Henry Cooper

Template:Short description {{#invoke:Other people|otherPeople}} Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox boxer

Sir Henry Cooper Template:Post-nominals (3 May 1934Template:Spaced ndash1 May 2011)<ref name=BBCDeath>Template:Cite news</ref> was a British heavyweight boxer. He was undefeated in British and Commonwealth heavyweight championship contests for twelve years and held the European heavyweight title for three years. In a 1963 fight against a young Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali), he knocked Clay down in Round 4, before the fight was stopped in Round 5 because of a cut to Cooper's eye.

In 1966 he fought Ali for a second time. Ali was then world heavyweight champion. However, Cooper got TKO'd again. Cooper was twice voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and, after retiring in 1971 following a controversial loss to Joe Bugner, remained a popular public figure. He is the only British boxer to have been awarded a knighthood.

Early life

File:Henry Cooper's house on Farmstead Road.jpg

Plaque showing former home of heavyweight boxing champion Henry Cooper at 120 Farmstead Road, Bellingham, London Borough of Lewisham

Cooper was born on Thursday, 3 May 1934 in Lambeth, London<ref name="Tel obit George"/><ref name="G obit"/> to Henry Snr and Lily Cooper. With identical twin brother, George (1934–2010),<ref name="Tel obit George">Template:Cite news</ref> and elder brother Bern,<ref name="G obit"/> he grew up in a council house on Farmstead Road on the Bellingham Estate in South East London. During the Second World War they were evacuated to Lancing on the Sussex coast.<ref name="G obit"/>

Life was tough in the latter years of the Second World War, and London life especially brought many dangers during the blackout. Cooper 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.<ref> Template:Cite book</ref> Cooper started his boxing career in 1949, as an amateur with the Bellingham Boxing Club based at Athelney St School in Bellingham which was run and founded by Albert Colley and won seventy-three of eighty-four contests. At the age of seventeen, he won the first of two ABA light-heavyweight titles before National Service in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as Private Service Number 22486464.<ref>Interview with Henry Cooper, 'Lads' Army' television show, Series 1 (2001)</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

1952 Olympics

Cooper represented Great Britain as a light heavyweight boxer at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. His results were: Round of 32-bye, Round of 16-lost to Anatoly Perov (Soviet Union) by decision, 1–2.

Professional boxing career

Style

Although Cooper was left-handed, he used the "orthodox" stance, with his strongest (left) hand and foot forward, rather than the reversed "southpaw" stance more usually adopted by a left-handed boxer. Opponents were thus hit hardest with punches which Cooper could throw from his front hand, closest to the opponent. At its most effective, his hook - dubbed "Enry's 'Ammer" ("Henry's hammer") - had an upward uppercut-like trajectory. A formidable left jab, from which he could hook quickly, completed his offensive repertoire.<ref name="G obit">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">Template:Cite book</ref> While cut-prone and no great defensive technician, Cooper compensated by forcing the action in his bouts. After developing a left shoulder problem in the latter half of his career, he adjusted to put more stress on right-handed punches.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Early bouts

Henry and his identical twin brother, George (boxing under the name Jim) turned professional together under the management of Jim Wicks.<ref name="G obit"/> Wicks had a reputation for not overmatching his boxers and looking out for their interests; however, the very cut-prone Cooper was slow to fulfil his potential and early title challenges were unsuccessful, with losses to West Indian Joe Bygraves for the Commonwealth belt (KO 9), Ingemar Johansson for the European belt (KO 5), and the undersized but highly skilled Joe Erskine (PTS 15) for the British and Commonwealth. An impressive points win over top American heavyweight Zora Folley was followed by a second-round KO loss to Folley about 3 years later in their rematch.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

British and Commonwealth Champion

For Cooper 1959 was a banner year: he took the British and Commonwealth titles from Brian London in 15 rounds and received the last 9-carat gold Lonsdale Belt after successful defences against Dick Richardson (KO 5), Joe Erskine (TKO 5, TKO 12, and TKO 9), and Johnny Prescott (RTD 10). Another points win over London brought an offer to fight Floyd Patterson for his world heavyweight title, but this was turned down by Cooper (or Wicks).<ref name="G obit"/>

Muhammad Ali

File:Muhammad Ali and Henry Cooper following their fight on June 18, 1963.jpg

Muhammad Ali and Henry Cooper following their fight on 18 June 1963

In 1963 Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay and a contender for the world heavyweight title) created a great deal of ticket-selling publicity before his London bout with Cooper, who many British fans hoped would be able to humble the brash young American. In the boxing world, however, Ali was considered a future world champion and Cooper the underdog. The contest took place at Wembley Stadium, Wembley Park. According to the official weigh-in, Ali outweighed Cooper by 21 pounds, Cooper said he wore weighted clothing and was near the light heavyweight limit.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Cooper had devised his own training regimen and felt that though lighter he was in the best condition of his career.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Ali's size, mobility, fast reflexes, and unorthodox defensive tactic of pulling back from punches made him a frustratingly elusive opponent, and Cooper was later accused by Ali's camp of hitting on the break. A stiff connection by Ali split open the face of Cooper in the middle of round three, beginning a gush of blood into his left eye. Ali, sensing the fight would be stopped because of the cut, began abandoning attempts of offense and instead began teasing and taunting Cooper, lowering his guard and leaving his jaw exposed to the Brit.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Despite Ali's taunts and his bloody left eye, Cooper connected with a solitary left hook to the body; in the fourth's final seconds, Cooper felled Ali with an upward angled version of his trademark left hook to the jaw, "Enry's 'Ammer".<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Ali partly landed on the ropes, preventing his head hitting the canvas covered boards, but though up at the count of 3 he seemed hurt.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

In the corner Dundee was angry and slapped Ali's legs. Ali misunderstood and tried to get off the stool. It has been claimedTemplate:By whom that Dundee may have used smelling salts to revive Ali. This has never been confirmed and the film is unclear if this happened. The use of smelling salts was prohibited in British boxing, and their use would have led to Ali losing by disqualification if the offence was proved. Dundee later said that he put his finger in a small tear in one of Ali's gloves to demonstrate to the referee and told the referee that his fighter needed replacements, but none were available. Cooper insisted that resulted in a delay of a minute or more in addition to the regulation time between rounds, and denied him a chance to finish off Ali while he was still dazed. A tape of the fight showed an interval extension of only an extra six seconds.

Cooper was the only person present who recalled a longer delay and because the surviving BBC tape of the bout is only of what was actually broadcast, it has been claimed a longer delay may have been edited out for transmission. Study of the tape shows no break and the commentary is also unbroken so the 6 second interval extension is correct.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Ali started the 5th round aggressively, attempting to make good his prediction of a 5th-round knockout and opened a severe cut under Cooper's eye. Ali hit Cooper with a succession of hard rights knocking out his gumshield and Cooper's corner threw in the towel. Referee Tommy Little stopped the fight, and thus Ali defeated Cooper by technical knockout.<ref>Template:Cite ODNB</ref> Subsequently, a spare pair of gloves was always required at ringside.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On the 40th anniversary of the fight, Ali telephoned Cooper to reminisce.Template:Citation needed

In 1966 Cooper fought Ali for the heavyweight championship, for a second time at Arsenal Stadium, Highbury.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Accumulated scar tissue around Cooper's eyes made him more vulnerable than in the previous meeting and a serious cut was opened by Ali, which led to the fight being stopped, Cooper again losing to Ali via technical knockout.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Later fights

After a fourth-round knockout loss to former world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson in 1966, Cooper went undefeated until the final contest of his career. The successful defences of his British and Commonwealth titles against the likes of uniquely awkward Jack Bodell (TKO 2) and media-savvy Billy Walker (TKO 6) made Cooper the only man to win three Lonsdale Belts. With a win over Karl Mildenberger in 1968 Cooper added the European crown and made two successful defences. In 1970, Cooper would vacate his British Heavyweight Title after attempting to arrange a fight with World Boxing Association champion, Jimmy Ellis. However, the British Boxing Board of Control refused to sanction the match, citing they would only recognize a match between fellow champion Joe Frazier and a ranked opponent. Cooper and Bodell would rematch that year, with Bodell now defending his British Title after winning the vacated title from Carl Gizzi, and Cooper defending his Commonwealth title. Cooper would win the match over a 15-Round points decision, regaining his British title.

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 a quarter of a point score (which was subsequently abolished partly because of the controversy that followed). An audience mainly composed of Cooper fans did not appreciate the innately cautious Bugner, and the decision was booed with commentator Harry Carpenter asking, "And how, in the world, can you take away the man's three titles, like that?"<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Cooper announced his retirement shortly afterwards. Cooper refused to speak to Gibbs for many years, but eventually agreed to shake his hand while they were at a charity event.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Opinion on 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."<ref name="tributes">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="Brian Viner on Henry Cooper">Template:Cite news</ref> In his final year, he said that he did not think boxing was "as good as it was", naming Joe Calzaghe, 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".<ref name="oldie">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Life outside boxing

In the 1960s Cooper appeared in several public information films concerning road safety, promoting the use of zebra crossings: such as "The Story of Elsie Billing".<ref>The Story of Elsie Billing, rebroadcast, Talking Pictures TV 20 May 2020</ref> After his retirement from boxing, he maintained a public profile with appearances in the BBC quiz show A Question of Sport and various advertisements, most famously in those for Brut aftershave.<ref name="Brian Viner on Henry Cooper"/> He was also a frequent guest speaker for charity fund-raising events.<ref name="telegraph.co.uk">Template:Cite news</ref> 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 doctors for vaccination against influenza called Get your Jab in First!<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cooper became a "Name" at Lloyd's of London, but in the 1990s he was reportedly one of those who suffered enormous personal losses because of the unlimited liability which a "Name" was then responsible for, being forced to sell his Lonsdale belts.<ref name="Brian Viner on Henry Cooper"/> Subsequently, Cooper's popularity as an after dinner speaker provided a source of income, and he was in most respects a picture of contentment although becoming more subdued in the years following his wife's sudden death aged 71.<ref name="Brian Viner on Henry Cooper"/><ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/>

Considering his long career, Cooper had suffered relatively little boxing-related damage to his health, and apart from "a bit of arthritis" remained an imposing figure: in the words of one journalist, "the living manifestation of an age of tuxedos in ringside seats, Harry Carpenter commentaries, sponge buckets and 'seconds outTemplate:'".<ref name="oldie"/> He lived in Hildenborough, Kent, where he was the president of Nizels Golf Club.<ref name=BBCDeath/><ref name="Brian Viner on Henry Cooper"/>

Cooper was married to Albina Genepri from 1960 until her death in 2008.<ref name="G obit"/><ref name=Telegraphobit/> He converted to her Catholic faith and 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.<ref name="oldie"/> Cooper died on 1 May 2011, two days before his 77th birthday. He was survived by their sons and two grandchildren.<ref name="G obit"/><ref name="oldie"/>

Cooper was a lifelong Arsenal supporter.<ref>Tom Dare, 'Arsenal veteran Ken recalls Ali's Highbury fight 50 years on'. Islington Gazette, 15 June 2016, retrieved 13 March 2023</ref>

Awards and honours

Cooper was the first to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award twice, in 1967 for going unbeaten and in 1970, when Cooper had become the British, Commonwealth, and European heavyweight champion. He is the only British boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts outright.

Cooper was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1969 New Year Honours for services to boxing,<ref>United Kingdom list: Template:London Gazette</ref> awarded a Papal Knighthood in 1978, and was knighted in the 2000 New Year Honours, again for services to boxing.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He is also celebrated as one of the great Londoners in the "London Song" by Ray Davies on his 1998 album The Storyteller.<ref name=Telegraphobit>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1970 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at Thames Television's Euston Road Studios.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Professional boxing record

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
55	Template:No2Loss	40–14–1	Joe Bugner	PTS	15	16 Mar 1971	Template:Small	Template:Small
54	Template:Yes2Win	40–13–1	Jose Manuel Urtain	TKO	9 (15)	10 Nov 1970	Template:Small	Template:Small
53	Template:Yes2Win	39–13–1	Jack Bodell	PTS	15	24 Mar 1970	Template:Small	Template:Small
52	Template:Yes2Win	38–13–1	Piero Tomasoni	KO	5 (15)	13 Mar 1969	Template:Small	Template:Small
51	Template:Yes2Win	37–13–1	Karl Mildenberger	DQ	8 (15)	18 Sep 1968	Template:Small	Template:Small
50	Template:Yes2Win	36–13–1	Billy Walker	TKO	6 (15)	7 Nov 1967	Template:Small	Template:Small
49	Template:Yes2Win	35–13–1	Jack Bodell	TKO	2 (15), Template:Small	13 Jun 1967	Template:Small	Template:Small
48	Template:Yes2Win	34–13–1	Boston Jacobs	PTS	10	17 Apr 1967	Template:Small
47	Template:No2Loss	33–13–1	Floyd Patterson	KO	4 (10), Template:Small	20 Sep 1966	Template:Small
46	Template:No2Loss	33–12–1	Muhammad Ali	TKO	6 (15), Template:Small	21 May 1966	Template:Small	Template:Small
45	Template:Yes2Win	33–11–1	Jefferson Davis	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	16 Feb 1966	Template:Small
44	Template:Yes2Win	32–11–1	Hubert Hilton	TKO	2 (10), Template:Small	25 Jan 1966	Template:Small
43	Template:No2Loss	31–11–1	Amos Johnson	PTS	10	19 Oct 1965	Template:Small
42	Template:Yes2Win	31–10–1	Johnny Prescott	RTD	10 (15), Template:Small	15 Jun 1965	Template:Small	Template:Small
41	Template:Yes2Win	30–10–1	Matthew Johnson	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	20 Apr 1965	Template:Small
40	Template:Yes2Win	29–10–1	Dick Wipperman	TKO	5 (10), Template:Small	12 Jan 1965	Template:Small
39	Template:No2Loss	28–10–1	Roger Rischer	PTS	10	16 Nov 1964	Template:Small
38	Template:Yes2Win	28–9–1	Brian London	PTS	15	24 Feb 1964	Template:Small	Template:Small
37	Template:No2Loss	27–9–1	Muhammad Ali	TKO	5 (10), Template:Small	18 Jun 1963	Template:Small
36	Template:Yes2Win	27–8–1	Dick Richardson	KO	5 (15)	26 Mar 1963	Template:Small	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	26–8–1	Joe Erskine	TKO	9 (15)	2 Apr 1962	Template:Small	Template:Small
34	Template:Yes2Win	25–8–1	Wayne Bethea	PTS	10	26 Feb 1962	Template:Small
33	Template:Yes2Win	24–8–1	Tony Hughes	Template:Abbr	5 (10), Template:Small	23 Jan 1962	Template:Small
32	Template:No2Loss	23–8–1	Zora Folley	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	5 Dec 1961	Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	23–7–1	Joe Erskine	TKO	5 (15)	21 Mar 1961	Template:Small	Template:Small
30	Template:Yes2Win	22–7–1	Alex Miteff	PTS	10	6 Dec 1960	Template:Small
29	Template:Yes2Win	21–7–1	Roy Harris	PTS	10	13 Sep 1960	Template:Small
28	Template:Yes2Win	20–7–1	Joe Erskine	TKO	12 (15)	17 Nov 1959	Template:Small	Template:Small
27	Template:Yes2Win	19–7–1	Gawie de Klerk	TKO	5 (15)	26 Aug 1959	Template:Small	Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	18–7–1	Brian London	PTS	15	12 Jan 1959	Template:Small	Template:Small
25	Template:Yes2Win	17–7–1	Zora Folley	PTS	10	14 Oct 1958	Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	16–7–1	Dick Richardson	TKO	5 (10)	3 Sep 1958	Template:Small
23	Template:No2Loss	15–7–1	Erich Schoppner	DQ	6 (10)	19 Apr 1958	Template:Small	Template:Small
22	Template:DrawDraw	15–6–1	Heinz Neuhaus	Template:Abbr	10	11 Jan 1958	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	15–6	Hans Kalbfell	PTS	10	16 Nov 1957	Template:Small
20	Template:No2Loss	14–6	Joe Erskine	PTS	15	17 Sep 1957	Template:Small	Template:Small
19	Template:No2Loss	14–5	Ingemar Johansson	KO	5 (15), Template:Small	19 May 1957	Template:Small	Template:Small
18	Template:No2Loss	14–4	Joe Bygraves	KO	9 (15)	19 Feb 1957	Template:Small	Template:Small
17	Template:No2Loss	14–3	Peter Bates	TKO	5 (10)	7 Sep 1956	Template:Small
16	Template:Yes2Win	14–2	Giannino Orlando Luise	TKO	7 (10)	26 Jun 1956	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	13–2	Brian London	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	1 May 1956	Template:Small
14	Template:Yes2Win	12–2	Maurice Mols	TKO	4 (10)	28 Feb 1956	Template:Small
13	Template:No2Loss	11–2	Joe Erskine	PTS	10	15 Nov 1955	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	11–1	Uber Bacilieri	KO	7 (10)	13 Sep 1955	Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	10–1	Ron Harman	TKO	7 (8)	6 Jun 1955	Template:Small
10	Template:No2Loss	9–1	Uber Bacilieri	TKO	5 (8)	26 Apr 1955	Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	9–0	Joe Bygraves	PTS	8	18 Apr 1955	Template:Small
8	Template:Yes2Win	8–0	Joe Crickmar	TKO	5 (8)	29 Mar 1955	Template:Small
7	Template:Yes2Win	7–0	Hugh Ferns	Template:Abbr	2 (6)	8 Mar 1955	Template:Small
6	Template:Yes2Win	6–0	Cliff Purnell	Template:Abbr	6	8 Feb 1955	Template:Small
5	Template:Yes2Win	5–0	Colin Strauch	TKO	1 (6)	27 Jan 1955	Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	4–0	Denny Ball	KO	3 (6)	7 Dec 1954	Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	3–0	Eddie Keith	TKO	1 (6)	23 Nov 1954	Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	Dinny Powell	Template:Abbr	4 (6)	19 Oct 1954	Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Harry Painter	Template:Abbr	1 (6)	14 Sep 1954	Template:Small

External links

• Remembering Clay v Cooper East Side Boxing, 14 November 2006
• Template:Boxrec

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