| Sir Henry Cooper | |
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Henry Cooper |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Nationality |  British |
| Birth date | May 3 1934 |
| Birth place |  London, England, UK |
| Stance | |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 54 |
| Wins | 40 |
| Wins by KO | 27 |
| Losses | 14 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
Sir Henry Cooper OBE, (born May 3 1934) in South London, is a retired English heavyweight boxer and was the British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion in 1970.
Contents |
Biography
Cooper and his twin brother, George, grew up in a council house in the Bellingham Estate on Farmstead Road, South London although during the Second World War, they were relocated as evacuees 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 would not see him again for almost three years. The twins would attend Athelney Road School in Lewisham. The Cooper brothers were particularly close growing up and in his biography, Henry talks of how they would come to each other’s aid when things turned nasty in the school playground. One particular incident would land the young Henry his first knockout in the school yard. At school, the only subject that seemed to interest Henry was history where he had the enjoyment of acting out scenarios. Life was tough in the latter years of the Second World War, and especially in London, urban life brought many dangers during the blackout. Henry had to take up many jobs including a paper round before school and even making money out of recycling to the clubhouse golf balls on the Beckenham course. All three of the Cooper brothers were known to excel in sport with George and Henry exercising talents particularly in football and also cricket.[1]
Career highlights
Cooper is often regarded as the most popular of all English boxers and affectionately known in England as "Our 'Enry". He was at one time the British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion. Cooper fought Muhammad Ali twice, firstly in a non-title fight in 1963 at Wembley Stadium, when Cooper knocked Ali (then Cassius Clay) down in the fourth round with his trademark left hook, "Enry's 'Ammer". The bell rang before Cooper could try to complete a knockout, and Clay was so dazed that his trainer, Angelo Dundee, cut his glove to try and buy more time.[2] The British boxing newspaper Boxing News conducted an investigation into the 'split glove' incident in 2003. Using the original television and radio broadcasts to determine length of time between rounds 4 and 5 it was discovered that Cassius Clay only gained 5 seconds extra and not the mythical 3-5 minutes. The gloves were never changed. Other sources on the matter confirm this.[3] [4] After this fight a spare pair of gloves was always required ringside. Ali was obviously impressed by the knockdown and on the 40th anniversary telephoned Cooper to reminisce. Ali later said, on British television, that Cooper "had hit [him] so hard that his ancestors in Africa felt it". In 1966 they met a second time to contest the world title. Cooper succumbed again to his weakness, a tendency to cut, and Ali went on to be "The Greatest".
Last fight
The most controversial of his other fights was his 15-round loss to Joe Bugner in the final fight of his career; many felt that defeating the popular Cooper was one reason why British fans didn't take to Bugner. Fight referee Harry Gibbs awarded the fight to Bugner, prompting boos from the audience, which was mainly composed of Cooper's fans, and from respected commentator Harry Carpenter, who asked how "they can take away the man's titles like this?" However, other commentators felt the younger, stronger Bugner had done enough to win.[1] For quite some time Cooper refused to speak to Gibbs, before eventually agreeing to shake his hand for charity.[5] Alongside figures such as Frank Bruno, Bob Fitzsimmons, Joe Bugner, Tommy Farr and Lennox Lewis, Cooper is regarded as one of the all-time best British heavyweights.
BBC Sports Personality Of The Year
Cooper was the first to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 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 Henry had become the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion, cementing his reputation as one of the greatest post-war British boxers.
Life after boxing
He gained further fame after his career ended by being one of the team captains on the BBC quiz show A Question of Sport for a number of years. Cooper also famously advertised Brut aftershave and was very active in charity work. In 2000, he was recognised for his contribution to boxing with a knighthood, the first boxer to receive the honour. He lives in Hildenborough, in Kent. Henry Cooper has an identical twin brother, George who was featured in a hilarious sketch in Spitting Image. In 1980, Cooper wrote a book called The Great Heavyweights in which he spoke of the men whom he considered the finest of all time. They are Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali. He analyzed each and compared their strengths and weaknesses. In 1981, his place in British popular culture was again confirmed, as he was one of the famous English people taunted by name in Bjørge Lillelien's legendary commentary immediately after Norway defeated England in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. More recently Cooper featured in a series of UK public service announcements urging vulnerable groups to go to their doctor for vaccination against influenza. The series was called Get your Jab in First!, a reference to both the colloquial term for an injection and the boxing punch.[6] Career: 1954-1971, 40 wins (27 knockouts), 14 defeats, 1 draw
References
- ^ Edwards, Robert. Henry Cooper: The Authorised Biography Of Britain's Greatest Boxing Hero. Helter Skelter, pp.51-58. ISBN 0563488-31-X.
- ^ Sir Henry Cooper BBC, accessed 08/11/07
- ^ http://www.eastsideboxing.com/boxing-news/day1411.php
- ^ http://www.saddoboxing.com/3416-boxing-history-cassius-clay-vs-henry-cooper.html
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/sports_talk/forum/1686772.stm
- ^ Henry Cooper launches flu offensive BBC, accessed 08/11/07
External links
- Remembering Clay v Cooper
- Professional boxing record for Henry Cooper from Boxrec
- Full Professional Record
| Preceded by Ann Jones |
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 1970 |
Succeeded by Princess Anne |
| Preceded by Bobby Moore |
BBC Sports Personality of the Year 1967 |
Succeeded by David Hemery |
