Frank Bruno says he feels 'really good' after serious in-flight illness

Former world heavyweight champion Frank Bruno says he is "really good" after recovering from a "very scary" medical episode that left him hospitalised during a trip earlier this year.

Bruno, 63, said the incident occurred in March while he was travelling to Thailand for a series of appearances. He told Matchroom's Modern Boxing Journal that he became unwell about two hours into the long-haul flight from Heathrow and had to leave the aircraft in a wheelchair when it touched down in Doha.

"The journey started off good, but a couple of hours into the flight I started to feel unwell," Bruno said. "By the time the flight landed in Qatar I didn't know what was going on. All I remember was waking up in a hospital with drips and tubes in my arms."

He said he remained in hospital in Doha for two weeks before being allowed to fly back to England, where he was admitted to a London hospital for a further two weeks. Doctors told him he had contracted "some kind of virus," he said, and advised him to take time off, forcing him to cancel a series of public appearances.

Bruno said he does not remember much of the episode and described it as "very scary." He added that he has since been working with a new fitness trainer and has returned to the gym.

Bruno is one of Britain's best-known boxers. He compiled a professional record of 40 wins from 45 fights across a career that ran from 1982 to 1996. He made three unsuccessful bids for a world heavyweight title, losing to Tim Witherspoon, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. He captured the WBC heavyweight title in 1995 by beating Oliver McCall at Wembley Stadium and held the belt for six months before being defeated by Tyson; he retired shortly afterwards on medical advice following a severe eye injury.

The former fighter has faced long-term health and mental-health challenges since leaving the ring. He has spoken publicly about living with bipolar disorder and has been hospitalised on several occasions since being sectioned in 2003. In 2024, his daughter said he had undergone scans amid concerns about a possible decline in his brain health.

In his recent interview, Bruno expressed gratitude for his recovery and said he remains focused on rebuilding his fitness and keeping active. He did not outline any immediate public engagements or plans to resume regular appearances, saying only that he was taking instructions from medical professionals and concentrating on his health.