The Bugner Identity

‘Joe Bugner was a great heavyweight in an era of the very best heavyweights’ – Steve Bunce, BBC Radio.

First major book on Joe Bugner, one of Britain’s most colourful and controversial boxers, chronicling a remarkable life in and out of the ring.

Written by renowned award-nominated sports historian and biographer David Tossell, with insight from family, friends and other key figures in Bugner’s life.

Bugner was the only fighter to take both Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier the distance – twice in Ali’s case, including a world-title challenge. He should have been one of Britain’s most admired sportsmen. Yet he was cursed by his contentious points win over national hero Henry Cooper.

This gripping book uncovers:

• Bugner’s escape from Soviet-occupied Hungary as a six-year-old refugee and his arrival in England • His rise through the heavyweight ranks, the emotionally charged Cooper victory, and the glory years when he was bracketed with the likes of Ali, Frazier and Foreman • His colourful celebrity life: clashing with Elvis Presley over a robe for Ali, a feud with Russell Crowe on a film set and meeting his future wife at Joan Collins’s house • His demolition of Richard Dunn and his memorable showdown with Frank Bruno, then the richest fight in British boxing history • Joe’s move to Australia, his acting career, the loss of his fortune and the financially driven comeback as ‘Aussie Joe’, culminating in the capture of a version of the world crown 31 years after turning pro • His return to British public life through I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! • and the renewed fascination with his story

Essential reading for boxing enthusiasts and anyone interested in British sporting history, The Bugner Identity explores his extraordinary life, his fractured bond with his adopted homeland, and whether history has judged Joe Bugner unfairly.

© 2026 Pitch Publishing (Ebook): 9781836805038

Release date

Ebook: 7 September 2026