more experienced Dick Hall. He bounced back and rounded off the 1960s with three further stoppage victories. Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee later echoed that sentiment. The fight with Frazier in July 1973 at Earls Court in London was deemed a classic. After being knocked down by a tremendous left hook in the tenth round, Bugner arose and staggered Frazier to close the round. Frazier took the decision, but only narrowly, and arguably only George Foreman and Muhammad Ali ever gave Frazier a harder fight. Many regard the Frazier bout as being Bugner's best career performance.
After the Ali and Frazier fights, Bugner won eight bouts in a row, his most notable victories being over ex-WBA world heavyweight champion Jimmy Ellis, and Mac Foster. In Australia, Bugner launched a fairly successful comeback, earning good victories over world title contenders James Tillis and David Bey and an impressive victory over former WBA heavyweight champion Greg Page, gaining a world ranking in the process, after which he spoke of challenging reigning heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. However, there was great clamour for a fight with fellow Briton Frank Bruno. The bout was touted as the biggest all-British heavyweight bout since Cooper Vs Bugner in 1971. The bout took place on 24 October 1987, and Bugner suffered an eighth-round TKO loss to the much younger and fresher world title contender for the Commonwealth championship in front of a huge crowd at White Hart Lane football stadium. Bugner promptly retired again following this defeat, only his third stoppage defeat in 20 years.
Bugner fought just once more. In June 1999, at the age of 49, he defeated the durable fringe contender Levi Billups, who was disqualified for low blows.
Fight record
His record for 83 professional fights is 69 wins (41 on knockouts), 13 losses and 1 draw.
Life outside boxing
After moving to Australia, Bugner and his wife, Marlene, opened a vineyard. It failed in 1989, and he lost an estimated two million Australian dollars. Bugner was dropped partway through the project, which prompted him to call Crowe "a gutless worm and a f*****g girl".
Bugner suffered from a serious back injury he sustained from training for fights in his middle years. Financial problems prompted him to re-enter the ring at such an advanced age. A benefit was held for Bugner in 2008 by Kevin Lueshing.
In November 2009, Bugner replaced Camilla Dallerup on day 4 of the British TV show I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. He left the show on day 16 after losing a bush tucker trial called 'Jungle Jail' to fellow celebrity Stuart Manning.
Bugner had three children: James, Joe Jr. and Amy, with his ex-wife Melody.
Bugner's autobiography, Joe Bugner – My Story, was published by New Holland Publishing (Australia) on 14 November 2013.
Bugner spent his final years with dementia and died at a care home in Brisbane, Australia, on 1 September 2025, at the age of 75.
Professional boxing record
|align=left|Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur
|style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|58
|Win
|51–6–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Dante Cane
|TKO
|5
|28 Feb 1975
|align=left|Bologna, Italy
|style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|57
|Win
|50–6–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Santiago Alberto Lovell
|TKO
|2
|3 Dec 1974
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|56
|Win
|49–6–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy Ellis
|PTS
|10
|12 Nov 1974
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|55
|Win
|48–6–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Jose Luis Garcia
|KO
|2
|1 Oct 1974
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|54
|Win
|47–6–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Piermario Baruzzi
|TKO
|10
|29 May 1974
|align=left|Copenhagen, Denmark
|style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|53
|Win
|46–6–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Pat Duncan
|PTS
|10
|12 Mar 1974
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|52
|Win
|45–6–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Mac Foster
|PTS
|10
|13 Nov 1973
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|51
|Win
|44–6–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Giuseppe Ros
|PTS
|15
|2 Oct 1973
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|50
|Loss
|43–6–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Joe Frazier
|PTS
|12
|2 Jul 1973
|align=left|Earls Court, London
|
|-
|49
|Loss
|43–5–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Muhammad Ali
|UD
|12
|14 Feb 1973
|align=left|Las Vegas, Nevada
|
|-
|48
|Win
|43–4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Rudie Lubbers
|UD
|15
|16 Jan 1973
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|47
|Win
|42–4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Dante Cane
|TKO
|6
|28 Nov 1972
|align=left|Ice Rink, Nottingham
|
|-
|46
|Win
|41–4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Tony Doyle
|TKO
|8
|14 Nov 1972
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|45
|Win
|40–4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Jürgen Blin
|KO
|8
|10 Oct 1972
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|44
|Win
|39–4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Paul Nielsen
|TKO
|6
|19 Jul 1972
|align=left|Croke Park, Dublin
|
|-
|43
|Win
|38–4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Doug Kirk
|TKO
|5
|6 Jun 1972
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|42
|Win
|37–4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Marc Hans
|TKO
|3
|9 May 1972
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|41
|Win
|36–4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Leroy Caldwell
|DQ
|5
|25 Apr 1972
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|40
|Win
|35–4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Brian O'Melia
|TKO
|2
|28 Mar 1972
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|39
|Loss
|34–4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Larry Middleton
|PTS
|10
|24 Nov 1971
|align=left|Ice Rink, Nottingham
|
|-
|38
|Win
|34–3–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Mike Boswell
|UD
|10
|17 Nov 1971
|align=left|Houston, Texas
|
|-
|37
|Loss
|33–3–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Jack Bodell
|PTS
|15
|27 Sep 1971
|align=left|Wembley, London
|style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|36
|Win
|33–2–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Jürgen Blin
|PTS
|15
|11 May 1971
|align=left|Wembley, London
|style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|35
|Win
|32–2–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Henry Cooper
|PTS
|15
|16 Mar 1971
|align=left|Wembley, London
|style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|34
|style="background: #B0C4DE"|Draw
|31–2–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Bill Drover
|PTS
|10
|10 Feb 1971
|align=left|Bethnal Green, London
|
|-
|33
|Win
|31–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Carl Gizzi
|PTS
|10
|19 Jan 1971
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|32
|Win
|30–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Miguel Angel Paez
|TKO
|3
|8 Dec 1970
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|31
|Win
|29–2
|style="text-align:left;"|George Johnson
|PTS
|10
|3 Nov 1970
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|30
|Win
|28–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Hector Eduardo Corletti
|PTS
|10
|6 Oct 1970
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|29
|Win
|27–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Chuck Wepner
|TKO
|3
|8 Sep 1970
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|28
|Win
|26–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Brian London
|TKO
|5
|12 May 1970
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|27
|Win
|25–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Ray Patterson
|PTS
|8
|21 Apr 1970
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|26
|Win
|24–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Manuel Ramos
|PTS
|4
|23 Mar 1970
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|25
|Win
|23–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Roberto Davila
|TKO
|4
|10 Feb 1970
|align=left|Picadilly, London
|
|-
|24
|Win
|22–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Johnny Prescott
|PTS
|8
|20 Jan 1970
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|23
|Win
|21–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Charley Polite
|TKO
|3
|9 Dec 1969
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|22
|Win
|20–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Eddie Talhami
|TKO
|4
|11 Nov 1969
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|21
|Win
|19–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Phil Smith
|TKO
|2
|14 Oct 1969
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|20
|Loss
|18–2
|style="text-align:left;"|Dick Hall
|PTS
|8
|4 Aug 1969
|align=left|Hotel Piccadilly, Manchester
|
|-
|19
|Win
|18–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Moses Harrell
|PTS
|8
|9 Jun 1969
|align=left|Belle Vue, Manchester
|
|-
|18
|Win
|17–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Tony Ventura
|PTS
|8
|20 May 1969
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|17
|Win
|16–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Jack O'Halloran
|PTS
|8
|15 Apr 1969
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|16
|Win
|15–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Lion Ven
|TKO
|5
|25 Mar 1969
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|15
|Win
|14–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Ulric Regis
|PTS
|8
|11 Mar 1969
|align=left|Shoreditch, London
|
|-
|14
|Win
|13–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Terry Feeley
|TKO
|1
|25 Feb 1969
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|13
|Win
|12–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Rudolph Vaughan
|TKO
|2
|21 Jan 1969
|align=left|Kensington, London
|
|-
|12
|Win
|11–1
|style="text-align:left;"|George Dulaire
|TKO
|4
|19 Dec 1968
|align=left|Bethnal Green, London
|
|-
|11
|Win
|10–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Gene Innocent
|TKO
|3
|12 Nov 1968
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|10
|Win
|9–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Paul Brown
|TKO
|3
|4 Nov 1968
|align=left|Connaught Rooms, London
|
|-
|9
|Win
|8–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Vic Moore
|TKO
|1
|8 Oct 1968
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|8
|Win
|7–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Obe Hepburn
|TKO
|1
|18 Aug 1968
|align=left|Wembley, London
|
|-
|7
|Win
|6–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Paul Brown
|TKO
|4
|28 May 1968
|align=left|Royal Albert Hall, London
|
|-
|6
|Win
|5–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Billy Wynter
|PTS
|6
|21 May 1968
|align=left|Bethnal Green, London
|
|-
|5
|Win
|4–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Mick Oliver
|RTD
|3
|6 May 1968
|align=left|Mayfair, London
|
|-
|4
|Win
|3–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Bert Johnson
|KO
|3
|26 Mar 1968
|align=left|Bethnal Green, London
|
|-
|3
|Win
|2–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Jim McIlvaney
|TKO
|2
|27 Feb 1968
|align=left|Bethnal Green, London
|
|-
|2
|Win
|1–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Paul Cassidy
|TKO
|2
|30 Jan 1968
|align=left|Bethnal Green, London
|
|-
|1
|Loss
|0–1
|style="text-align:left;"|Paul Brown
|KO
|3
|20 Dec 1967
|align=left|Mayfair, London
|
Exhibition boxing record
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!
!Result
!Record
!Opponent
!Type
!Round, time
!Date
!Location
!Notes
|-
|2
|
|0–0
|style="text-align:left;"| Muhammad Ali
|
|?
|Feb 8, 1979
|style="text-align:left;"|
|style="text-align:left;"|
|-
|1
|
|0–0
|style="text-align:left;"| Muhammad Ali
|
|?
|Dec 3, 1974
|style="text-align:left;"|
|style="text-align:left;"|
|}
Titles in boxing
Minor World titles
- WBF heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
Regional/International titles
- EBU heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) (3x)
- Commonwealth heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) (2x)
- British heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) (2x)
- PABA heavyweight champion (209+ lbs)
- WBO intercontinental heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
- Australian heavyweight champion (200+ lbs) (2x)
References
External links
- Career Record Extended