Race, Rivalry & Earned Respect Is At The Heart of New Boxing Doc ‘Four Kings’

Over the course of the four episodes, the boxing focus concentrates mainly on the bouts the fighters fought between themselves – Lewis and Bruno faced off in October 1993, while Benn and Eubank Sr. clashed twice, in November 1990 and October 1993. Viewers are given a look at the other significant bouts the four men fought, but with the human element seemingly more important to the filmmakers than going too in-depth on every boxing match. Perhaps hardcore boxing fans will be slightly disappointed in the amount of fight footage featured.

What will please boxing lovers is the present-day interviews with Bruno, Benn, Lewis, and Eubank Sr. The episodes are structured around the men talking candidly about their experiences in boxing. Footage from press conferences and news broadcasts from the era provides context for viewers who may not know or fully remember just how big these boxers were in the UK at the apex of their careers.

Race is a Major Theme Throughout Four Kings

At the very beginning of the documentary, viewers are taken back to 1980 and the middleweight title fight between Alan Minter and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Regrettably, in the buildup to this fight, Minter claimed he would “never lose my title to a black fighter.” When Hagler did win their fight, the crowd in London erupted in anger, and a full-scale riot broke out in the arena. Narrator Johnny Nelson, the former cruiserweight world champion, detailed that anti-Black sentiment was common in many areas of England and race riots in parts of major cities like London, Liverpool, and Manchester would happen from time to time during the early 1980s.

Frank Bruno is then introduced, and his warm personality and friendly demeanor are credited for calming some of the simmering resentment that certain sections of the white population held against the Black community at that time. The documentary presents Bruno as a trailblazer for Black boxers in the UK, gaining the widespread acceptance of the wider public. Bruno’s career was touched by racism in the form of him being called an “Uncle Tom” by Lewis as part of the war of words in the buildup to their fight. Narrator Nelson explains that the phrase “Uncle Tom” is the worst thing a Black man can say to another Black man. It is deeply insulting, and it stung Bruno to the point that it took him 30 years to get over it.

For his part, Lewis mentioned being called horrible names to do with the color of his skin when he moved from England to Canada as a 12-year-old. Boxing for Canada at the 1988 Olympics also saw Lewis treated with suspicion by the UK sports fans when he moved back to England to kickstart his professional boxing campaign. Benn opens up about his upbringing in London and the death of his older brother in what was possibly a racially motivated attack. Eubank Sr. also recalls the trouble his family had being accepted when they initially arrived in the UK from Jamaica.

One Week In October 1993

The first two episodes build nicely towards what was an enormous week for boxing in the UK in early October 1993. Lewis and Bruno would box in Cardiff, Wales, for the WBC heavyweight crown on the 1st of the month, while Benn and Eubank Sr. would have their hotly awaited rematch in Manchester, England on the 9th.

From the early years of their careers to selling out stadiums facing one another, the tide really had turned when it came to acceptance for Black boxers between the end of the 1980s and the early years of the 1990s. While plenty of footage of these two fights is shown, having all four boxers share their recollections of these bouts and their intense feelings about their respective adversaries is reason alone to watch Four Kings. In the heat of battle, things were not pleasant between the rivals. All the reasons behind this are looked at in the film.

Highs & Lows, Retirements and Present-Day Friendships

With October 1993 covered by the conclusion of the second episode, the remaining two episodes look at how the four men fared in and out of the ring as the rest of their years in boxing played out. Fight fans will know that Lewis had a hiccup or two but went on to dominate the heavyweight era for many years and retired on his own terms, satisfied with his career. Bruno did eventually fulfill his goal of winning a world heavyweight title but would go on to struggle with mental health before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Benn also had his demons – he fought on but wasn’t as dedicated as one would have hoped. He turned into a party animal, and his ring performances suffered because of it. Benn also had to deal with the tragedy of the Gerald McClellan bout. Benn admits that he didn’t know how to work through the anger of what happened to his brother. Like Bruno, he was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Eubank Sr. had to come to terms with what happened to Michael Watson at the end of their encounter in 1991. He indulged in many eccentricities away from the ring, and his mental state is questioned to this day. The man himself discusses this towards the end of the documentary and reflects on the Watson fight. Eubank Sr. now seems content with life, living in Louisiana and serving as a law enforcement officer there.

The closing chapter deals with the fighters’ struggles, and it also catches up with the two rivalries featured in the early episodes. Happily, Benn and Eubank share a great respect and friendship with one another, and Lewis and Bruno were also able to talk out their differences at a photo shoot for the 30th anniversary of their bout. It provided a somewhat uplifting conclusion to the story of in-ring rivalry. Life for all four goes on – they can be proud of their boxing achievements and their part in opening up a pathway for other Black boxers from the UK to follow in their footsteps.

Concluding Thoughts

Four Kings is a well-made film that attempts to cover many topics through the lens of an outstanding era of boxing in the UK. It is something to interest boxing fans and those interested in social history or race relations from that era in the UK. Nothing is covered in an abundance of detail, which helps the pace of the documentary but may leave some viewers wanting more. Despite this, Four Kings is well worth watching. The era of Bruno, Lewis, Benn, and Eubank Sr. wasn’t that long ago, but in many ways, it feels like, while not perfect, the acceptance of athletes from different backgrounds is much better today than it was just over 30 years ago. These Four Kings helped contribute to that.