AceShowbiz - Former British boxing champion Gary Mason has died after a cycling accident on Thursday, January 6. He was 48 years old. The retired fighter was riding his bicycle in south London when he collided with a van. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle was arrested on suspicion of causing death by careless driving.

The London-born heavyweight was crowned British champion in 1989 and was only defeated once in his 38-fight career - by future world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in 1991. He enjoyed a brief foray into the world of rugby, playing three professional games, and also appeared in a celebrity edition of U.K. TV hit Gladiators.

Former world champ Frank Bruno expressed his condolence, "We used to spar together in the early days. Gary was probably a better technical boxer than me and that spurred me on to work harder. I'm very sorry about his death, particularly the circumstances of how it happened. I had a lot of respect for the guy."