- Bruno, 63, was reportedly diagnosed with a viral infection in a hospital in Qatar
- He had been flying to Thailand to embark on a series of talks before falling ill
- Bruno is known for his WBC heavyweight world title and fights with Mike Tyson
Boxing legend Frank Bruno was reportedly rushed to hospital after falling severely ill during a flight.
The 63-year-old father-of-four was treated by medics after landing in Doha, Qatar, before being whizzed off to hospital for immediate testing.
Bruno, who won the WBC heavyweight title in 1995, was diagnosed with a viral infection and kept in hospital for two weeks, as per The Sun.
Doctors even confiscated his passport so that he could not try and get away.
The scare happened on March 3, when he was flying from Heathrow to Thailand via Doha for a series of talks.
Bruno had smiled in a photo posted shortly before his flight, writing: ‘Morning so the Frank Bruno World tour continues up early for a plane I don’t sleep well on planes but trying to catch up on some zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz’s.’
Boxing legend Frank Bruno was rushed to hospital after a health scare on a long-haul flight
Bruno, one of Britain’s most popular boxers ever, won the WBC world heavyweight title in 1995
The 63-year-old was diagnosed with a viral infection and kept in hospital for two weeks
His manager has told the Sun that Bruno is hoping to get back to work ‘as soon as possible’.
A source added to the outlet: ‘It was extremely worrying as it was mid-flight so he was stuck on the plane.
‘Paul (Hunter, his personal assistant) and Frank thought it might be food poisoning, but it turned out to be worse than that. Frank was in a bad way and was sweating profusely and had fever-like symptoms.
‘Doctors were really worried and carried out all sorts of tests, including for meningitis. They then diagnosed him with a viral infection, which at least meant they could start treating him.
‘They feared Frank might think he was better before he was and try to discharge himself. But Frank was too ill to leave anyway, as he battled the infection.
‘By the end of his time in Qatar, Frank was getting frustrated as he was bored and wanted to leave.’
Bruno was penned in for a tour of four talks, starting in Pattaya before moving on to Bangkok, Hua Hin and Koh Phangan.
‘In typical Frank fashion, he was more worried about supposedly letting his fans down,’ the Sun’s source added.’
Bruno lost four of his five title fights but few begrudged him when he beat Oliver McCall
He took on Mike Tyson twice, losing on both occasions but being praised for his courage
Last year, he underwent scans in hospital amid fears that his brain is on a decline
Bruno is one of the most popular boxers England has ever produced and was one of the dominant figures in the sport between 1982 and 1996.
With sledgehammers for fists, he scored 38 knockouts in 40 wins and only suffered five defeats, most of which came towards the end of his career.
He had to be patient for his greatest moment, but it eventually came in 1995 when he beat Oliver McCall on points at Wembley to become WBC heavyweight champion.
Bruno had already lost world title fights against Tim Witherspoon, Mike Tyson, and Lennox Lewis, and after winning the crown lost his next and final bout again to Tyson, but his legacy stands tall.
Such a brutal sport takes its toll and last year his daughter, Rachel, revealed that he was undergoing scans in hospital amid fears his brain is on a ‘slow decline’.
‘We have learned recently that his brain might be on a slow decline,’ she said of her father, whose five defeats were all via knockout.
‘They are just doing scans and tests at the moment. With the impact of his career and constant knocks to the head, it’s obviously probably not helped.
‘We don’t know how fast his brain is going to decline. It’s sad but we’re a strong family and we want to cherish these moments.’
Bruno suffered five knockout defeats during his 14-year pro career, winning his other 40 bouts
Bruno has previously said is just ‘happy’ to be alive after years of mental health struggles after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
His life took a downward turn after he was sectioned and admitted to Goodmayes Hospital where he spent a number of weeks.
He has been readmitted to hospital on occasion for treatment since, including recently in 2021 when he hit ‘rock bottom’ during the coronavirus lockdown.