Boxing hero Bruno’s heartbreaking call to ring tragedy dad
Siblings reveal how champ comforted grieving father
Boxing legend Frank Bruno helped a grieving dad deal with the death of his son in the wake of one of Scotland’s most devastating ring tragedies, it has been revealed.
Former world heavyweight champ Bruno called Kenny Murray at his home the day after his son Jim died from a brain injury following a bantamweight British title fight in Glasgow in October 1995.
Bruno had clinched his title weeks earlier after defeating Oliver McCall on points.
He spent half an hour on the phone comforting Kenny – but eventually ended the call because he was in tears for the fighter.
Bruno’s gesture is revealed in new BBC Scotland documentary GRATEFUL Fight: The Jim Murray Story, Jim’s sister marking 25 years since the boxer’s Janie Murray death at the age of just 25.
His sister Janie Murray, 45, said the call helped her dad, who passed away in 2011.
She said: “I remember the phone ringing. There were loads of people in the house and I thought I’d better answer.
“I said hello and it was Frank Bruno. He had a very distinctive voice.
“He asked to speak to Mr Murray and I shouted to my dad. I was holding the phone going, ‘It’s Frank Bruno.’
“He mustm have sat on the phone for about 30 minutes.
“Frank Bruno was a big household name for us and my dad was delighted that somebody like that took time out of his day to phone and express his sympathies. He was a big hero to everyone. Jim was quite shy and used to say, ‘ I don’t think of myself as being famous.’
“I remember saying to my dad, ‘Can you imagine Jim knowing Frank Bruno had phoned?’
“For my dad, just to know that Frank Bruno knew who Jim was, and to phone, it was a really nice tribute and it was nice for my dad to get that call.”
Jim’s older brother Davy, 51, also recalls Bruno ringing the house in Newmains, Lanarkshire.
He said: “It went quiet and my dad put the phone down. I said, ‘ What was he saying?’ He said, ‘ That man had to put the phone down on me – he was greeting.’
“To me, that shows how much of a family all the boxers are. It was good of him to take time out to phone my dad.”
Murray looked certain to be crowned British bantamweight champion until he collapsed with just seconds to go in his fight against countryman
Drew Docherty.
He was rushed from the fight venue at the
Hospital it y Inn in
Glasgow to t he
Sout hern Genera l
Hospital, where he died two days later from a brain injury.
Fight: The Jim
Murray Story,
BBC Scotland,
Tuesday, 10pm.
TALENTED
Jim Murray
Frank a Bruno was ld househo big us and name for for it was nice to get my dad that call