British boxing legend Frank Bruno said he has “never been so ill” after contracting pneumonia.
The former world heavyweight champion’s agent confirmed Monday he had been taken to hospital in the U.K and would be resting and recovering for at least a few weeks.
Bruno, 57, thanked his well-wishers for their support in a Twitter post released on Wednesday, saying he was “finally starting to mend”.
Good Morning. Thank you for all the well wishes I’ve been reading them all 🙏🏽 I feel like I’m finally starting to mend. I’ve certainly never felt so ill. Pneumonia… you’ve been a knockout!
— Frank Bruno MBE (@frankbrunoboxer) March 7, 2019
In an underdog career which garnered huge popular appeal, Bruno lost three world heavyweight title fights, including defeats to Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, before finally achieving his dream by beating Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium, London to become WBC world heavyweight champion in Sept. 1995.
Less than a year later he parted with the title in a second Las Vegas defeat to Tyson, which marked his final bout in professional boxing.
Bruno briefly considered a return to the sport in 2016 to help cope with bipolar disorder, but the British Boxing Board of Control refused to grant him a license.