Henry Cooper Dead- Boxing Champion Cooper Throws In The Towel Muhammad Ali Tribute To Boxer Henry
Posted: Monday, May 02, 2011
by Kacycarr
http://www.spotthepimple.com
Henry Cooper boxing legend is dead. Was he the greatest? Did he float like a butterfly or sting like a bee? Maybe none of the those, but he fought the guy that said he was the greatest, and that could do all those things. Henry Cooper has died at the age of 76 at his son's house in Oxted, Surrey.
The former British, Commonwealth and European champion fought 55 times and is
revered for his 1963 knockdown of Muhammad Ali - then Cassius Clay.
Henry had a twin brother George who sadly passed away last year. He too was a boxer, and turned pro with Henry in 1954, after an amateur career that included an appearance as an 18-year-old in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.
After many bids for the world title and not achieving, Cooper threw the towel in and retired at the age of 36 in 1971 after losing to Joe Bugner, a year after becoming the first person to be named BBC Sports Personality of the Year on two occasions (1967 and 1970).
Nonetheless, Cooper holds the record for the only British boxer to have won three Lonsdale belts outright. The fighter is likely best remembered for his two times in the boxing ring with Ali in the 1960s.
Ali once said of Cooper, that he "hit me so hard that my ancestors in Africa felt it".
After hearing that Henry Cooper had died, Muhammad Ali said he was "at a loss for words" over the death of his friend. "Henry always had a smile for me; a warm and embracing smile". "It was always a pleasure being in Henry's company. I will miss my old friend. He was a great fighter and a gentleman."
You can't keep an old dog down so they say, and this was the case for Cooper. Following his retirement he pursued a successful career in television as a pundit and was also a published writer . He was a regular captain on the BBC quiz show A Question of Sport presented by Sue Barker.
Henry Cooper would have been 77 on Tuesday. One of Britain's greatest sportsmen has died. It really is tragic news for the world of boxing...what a great man he was R.I.P.
You can beat depression
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)Very nicely done article. I was a huge boxing fan and remember when he knocked "Clay" down and that he appeared to have an upset going. It wasn't to be but he was a courageous man that gave his all.
Thanks for the info--RIP.
SteveHi Steve your time is appreciated in coming here to comment (Thank you).
Keep well
Kacy
Interesting and informative story Kacy, thanks for sharing.And thank you for reading David
Keep well
Kacy
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