17th September 1946 - Woodcock vs Gus Lesnevich (London)
Back from Stockholm, Bruce began his intensive training programme with his usual early morning road work.
Lesnevich was current world light-heavyweight champion, a title he had won in 1941 after fights against Anton Christoforidis and two against Mauriello in Madison Square Gardens.
Bruce was feeling full of confidence that he would win against Lesnevich according to a Yorkshire Evening News reporter during the week before the fight. In the event he was right to do so, despite Lesnevitch being a veteran of 200 odd fights and never having been knocked out. Bruce broke this proud record by knocking Lesnevich out in the eighth wound of the scheduled ten. The 12,000 strong crowd at Harringay Arena witnessed a fine display of skilled boxing for which Bruce earned £6,000.
They shared the first two rounds, with Bruce flooring Lesnevich in the second with a hard right punch. Bruce took a cut above his right eye. Lesnevich’s left eye puffed up and was virtually closed by the end of round four after a slogging match in the middle of the ring. Bruce was stylish and dominant for much of rounds five and six with Lesnevich’s other eye suffering. Lesnevich wasn’t going to give the fight away and kept coming back at Bruce, though to no real effect. Bruce could have finished it in round seven after a terrific right which staggered Lesnevich, but he didn’t follow it up, so it went to the early part of round eight when the same right floored Lesnevich and he failed to beat the count. In a telling moment, Bruce acknowledges the cheers of the crowd before the referee can raise his hand to signal his victory. Bruce then goes over to shake gloves with Lesnevich and pat him on the shoulder to acknowledge a great fight.
Journalist Ronald Crowther’s verdict afterwards was that Bruce ‘was the stylist throughout. The coolness and unerring judgement of the man from Doncaster enabled him to outbox his opponent completely. The fight was one of the best ever staged by heavyweights in this country.’ The existing footage of the fight gives a clear sense of the fight. Bruce’s speed was one of his most impressive features, and he was reaching the peak of his powers. Beating the world light-heavyweight champion was one of his greatest achievements so far and while this wasn’t a fight for the title itself, it nevertheless confirmed Bruce’s position in his profession in the very top rank of world boxers.
Bruce returned to Doncaster that night arriving at 3.30 a.m. and according to the Yorkshire Evening News reporter ‘looking more like a man just back from a holiday than a boxer who, five hours earlier, carried the whole prestige of British sport on his shoulders.’ The spectators who had again been waiting outside Bruce’s home on Mona Road gave him a triumphant homecoming. True to his modest and quiet nature, Bruce took the acclaim calmly, grinning good-naturedly for photos and giving his mother a great big kiss and hug. In reality, however, he wanted to be inside with a pot of tea and the big bunch of grapes his mother had bought as a treat.
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