Oliver McCall vs. Frank Bruno Oliver McCall vs. Frank Bruno Oliver McCall vs. Frank Bruno, billed as "The Empire Strikes Back", was a professional boxing match contested on 2 September 1995 for the WBC Heavyweight Championship. After Oliver McCall narrowly beat former champion Larry Holmes in his first title defence he agreed to fight WBC No. 6 contender Frank Bruno with the winner contracted to make their next defence against former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. This was Bruno's fourth attempt at winning a world title. WBA Champion Tim Witherspoon knocked him out in 11 rounds in 1986, undisputed champion Mike Tyson stopped him in
Frank Bruno it appeared the protesting Bugner could have continued. In February 1989, Bruno challenged Mike Tyson for the undisputed world heavyweight title. In the opening moments, the fighters came together with huge punches. Bruno's legs buckled, and he took a big step back, inadvertently stepping off the ring apron. Most agree that he would have gone down, at least to a knee in any event, and this was called a knockdown. Bruno did not complain, and instead gathered himself to continue, ultimately rocking Tyson (for the first time in Tyson's career) with a left hook toward the end of the round.