Gordon Brown, the lumbering battle scared heavy weight, with a snarling temper and vicious left hook was matched aganst the younger, quick footed, Tony Blair in their third re-match. Rumours of several unofficial fights without gloves persist, however.
Brown has the advantage because he has two faces of Blair to aim at. Blair has worn the Heavyweight crown longer than his opponent and never forgets to remind Brown that the Blair legacy is far superior to Brown's tough years when he was shackled at times by lack of funds for his training camp.
Superficially Brown and Blair are friends, having lived together for a few years. However the introduction of wives upset the applecart. Cherie, Blair's wife, spurred her husband to fight the challenger on a number of occasions, although the final knock out for Blair resulted in Brown holding the title for a couple of troubled years.
A sparring partner for both champs, John Prescott, told me of the latest fight when Brown took a swing at Blair, hitting him in the solar plexus. For an instant Blair was speechless - however the usual drivel returned in no time.
The final fight went the full fifteen rounds and the points decision went to Brown as he never resorted to Bush tactics learnt by Blair during his trips to America.
