Joe Bugner vs Chuck Wepner in a ten round non-title heavyweight bout
Date: September 8, 1970
Venue: Empire Pool, London
Bugner stance: orthodox
Wepner stance: orthodox
Joe Bugner turned pro in 1967 at the tender age of 17. He lost his debut in the third round to Paul Brown, but stopped Brown twice in rematches. He won 18 consecutive bouts before losing to the more experienced Dick Hall. Bugner then won his next eight bouts. The best wins were a points win over Manuel Ramos and a fifth round stoppage of Brian London. Bugner's bout against Wepner would be his 29th contest in less than three years, and he was still too young to fight for the British title.
Chuck Wepner turned pro in 1964, and faced some very good boxers early in his career. Buster Mathis and George Foreman both stopped him in the third round. Wepner's tendency to get cut around the eyes was so bad his ring nickname was "The Bayonne Bleeder". After the loss to Foreman, Wepner enjoyed points wins against fringe contenders Pedro Agusto and Manuel Ramos. His most recent bout was against Sonny Liston (this was Liston's last fight), which he lost in the ninth round.
For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:
Joe Bugner - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/000924
Chuck Wepner - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/97
