Henry Cooper (boxer)
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG
(3 May 19341 May 2011) was an English
heavyweight
boxer
known for the effectiveness of his left hook, "Enry's 'Ammer", and his knockdown of the young Muhammad Ali
. Cooper held the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles several times throughout his career, and unsuccessfully challenged Ali for the world heavyweight championship in 1966.
Following his retirement from the sport, Cooper continued his career as a television and radio personality and was enormously popular in Britain: he was the first (and is today one of just three people) to twice win the public vote for BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award
and the only boxer to be awarded a knighthood.
, London to Henry and Lily Cooper. He, his identical twin brother, George (1934–2010), and elder brother Bern grew up in a council house on the Bellingham
Estate on Farmstead Road, South East London
. During the Second World War they were evacuated
to Lancing
on the Sussex coast.
Around 1942, their father, Henry Senior, was called up to serve in the war; the rest of the family did not see him again for almost three years. The twins attended Athelney Road School in Lewisham
. The Cooper brothers were particularly close growing up and, in his biography, Henry talks of how they came to each other's aid when things turned nasty in the school playground. One particular incident landed the young Henry his first knockout in the playground. At school, the only subject that seemed to interest Henry was history, where he enjoyed acting out scenarios.
Life was tough in the latter years of the Second World War, and London life especially brought many dangers during the blackout
. Henry took up many jobs, including a paper round before school and made money out of recycling golf balls to the clubhouse on the Beckenham
course. All three of the Cooper brothers excelled in sport, with George and Henry exercising talents particularly in football and also cricket
.
George Cooper, Henry's twin, who boxed as Jim Cooper, died on 11 April 2010 at the age of 75.
Henry Cooper served his National Service
in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps
where he was recruited for his boxing ability.
Although Cooper is best known for knocking down Muhammad Ali
, he defeated a string of well known heavyweights during his career, including; Zora Folley
, Roy Harris
, Karl Mildenberger
, Alex Miteff, Wayne Bethea, Brian London
, Joe Erskine, Jose Manuel Urtain, Piero Tomasoni, Dick Wipperman, Dick Richardson
, Billy Walker
, Tony Hughes, Jack Bodell
, Jefferson Davis and Gawie De Clerk. Cooper died on 1 May 2011 at his son's house in Oxted
, Surrey
, after a long illness. He was 76.
: "I would not allow 'Enery into the same room as him, let alone the same ring."
Henry was at one time the British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion. His early title challenges were unsuccessful, losing to Joe Bygraves for the Commonwealth belt (KO 9), Ingemar Johansson
for the European belt (KO 5) and Joe Erskine (PTS 15) for the British and Commonwealth. He then won on points over highly rated contender Zora Folley
and took the British and Commonwealth belts from new champion Brian London
in a 15 round decision in January 1959. The winner of the fight was pencilled in to get a shot at Floyd Patterson
's heavyweight title, but Cooper turned down the chance and London fought and lost against Patterson in May 1959. Cooper continued to defend his British and Commonwealth belts against all comers, including Dick Richardson
(KO 5), Joe Erskine (TKO 5 and TKO 12), Johnny Prescott (TKO 10), and Brian London again (PTS 15), although he suffered a setback when losing a rematch with Folley by a second round KO."
(then known as Cassius Clay), firstly in a non-title fight in 1963 at Wembley Stadium, Cooper did not have a trainer at this time and his own regime led to his losing weight; he later averred that lead was inserted in his boots for the weigh-in and estimated his true weight to have been 12 stone 12 lb, making him 27 pounds lighter than Clay. Commentator Harry Carpenter
remarked during the introductions on the difference in size between the boxers. Clay's mobility, fast reflexes, height and unorthodox defensive tactic of pulling back from punches made him a frustratingly elusive opponent; some of Cooper's work during the contest has been described as 'very near the knuckle' with Clay later complaining of being repeatedly hit on the break.
In the dying seconds of the fourth round, Cooper felled Clay with an upward angled version of his trademark left hook
, "Enry's 'Ammer". Unfortunately for Cooper, his opponent's armpit caught in the ropes going down, which prevented his head from striking the canvas covered boards which made up the floor of the ring (something which could easily have knocked him unconscious).
Clay stood up and started slowly towards Angelo Dundee
who - in violation of the rules - guided him into the corner. At first Dundee talked and slapped Clay's legs but after a still-dazed Clay misunderstood and tried to get off the stool Dundee used smelling salts
in a serious violation of the rules. (British rules did not allow any stimulant but water). Dundee has since claimed to have opened a small tear in one of Clay's gloves and told the referee that his fighter needed a new pair of gloves, thus delaying the start of the 5th round. Cooper has always insisted that this delay lasted anywhere from 3–5 minutes and denied him the chance to try to knock Clay out while he was still dazed. In tapes of the fight it seems Clay received only an extra six seconds (although there are still doubters who think a longer delay was edited out), and the gloves were not replaced. Cooper started the 5th round aggressively, attempting to make good his advantage, but a recovered Clay effectively countered and Cooper was hit high on the face with a hard right which opened a severe cut under his eye; referee Tommy Little was forced to stop the fight in the American's favour although Cooper was ahead on the scorecards.
After this fight, a spare pair of gloves was always required at ringside. What is certain however, is that Dundee held smelling salts under Clay's nose in an effort to revive his man, which was illegal. Clay was obviously impressed by the knockdown and on the 40th anniversary telephoned Cooper to reminisce. Clay who had changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1964, later said, on British television, that Cooper "had hit him so hard that his ancestors in Africa
felt it". In 1966 Cooper fought Ali, now world heavyweight champion, for a second time at Highbury
. However Ali was now alert to the danger posed by Cooper's left and more cautious than he had been in the previous contest; he held Cooper in a vice like grip during clinches and when told to break leapt backward several feet. Accumulated scar tissue around Cooper's eyes made him even more vulnerable than in the previous meeting and a serious cut was opened by Ali, which led to the fight being stopped, Cooper again suffering a technical knockout when he was ahead on the scorecards.
, losing by a fourth round knockout. After that he went undefeated until the final fight of his career, and made more defences of his British and Commonwealth titles against Jack Bodell
(TKO 2 and PTS 15) and Billy Walker
(TKO 6). In 1968 Cooper added the European crown to his domestic titles with a win over Karl Mildenberger
, and later made two successful defences of his title. In his last fight, in May 1971, a 36 year old Cooper faced 21 year old Joe Bugner
, one of the biggest heavyweights in the world, for the British, European and Commonwealth belts. Referee Harry Gibbs
awarded the fight to Bugner by the narrowest of margins, a quarter of a point. An audience mainly composed of Cooper fans did not appreciate the innately cautious Bugner and the decision was booed with commentator Harry Carpenter
asking, "How can they take away the man's titles like this?". Cooper announced his retirement shortly afterwards. For years after the fight Cooper refused to speak to Gibbs, but eventually agreed to shake his hand for charity six months before Gibbs died.
, Ricky Hatton
and Amir Khan
as "the best of their era", but asserting that "if you match them up with the champions of thirty or forty years ago I don't think they're as good".
A Question of Sport
and various advertisements, most famously in those for Brut aftershave
, which have been credited with removing a lingering suspicion among the British that men who wore cologne were effeminate. Although generally a traditionalist, Cooper abhorred racism; his grandfather was an Irish immigrant and Cooper became the first celebrity sponsor of the Anti-Nazi League
, a largely left-wing
campaign against far-right groups which were agitating against immigration
. He was also active in charity events. He appeared as boxer John Gully
in the 1975 film Royal Flash
and in his latter years featured in a series of UK public service announcements urging vulnerable groups to go to their doctor for vaccination against influenza
called Get your Jab in First!.
Cooper had become a 'name' at Lloyd's of London
, a supposedly 'blue chip' investment, but in the Nineties he was reportedly one of those who suffered enormous personal losses because of the unlimited liability which a 'name' was then responsible for, and he was forced to sell his hard won Lonsdale belts. Subsequently, Cooper's enduring popularity as an after dinner speaker provided a source of income and he was in most respects a picture of contentment until the death of his wife.
Considering his long career, Henry Cooper had suffered relatively little boxing-related damage to his health. Apart from "a bit of arthritis
", his only problem had been damage to a knee because of running several miles a day in plimsolls in the days before trainers became available. Cooper remained an imposing figure into his seventies, in the words of one journalist, "the living manifestation of an age of tuxedo
s in ringside seats, Harry Carpenter commentaries, sponge buckets and 'seconds out'". He lived in Hildenborough
, Kent
, and he was the chairman of Nizels Golf Club in the town until his death.
Cooper was married to Albina Genepri, an Italian Catholic
, from 1960 until her death from a heart attack in 2008. He converted to her faith. He was survived by their sons, Henry Marco and John Pietro, and two grandchildren. In an interview published a few days after his death, Cooper described Albina, who "hated" his sport, as "an ideal wife for a boxer", never grumbling about his long absences before big fights and inviting journalists in for tea while they waited for Cooper to get out of bed the morning after bouts.
award twice (in 1967 and 1970) and one of only three two-time winners in the award's history (the others being Nigel Mansell
in 1986 and 1992 and Damon Hill
in 1994 and 1996). Cooper was given the award in 1967 for going unbeaten throughout the year. One of the most memorable fights of the year was his defeat of challenger Jack Bodell
in June. His second award came in 1970, when Cooper had become the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion, cementing his reputation as one of the greatest post-war British boxers. He is the only British boxer to win three Lonsdale Belt
s outright.
Cooper was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1969, awarded a Papal Knighthood in 1978, and was knighted
in 2000. He is also celebrated as one of the great Londoners in the "London Song" by Ray Davies
on his 1998 album The Storyteller
.
|-
|-
Order of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
(3 May 19341 May 2011) was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
known for the effectiveness of his left hook, "Enry's 'Ammer", and his knockdown of the young Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
. Cooper held the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles several times throughout his career, and unsuccessfully challenged Ali for the world heavyweight championship in 1966.
Following his retirement from the sport, Cooper continued his career as a television and radio personality and was enormously popular in Britain: he was the first (and is today one of just three people) to twice win the public vote for BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award is the titular award of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, which takes place each December. The winner is the sportsperson, adjudged by a public vote, to have achieved the most that year. The recipient must either be British or reside and...
and the only boxer to be awarded a knighthood.
Biography
Cooper was born in WestminsterWestminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, London to Henry and Lily Cooper. He, his identical twin brother, George (1934–2010), and elder brother Bern grew up in a council house on the Bellingham
Bellingham, London
Bellingham is a neighbourhood and electoral ward in the London Borough of Lewisham, and consists mainly of social/council housing built in the 1920s on what was then farm land. Many houses have been bought by the tenants under the Right to Buy Scheme. However, the majority are still rented out to...
Estate on Farmstead Road, South East London
South East (London sub region)
The South East is a sub-region of the London Plan corresponding to the London Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark. The sub region was established in 2008. The south east has a population of 1,300,000 and is the location of 500,000 jobs...
. During the Second World War they were evacuated
Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II
Evacuation of civilians in Britain during the Second World War was designed to save the population of urban or military areas in the United Kingdom from aerial bombing of cities and military targets such as docks. Civilians, particularly children, were moved to areas thought to be less at risk....
to Lancing
Lancing, West Sussex
Lancing is a town and civil parish in the Adur district of West Sussex, England, on the western edge of the Adur Valley. It lies on the coastal plain between Sompting to the west, Shoreham-by-Sea to the east and the parish of Coombes to the north...
on the Sussex coast.
Around 1942, their father, Henry Senior, was called up to serve in the war; the rest of the family did not see him again for almost three years. The twins attended Athelney Road School in Lewisham
Lewisham
Lewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
. The Cooper brothers were particularly close growing up and, in his biography, Henry talks of how they came to each other's aid when things turned nasty in the school playground. One particular incident landed the young Henry his first knockout in the playground. At school, the only subject that seemed to interest Henry was history, where he enjoyed acting out scenarios.
Life was tough in the latter years of the Second World War, and London life especially brought many dangers during the blackout
Blackout (wartime)
A blackout during war, or apprehended war, is the practice of collectively minimizing outdoor light, including upwardly directed light. This was done in the 20th century to prevent crews of enemy aircraft from being able to navigate to their targets simply by sight, for example during the London...
. Henry took up many jobs, including a paper round before school and made money out of recycling golf balls to the clubhouse on the Beckenham
Beckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
course. All three of the Cooper brothers excelled in sport, with George and Henry exercising talents particularly in football and also cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
.
George Cooper, Henry's twin, who boxed as Jim Cooper, died on 11 April 2010 at the age of 75.
Henry Cooper served his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
where he was recruited for his boxing ability.
Although Cooper is best known for knocking down Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
, he defeated a string of well known heavyweights during his career, including; Zora Folley
Zora Folley
Zora Folley was an American heavyweight boxer. He was well skilled with a good defence and also a punch to go with it....
, Roy Harris
Roy Harris (boxer)
Roy Harris is a retired American Heavyweight boxer, whose nickname derived from his town of his birth Cut and Shoot, Texas. Roy is a co-trainer of undefeated title contender Alfonso López III.-Amateur career:...
, Karl Mildenberger
Karl Mildenberger
Karl Mildenberger is a retired German heavyweight boxer. He was the European Heavyweight Champion from 1964 to 1968...
, Alex Miteff, Wayne Bethea, Brian London
Brian London
Brian London, born Brian Sidney Harper, 19 June 1934, in West Hartlepool, is a retired English heavyweight boxer. He was British and Commonwealth Heavyweight champion from 1958 to 1959, and had two world heavyweight title fights...
, Joe Erskine, Jose Manuel Urtain, Piero Tomasoni, Dick Wipperman, Dick Richardson
Dick Richardson (boxer)
Dick Richardson was a heavyweight boxer from the Maesglas area of Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. He held the European heavyweight title from March 1960 to June 1962. In all, he won 31 of his 47 professional bouts, losing 14, with two drawn. He was 6 ft 3ins tall and weighed about 200 lbs...
, Billy Walker
Billy Walker (boxer)
Billy Walker is a retired English Heavyweight boxer and actor. He was born in London in 1939 and turned professional in 1961 after 39 amateur bouts. His nickname was “Golden Boy”. His professional record was 21 wins , 8 losses and 2 draws...
, Tony Hughes, Jack Bodell
Jack Bodell
Jack Bodell is a retired English professional boxer who was active during the 1960s and 1970s....
, Jefferson Davis and Gawie De Clerk. Cooper died on 1 May 2011 at his son's house in Oxted
Oxted
Oxted is a commuter town in Surrey, England at the foot of the North Downs, north of East Grinstead and south-east of Croydon.- History :The town lay within the Anglo-Saxon administrative division of Tandridge hundred....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, after a long illness. He was 76.
Style
Although Cooper was left-handed, he used the "orthodox" stance, with his left hand and foot forward, rather than the reversed "southpaw" stance more usually adopted by a left-handed boxer. He relied on an exceptionally powerful left hook and a formidable jab for offence, being able to effectively combine the two to 'hook off the jab'. He generally tried to force the action in his bouts, a crowd pleasing style which won him many supporters. After developing a left shoulder problem in the latter half of his career Cooper adjusted to put more stress on right-handed punches which he had hitherto neglected.Early bouts
Cooper was often regarded as the most popular of all English boxers and was affectionately known in the UK as: "Our 'Enery". He started his boxing career in 1949 as an amateur with the Eltham Amateur Boxing Club, and won seventy-three of eighty-four contests. At the age of seventeen, he won the first of two ABA light-heavyweight titles and before serving in the Army for his two years' National Service represented Britain in the 1952 Olympics (outpointed in the second stage by Russian Anatoli Petrov). Henry and his twin brother, George (boxing under the name Jim Cooper) turned professional together under the caring management of Jim Wicks, who was one of boxing's great characters and nicknamed 'The Bishop' because of his benign nature. He would never allow one of his boxers into the ring if he felt he was over-matched. He famously said when promoters were trying to match Henry with Sonny ListonSonny Liston
Charles L. "Sonny" Liston was a professional boxer and ex-convict known for his toughness, punching power, and intimidating appearance who became world heavyweight champion in 1962 by knocking out Floyd Patterson in the first round...
: "I would not allow 'Enery into the same room as him, let alone the same ring."
Henry was at one time the British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion. His early title challenges were unsuccessful, losing to Joe Bygraves for the Commonwealth belt (KO 9), Ingemar Johansson
Ingemar Johansson
Jens Ingemar Johansson was a Swedish boxer and former heavyweight champion of the world. Johansson was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside the United States. In 1959 he defeated Floyd Patterson by TKO in the third round, after flooring Patterson seven times in that round, to win the World...
for the European belt (KO 5) and Joe Erskine (PTS 15) for the British and Commonwealth. He then won on points over highly rated contender Zora Folley
Zora Folley
Zora Folley was an American heavyweight boxer. He was well skilled with a good defence and also a punch to go with it....
and took the British and Commonwealth belts from new champion Brian London
Brian London
Brian London, born Brian Sidney Harper, 19 June 1934, in West Hartlepool, is a retired English heavyweight boxer. He was British and Commonwealth Heavyweight champion from 1958 to 1959, and had two world heavyweight title fights...
in a 15 round decision in January 1959. The winner of the fight was pencilled in to get a shot at Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson was an American heavyweight boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. At 21, Patterson became the youngest man to win the world heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to regain the title. He had a record of 55 wins 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by...
's heavyweight title, but Cooper turned down the chance and London fought and lost against Patterson in May 1959. Cooper continued to defend his British and Commonwealth belts against all comers, including Dick Richardson
Dick Richardson (boxer)
Dick Richardson was a heavyweight boxer from the Maesglas area of Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. He held the European heavyweight title from March 1960 to June 1962. In all, he won 31 of his 47 professional bouts, losing 14, with two drawn. He was 6 ft 3ins tall and weighed about 200 lbs...
(KO 5), Joe Erskine (TKO 5 and TKO 12), Johnny Prescott (TKO 10), and Brian London again (PTS 15), although he suffered a setback when losing a rematch with Folley by a second round KO."
Muhammad Ali
Cooper twice fought Muhammad AliMuhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
(then known as Cassius Clay), firstly in a non-title fight in 1963 at Wembley Stadium, Cooper did not have a trainer at this time and his own regime led to his losing weight; he later averred that lead was inserted in his boots for the weigh-in and estimated his true weight to have been 12 stone 12 lb, making him 27 pounds lighter than Clay. Commentator Harry Carpenter
Harry Carpenter
Harry Leonard Carpenter OBE was a British BBC sports commentator broadcasting from the early 1950s until his retirement in 1994. His speciality was boxing...
remarked during the introductions on the difference in size between the boxers. Clay's mobility, fast reflexes, height and unorthodox defensive tactic of pulling back from punches made him a frustratingly elusive opponent; some of Cooper's work during the contest has been described as 'very near the knuckle' with Clay later complaining of being repeatedly hit on the break.
In the dying seconds of the fourth round, Cooper felled Clay with an upward angled version of his trademark left hook
Hook (boxing)
A hook is a punch in boxing. It is performed by turning the core muscles and back, thereby swinging the arm, which is bent at an angle near or at 90 degrees, in a horizontal arc into the opponent...
, "Enry's 'Ammer". Unfortunately for Cooper, his opponent's armpit caught in the ropes going down, which prevented his head from striking the canvas covered boards which made up the floor of the ring (something which could easily have knocked him unconscious).
Clay stood up and started slowly towards Angelo Dundee
Angelo Dundee
Angelo Dundee is an American boxing cornerman. He is best known for his work with Muhammad Ali , and has worked with 15 world boxing champions, including Sugar Ray Leonard, José Nápoles, George Foreman, Jimmy Ellis, Carmen Basilio, Luis Rodriguez and Willie Pastrano.-Professional career:Born in...
who - in violation of the rules - guided him into the corner. At first Dundee talked and slapped Clay's legs but after a still-dazed Clay misunderstood and tried to get off the stool Dundee used smelling salts
Smelling salts
Smelling salts, also known as spirit of hartshorn or sal volatile, are chemical compounds used for arousing consciousness. The usual active compound is ammonium carbonate, a colorless-to-white, crystalline solid...
in a serious violation of the rules. (British rules did not allow any stimulant but water). Dundee has since claimed to have opened a small tear in one of Clay's gloves and told the referee that his fighter needed a new pair of gloves, thus delaying the start of the 5th round. Cooper has always insisted that this delay lasted anywhere from 3–5 minutes and denied him the chance to try to knock Clay out while he was still dazed. In tapes of the fight it seems Clay received only an extra six seconds (although there are still doubters who think a longer delay was edited out), and the gloves were not replaced. Cooper started the 5th round aggressively, attempting to make good his advantage, but a recovered Clay effectively countered and Cooper was hit high on the face with a hard right which opened a severe cut under his eye; referee Tommy Little was forced to stop the fight in the American's favour although Cooper was ahead on the scorecards.
After this fight, a spare pair of gloves was always required at ringside. What is certain however, is that Dundee held smelling salts under Clay's nose in an effort to revive his man, which was illegal. Clay was obviously impressed by the knockdown and on the 40th anniversary telephoned Cooper to reminisce. Clay who had changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1964, later said, on British television, that Cooper "had hit him so hard that his ancestors in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
felt it". In 1966 Cooper fought Ali, now world heavyweight champion, for a second time at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
. However Ali was now alert to the danger posed by Cooper's left and more cautious than he had been in the previous contest; he held Cooper in a vice like grip during clinches and when told to break leapt backward several feet. Accumulated scar tissue around Cooper's eyes made him even more vulnerable than in the previous meeting and a serious cut was opened by Ali, which led to the fight being stopped, Cooper again suffering a technical knockout when he was ahead on the scorecards.
Last fights
After the loss to Ali, Cooper fought former heavyweight champion Floyd PattersonFloyd Patterson
Floyd Patterson was an American heavyweight boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. At 21, Patterson became the youngest man to win the world heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to regain the title. He had a record of 55 wins 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by...
, losing by a fourth round knockout. After that he went undefeated until the final fight of his career, and made more defences of his British and Commonwealth titles against Jack Bodell
Jack Bodell
Jack Bodell is a retired English professional boxer who was active during the 1960s and 1970s....
(TKO 2 and PTS 15) and Billy Walker
Billy Walker (boxer)
Billy Walker is a retired English Heavyweight boxer and actor. He was born in London in 1939 and turned professional in 1961 after 39 amateur bouts. His nickname was “Golden Boy”. His professional record was 21 wins , 8 losses and 2 draws...
(TKO 6). In 1968 Cooper added the European crown to his domestic titles with a win over Karl Mildenberger
Karl Mildenberger
Karl Mildenberger is a retired German heavyweight boxer. He was the European Heavyweight Champion from 1964 to 1968...
, and later made two successful defences of his title. In his last fight, in May 1971, a 36 year old Cooper faced 21 year old Joe Bugner
Joe Bugner
József Kreul "Joe" Bugner is a Hungarian-born British-Australian former top heavyweight boxer. He holds triple nationality, being a citizen of Hungary and a naturalized citizen of both Australia and the United Kingdom where he learned to box and spent his peak years.Born in Szőreg, a southeastern...
, one of the biggest heavyweights in the world, for the British, European and Commonwealth belts. Referee Harry Gibbs
Harry Gibbs (referee)
Harry Gibbs OBE was an English boxing referee and judge.In a career spanning four decades, Gibbs took charge of numerous world title fights, and officiated in bouts involving Muhammad Ali, Roberto Durán, Sugar Ray Leonard, Sugar Ray Robinson, Thomas Hearns, Mike Tyson, Barry McGuigan and Joe Frazier...
awarded the fight to Bugner by the narrowest of margins, a quarter of a point. An audience mainly composed of Cooper fans did not appreciate the innately cautious Bugner and the decision was booed with commentator Harry Carpenter
Harry Carpenter
Harry Leonard Carpenter OBE was a British BBC sports commentator broadcasting from the early 1950s until his retirement in 1994. His speciality was boxing...
asking, "How can they take away the man's titles like this?". Cooper announced his retirement shortly afterwards. For years after the fight Cooper refused to speak to Gibbs, but eventually agreed to shake his hand for charity six months before Gibbs died.
Opinion of modern boxers
In Cooper's later years, he retired from commentary on the sport as he became "disillusioned with boxing", wanting "straight, hard and fast boxing that he was used to from his times." While acknowledging that he was from a different era and would not be fighting as a heavyweight today, Cooper was nonetheless critical of the trend for heavyweights to bulk up as he thought it made for one-paced and less entertaining contests. In his final year, he said plainly that he did not "think boxing is as good as it was", naming Joe CalzagheJoe Calzaghe
Joseph William Calzaghe, CBE, MBE is a Welsh former professional boxer. He is the former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring & British super middleweight champion and The Ring light heavyweight champion....
, Ricky Hatton
Ricky Hatton
Richard John Hatton MBE, more commonly known as Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton, , is a former British professional boxer, and currently a promoter....
and Amir Khan
Amir Khan (boxer)
Amir Iqbal Khan , is a British Pakistani professional boxer who is currently the unified WBA & IBF light welterweight champion....
as "the best of their era", but asserting that "if you match them up with the champions of thirty or forty years ago I don't think they're as good".
Life outside boxing
After his retirement from boxing Henry Cooper maintained a high public profile with appearances in the BBC quiz showQuiz Show
Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
A Question of Sport
A Question of Sport
A Question of Sport is a long-running BBC quiz show which started on 2 December 1968 and continues to this day. It is currently recorded at The Studios, MediaCityUK...
and various advertisements, most famously in those for Brut aftershave
Brut (cologne)
Brut is the brand name for a line of men's grooming and fragrance products first launched in 1964 by Fabergé. The Brut line would grow to include aftershave, balms, and deodorant...
, which have been credited with removing a lingering suspicion among the British that men who wore cologne were effeminate. Although generally a traditionalist, Cooper abhorred racism; his grandfather was an Irish immigrant and Cooper became the first celebrity sponsor of the Anti-Nazi League
Anti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
, a largely left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
campaign against far-right groups which were agitating against immigration
Immigration to the United Kingdom since 1922
Immigration to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland since 1922 has been substantial, in particular from Ireland and the former colonies and other territories of the British Empire - such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Caribbean, South Africa, Kenya and Hong Kong - under...
. He was also active in charity events. He appeared as boxer John Gully
John Gully
John Gully was an English prize-fighter, horse racer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1837.-Early life:...
in the 1975 film Royal Flash
Royal Flash (film)
Royal Flash is a 1975 film based on George MacDonald Fraser's second Flashman novel, Royal Flash. It starred Malcolm McDowell as Flashman. Oliver Reed appeared in the role of Otto von Bismarck, Alan Bates as Rudi von Sternberg, and Florinda Bolkan played Lola Montez...
and in his latter years featured in a series of UK public service announcements urging vulnerable groups to go to their doctor for vaccination against influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
called Get your Jab in First!.
Cooper had become a 'name' at Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
, a supposedly 'blue chip' investment, but in the Nineties he was reportedly one of those who suffered enormous personal losses because of the unlimited liability which a 'name' was then responsible for, and he was forced to sell his hard won Lonsdale belts. Subsequently, Cooper's enduring popularity as an after dinner speaker provided a source of income and he was in most respects a picture of contentment until the death of his wife.
Considering his long career, Henry Cooper had suffered relatively little boxing-related damage to his health. Apart from "a bit of arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
", his only problem had been damage to a knee because of running several miles a day in plimsolls in the days before trainers became available. Cooper remained an imposing figure into his seventies, in the words of one journalist, "the living manifestation of an age of tuxedo
Tuxedo
A tuxedo is a type of semi-formal dress for men.Tuxedo may also refer to:-Places:Canada* Tuxedo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, a city neighborhood** Tuxedo , a provincial electoral district in Manitoba...
s in ringside seats, Harry Carpenter commentaries, sponge buckets and 'seconds out'". He lived in Hildenborough
Hildenborough
Hildenborough is a village and rural parish in the District of Tonbridge and Malling, Kent. It is two miles north-west of Tonbridge and five miles south-east of Sevenoaks...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and he was the chairman of Nizels Golf Club in the town until his death.
Cooper was married to Albina Genepri, an Italian Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, from 1960 until her death from a heart attack in 2008. He converted to her faith. He was survived by their sons, Henry Marco and John Pietro, and two grandchildren. In an interview published a few days after his death, Cooper described Albina, who "hated" his sport, as "an ideal wife for a boxer", never grumbling about his long absences before big fights and inviting journalists in for tea while they waited for Cooper to get out of bed the morning after bouts.
Awards and honours
Cooper was the first to win the BBC Sports Personality of the YearBBC Sports Personality of the Year
The BBC Sports Personality of the Year is an awards ceremony that takes place annually in December. Devised by Paul Fox in 1954, it originally consisted of one titular award. Several new awards have been introduced, and , eight awards are presented. The oldest of these are the Team of the Year and...
award twice (in 1967 and 1970) and one of only three two-time winners in the award's history (the others being Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
in 1986 and 1992 and Damon Hill
Damon Hill
Damon Graham Devereux Hill OBE is a retired British racing driver. In 1996 Hill won the Formula One World Championship. As the son of the late Graham Hill, he is the only son of a world champion to win the title...
in 1994 and 1996). Cooper was given the award in 1967 for going unbeaten throughout the year. One of the most memorable fights of the year was his defeat of challenger Jack Bodell
Jack Bodell
Jack Bodell is a retired English professional boxer who was active during the 1960s and 1970s....
in June. His second award came in 1970, when Cooper had become the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion, cementing his reputation as one of the greatest post-war British boxers. He is the only British boxer to win three Lonsdale Belt
Lonsdale belt
The Lonsdale Belt was a boxing prize introduced by Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, to be awarded to British boxing champions. It is still awarded to British champions today.-National Sporting Club:...
s outright.
Cooper was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1969, awarded a Papal Knighthood in 1978, and was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 2000. He is also celebrated as one of the great Londoners in the "London Song" by Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
on his 1998 album The Storyteller
The Storyteller
The StoryTeller is a live-action/puppet television series. It was an American/British co-production which originally aired in 1988 and was created and produced by Jim Henson....
.
External links
- Remembering Clay v Cooper East Side Boxing, 14 November 2006
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