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Joe Bugner -- a boxer who competed for more than three decades and squared off against some of the greatest to ever do it -- has died.

The former fighter died at his home in Brisbane, Australia the British Boxing Board of Control announced in a statement Monday ... sharing condolences with his family. Getty

Bugner was born in Hungary but moved to England when he was six years old ... and, he started boxing professionally in 1967 when he was just 17.

Bugner rose to become the British and European boxing champion by the early 1970s ... and, though he lost 12-round decisions to both Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier , his performances earned him respect from around the boxing world. He later fought and lost to Ali during a 1975 world championship bo

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