WHEN BRUNO MET TYSON I feel like a close brother to Tyson... I’m going back to England a trillion times happier man

BRIT HEAVYWEIGHT HERO AND HIS NEMESIS IRON MIKE GAVE EACH OTHER STRENGTH IN MENTAL HEALTH BATTLES

FRANK BRUNO did not understand the warning at the time.

He had just retired after his second loss to Mike Tyson in 1996 and trainer George Francis told him he was now facing his hardest fight.

Yet within a few years Bruno knew exactly what his old cornerman was trying to tell him. Francis was tragically prophetic.

He hanged himself at home in 2002 when he lost his battle with depression after cancer claimed his wife and son.

Meanwhile Bruno’s once-idyllic life disintegrated, as did his marriage. A low point came in 2003 when his family had him sectioned because of his struggles with his bipolar condition. Now he is fighting back.

Meeting his nemesis Mike Tyson and seeing how he is winning his battle with mental health issues has given him renewed strength. The old rivals met in Miami last year for the Sky documentary ‘Bruno v Tyson’, which charts their rivalry. “My trainer George Francis (below, with Bruno) said, ‘Your hardest fight is going to be when you retire’,” the former WBC heavyweight champ told Tyson. “I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. But blimey, when I retired, I definitely knew what he was on about. “You put on weight, you get lazy, your aggression starts to pile in, the mental health kicks in and it’s drama. “You’ve been through what you’ve been through and I’ve been through it myself. Unfortunately mine’s been slapped all over the papers – cuckoo, madness and whatever. If you can handle it, I can handle it.”

The three-times married Tyson, who has blown over £250million during his chaotic life, is finally in a good place. Tyson, 54, loved returning to the ring after 15 years out for his exhibition bout with Roy Jones Junior in November and told Bruno he has his demons in check.

“We’re all crazy,” said the former undisputed world heavyweight king. “You went to one mental health facility. I’ve been to 10 of them.

“I don’t feel sorry for myself, this is just the journey we have to go on.

“I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me.

“I got the title of the Baddest Man in the World, I’m the scariest fighter that ever lived. I come across as ferocious and it’s like fire. You can use it to warm you up, but if you let it get out of control it can kill you and everyone around you.

“My mind is a torture chamber. It’s not my friend, so I have to control it to have any kind of stability in my life. That’s my biggest problem today, staying in control.” Bruno was battered by Tyson in their world heavyweight title fights in 1989 and 1996 and he was lifted by his more gentle encounter.

There were flashes of the old Bruno, who is still adored by the British public, and his shoulders shook to his trademark belly laughs.

After meeting Tyson, Bruno, 59, reflected: “I’ve had my run-ins, he’s had his run-ins, good days, bad days, feeling down, can’t motivate yourself. He’s been in prison, crashing his car before he was supposed to fight me the first time.

“He’s been down a rocky road. I’m glad I’ve met him again because it’s taken a lot of pressure off me mentally. I’ve been through a hard time, I look at him and he’s been though a hard time, and he’s happy. “I feel like a close brother to him. “Meeting Mike Tyson again has put it all in perspective. I thought I had problems. I’m going back to England a trillion times happier man.”

Bruno v Tyson is available now on Sky Documentaries and NOW TV.