Henry Cooper Training

1963 Henry Cooper trains in front of a mirror at the Thomas A'Becket Gymnasium on the Old Kent Road...

1963 Cooper trains in front of a mirror at the Thomas A'Becket Gymnasium on the Old Kent Road in front of a television camera.

Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG (3 May 1934 – 1 May 2011)[1] was a British professional 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 by the referee, Tommy Little, in round 5 because of a cut to Cooper's left eye caused by Clay.

In 1966 he fought Ali for a second time. Ali was then world heavyweight champion. However, Cooper again lost by techincal knockout. 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.

- Frank Ramos