Lawyers pack a punch for Bruno

LAWYERS from Park Nelson Thompson Quarrell helped out in a legal bout between heavyweight boxers Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis.

They represented Bruno when Lewis sought injunctions to prevent him fighting Mike Tyson in defence of the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship.

Lewis applied for one injunction to prevent the WBC sanctioning the fight and another to prevent Bruno asking for the match to be sanctioned.

He claimed the WBC's Convention last year conferred on him the right to meet the WBC heavyweight champion in his first mandatory defence.

But the High Court decided in favour of Bruno after hearing evidence - including minutes of the WBC meeting - that Tyson had been installed as the official challenger.

The judge also ruled that a case could not be brought against the WBC in UK courts because its constitution gave exclusive jurisdiction to courts in Dallas.

Lewis, who was represented by Memery Crystal, was ordered to pay costs for Bruno and the WBC on an indemnity basis.

Park Nelson partner Stephen Davies said: "If the English courts had granted an injunction, then Mike Tyson could have applied for an injunction in another jurisdiction to the effect that Bruno had to defend against him. The most prestigious boxing championship in the world would have been plunged into chaos."