The many fights of Muhammad Ali - CNNPolitics.com 1 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, poses in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, prior to his amateur boxing debut in 1954. He was 12 years old and 85 pounds. As an amateur, he won 100 out of 108 fights. Hide Caption 2 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali rose to prominence at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, where he claimed a gold medal in the light-heavyweight division. Hide Caption 3 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali boldly predicted it would take him five rounds to knock out British boxer Henry Cooper ahead of their bout in London in 1963. The fight was stopped in the fifth round as Cooper was bleeding heavily from a cut around his eye. Hide Caption 4 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Patrick Power, 6, takes on Ali in the ring in 1963. Patrick was taking boxing lessons after getting bullied.

Hide Caption 5 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali poses for a picture with The Beatles in Miami, during the run-up to his heavyweight title fight against Sonny Liston in 1964. Hide Caption 6 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali celebrates after defeating Liston in Miami on February 25, 1964. Upon becoming world heavyweight champion for the first time, Ali proclaimed, "I am the greatest!" Hide Caption 7 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali relaxes after his win over Liston in 1964. At 22, he became the youngest boxer to take the heavyweight title from a reigning champion. Hide Caption 8 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Civil rights activist Malcolm X, left, takes a picture of a tuxedo-clad Ali surrounded by jubilant fans in March 1964. Shortly after the Liston fight, Ali announced that he had joined the Nation of Islam and changed his name from Cassius Clay.

Hide Caption 9 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Known for being as quick with his mouth as he was with his hands, Ali often taunted his opponents. He famously said he could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Hide Caption Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali prepares to defend his heavyweight title in 1965. Hide Caption Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali stands over Liston during their rematch in Lewiston, Maine, on May 25, 1965. Hide Caption Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali eats at a restaurant in 1965. Hide Caption 13 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali The referee pushes Ali to a neutral corner as Floyd Patterson slumps to the canvas in November 1965. The fight was stopped at the end of the 12th round and Ali was declared the winner. Hide Caption Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali signs an autograph for a fan in 1966. Hide Caption Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali visits a children's home in London in May 1966.

Hide Caption Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali trains for his second fight against British champion Henry Cooper in May 1966. Hide Caption Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali British talk-show host Eamonn Andrews shares a laugh with Ali in May 1966. Hide Caption 18 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali lands a right to the head of Brian London during their bout in London on August 6, 1966. Ali won by a knockout in the third round. Hide Caption Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali looks in his hotel-room mirror in February 1967. Hide Caption 20 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali The referee counts as Ali looks down at Zora Folley during a championship fight in New York on March 23, 1967. Ali won by a knockout in the seventh round. Hide Caption 21 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali As a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army in April 1967. Here, top athletes from various sports gather to support Ali as he gives his reasons for rejecting the draft.

Seated in the front row, from left to right, are Bill Russell, Ali, Jim Brown and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Hide Caption 22 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali walks through the streets of New York with members of the Black Panther Party in September 1970. Ali was sentenced to five years in prison for his refusal to enter the draft, and he was also stripped of his boxing title. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Ali's conviction in 1971, but by that time Ali had already become a figurehead of resistance and a hero to many. Related: Photographer fondly recalls his three days with Ali Hide Caption 23 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali On November 2, 1970, Ali returned to the ring for his first professional fight in three years. He defeated Jerry Quarry in the third round. Hide Caption 24 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Known as the "Fight of the Century," Ali and Joe Frazier split a $5 million purse to fight for Frazier's title on March 8, 1971, in New York.

Frazier won by unanimous decision, handing Ali his first professional loss. Hide Caption 25 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali toys with the finely combed hair of television sports commentator Howard Cosell before the start of the Olympic boxing trials in August 1972. Hide Caption 26 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali and Frazier appear on "The Dick Cavett Show" in January 1974. The two got into a brawl in ABC's New York studio and were fined $5,000 each. Hide Caption 27 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali passes a cheering crowd in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), on September 28, 1974. Ali was in the country to fight George Foreman, who had recently defeated Frazier to win the title.

Hide Caption 28 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali and Foreman fight October 30, 1974, in what was billed as "The Rumble in the Jungle." Ali, a huge underdog, knocked out Foreman in the eighth round to regain the title that was stripped from him in 1967. Hide Caption 29 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali addresses a Nation of Islam meeting in London in December 1974. The following year, Ali left the Nation and embraced a more mainstream Islamic faith. Hide Caption 30 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali offers advice to future opponent Richard Dunn in March 1976. Ali defeated Dunn in the fifth round two months later. It was his last knockout win. Hide Caption 31 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali and his third wife, Veronica, second from right, visit the Kremlin in Moscow in June 1978. The two were married from 1977 to 1986. Ali was married four times.

Hide Caption 32 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali takes his daily run along a Pennsylvania country road, shrouded in early morning fog, in 1978. Hide Caption 33 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali takes a hit from Leon Spinks during their title fight in New Orleans on September 15, 1978. Ali won by unanimous decision, regaining the title he lost to Spinks earlier that year. Hide Caption 34 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali sits with his daughters Laila and Hana at the Grosvenor House in London in December 1978. He briefly retired from professional boxing the following year. Hide Caption 35 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali came out of retirement on October 2, 1980, for a title fight with Larry Holmes and a guaranteed purse of $8 million. Holmes won easily, beating up Ali until the fight was stopped after the 10th round.

Hide Caption 36 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali and Trevor Berbick weigh in for their fight in the Bahamas in December 1981. Berbick won by unanimous decision. It was Ali's last professional fight. Hide Caption 37 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali prays at a mosque in Cairo in October 1986. Two years prior, he revealed that he had Parkinson's syndrome, a disorder of the central nervous system. Hide Caption 38 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali In 1990, Ali met with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to negotiate the release of 15 American hostages in Iraq and Kuwait. Here, Ali leaves Iraq with the hostages on December 2, 1990. Hide Caption Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali lights the Olympic torch at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Hide Caption 40 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, gives Ali a replacement gold medal in 1996.

Ali had thrown his 1960 gold medal into the Ohio River after he was criticized for not fighting in Vietnam. Hide Caption 41 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali and his fourth wife, Lonnie, unveil his special-edition Wheaties box in February 1999. The box marked the cereal's 75th anniversary, and it was the first time a boxer appeared on the cover. Hide Caption 42 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger raises Ali's hand during the Celebrity Fight Night charity event in Phoenix in March 2002. Schwarzenegger was presented with the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for his work with the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Research Foundation, the Inner-City Games Foundation and the Special Olympics. The award was presented by former CNN host Larry King, left. Hide Caption 43 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali arrives in Kabul, Afghanistan, in November 2002 for a three-day goodwill mission as a special guest of the United Nations. He was appointed as a U.N. Messenger of Peace in 2000.

Hide Caption 44 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali U.S. President George W. Bush presents Ali with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, on November 9, 2005. Hide Caption 45 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Members of the media watch a video of Ali before the grand opening of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, in November 2005. Hide Caption 46 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali's wife, Lonnie, watches as actress Alfre Woodard presents him with the President's Award during the 2009 NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 47 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali On May 24, 2011, Ali appears at the National Press Club in Washington to publicly appeal to Iranian officials for the release of captive hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal. The hikers were released in September 2011, more than two years after their detention.

Hide Caption 48 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali poses during a photo shoot outside his home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, in January 2012. Hide Caption 49 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali Ali poses for a picture with, from left, Greg Fischer, Len Amato, daughter Laila Ali and Donald Lassere during the U.S. premiere of the HBO film "Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight" in October 2013. Hide Caption 50 of 52 Photos: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali A boxing robe worn by Ali, which belonged to the late country singer Waylon Jennings, went up for auction in 2014. Hide Caption Muhammad Ali - Biography - IMDb Muhammad Ali Biography Showing all 92 items Jump to: Overview (5) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (4) | Trade Mark (7) | Trivia (47) | Personal Quotes (28) Overview (5) 6' 3" (1.91 m) Mini Bio (1) Muhammad Ali beat more champions and top contenders than any heavyweight champion in history.

He defeated heavyweight kings Sonny Liston (twice), Floyd Patterson (twice), Ernie Terrell , Jimmy Ellis, Ken Norton (twice), Joe Frazier (twice), George Foreman and Leon Spinks . He defeated light-heavyweight champs Archie Moore and Bob Foster. Ali defeated European heavyweight champions Henry Cooper, Karl Mildenberger , Jürgen Blin , Joe Bugner , Richard Dunn, Jean-Pierre Coopman and Alfredo Evangelista. He defeated British and Commonwealth king Brian London. All of Ali's defeats were by heavyweight champions: Frazier, Norton, Spinks, Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick . Ali also beat undefeated fighters Sonny Banks (12-0), Billy Daniels (16-0), 'Rudi Lubbers' (21-0) and George Foreman (40-0). Trademark phrase: "Floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee" Predicting the round in which his opponents would fall, sometimes even down to the minute The Ali Shuffle Extraordinary speed and agility in addition to devastatingly powerful blows Stinging taunts of opponents which frequently rhymed.

Rope-a-dope strategy (absorbing round after round of punishing blows from the opponent only to come back stronger after the opponent exhausted themselves) Trivia (47) Former heavyweight boxing champion Light heavyweight boxing gold medalist, 1960 Olympics. World heavyweight boxing champion, 1964-1967, 1974-1978, 1978-1979. Ali learned early from the outrageous bad-guy wrestler, Gorgeous George , that it could pay to be hated. Ali said "I saw fifteen thousand people coming to see this man get beat, and his talking did it. I said, this is a goo-o-o-d idea!" Then Ali refined that talking concept to what has been referred to as the Louisville Lip. Younger brother of Rahman Ali . Suffers from Parkinson's Syndrome, caused by the numerous blows to the head during his boxing career. Lit the torch at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Took in interest in boxing when his bike was stolen by local hoods.

His bout with massive underdog Chuck Wepner inspired Sylvester Stallone to create Rocky Balboa, while the character Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers ) was based on Ali himself. Has a record of 56-5 with 37 KOs. Children: Daughters Rasheeda and Jamilla (twins) and Maryum (by Belinda Boyd); Miya, Khalilah, Hana Ali and Laila Ali (by Verónica Porche Ali ). Sons Muhammed, Jr. (by Boyd); Asaad (adopted with Yolonda Williams ). In order to pay his legal fees (since he was barred from boxing), Ali hit the college lecture circuit and even starred in the Broadway musical "Buck White". In June 1967, Ali was convicted of violating the Selective Service Act (knowingly and willfully refusing to report for and submit to induction into the armed forces), and was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $100,000. On appeal, Ali claimed he was denied due process because the ratio of blacks on draft boards did not reflect their ratio in the population.

But the three member Presidential Draft Board, formed by President Lyndon Johnson to prevent such scenarios (and included a black member) ruled his objection was invalid, and that he was not entitled to conscientious objector status as a minister of the Islamic religion (what he stated as his profession). Morever, in an April 1966 letter to his local draft board, Ali protested that two years of military service would cause him serious financial loss in being unable to pursue his livelihood as a boxer, NOT as a minister. In 1962, Ali signed for Selective Service, but he failed the mental aptitude test, and was classified 1-Y (unfit for service). But when the United States armed forces required more soldiers for the Vietnam War, the pass-percentage marks for the tests were dropped to 15, meaning that Ali (and thousands of other men) was re-classified 1-A, now fit for service. Contrary to popular belief, he was stripped of his boxing license by the State of New York and his title by the World Boxing Association when he converted to Islam. However, the World Boxing Council recognized him as champ throughout his battle with the Government over his refusal to be inducted into the United States Army.

Married second wife Khalilah 'Belinda' Ali when she was age 17. Inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983 (charter member) and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1986. Legend has it that Ali threw his 1960 Olympic gold medal into the river, when in reality he just simply lost it at some point in time. Recorded an album for Epic Records in 1964 titled "I Am the Greatest". Sam Cooke produced one of the songs from the LP, "The Gang's All Here". A single, his version of "Stand By Me" was released just after his first Liston fight, in 1964, and received some airplay. He is referenced in the song "Powder Blue" by Ween and "Noise Epic" by The Verve . He also inspired the title of a rare song by The Verve recorded from the sessions for their album "Forth". Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Sport in Society Hall of Fame in 1994. Has portrayed himself in four different motion pictures.

His maternal great-grandfather was Abe Grady, a native of Ireland Had an amateur boxing record of 127 wins and only five defeats. From 1963 to 1966, he successfully defended the heavyweight title nine times. Inactive for three and a half years while fighting his draft evasion case in court. Voted sports personality of the Century in England Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush on November 9, 2005. Other recipients were Frank Robinson , General Richard Myers , Paul Rusesabagina , Carol Burnett , Andy Griffith , Aretha Franklin , Vint Cerf and his Internet co-developer Robert Kahn, Jack Nicklaus , Alan Greenspan and former congressman Sonny Montgomery . As an amateur, Ali was only knocked-out once in over 110 fights, by Kent Green on a third round technical knockout. Green went on to a 14-2 pro boxing record. In 62 pro boxing matches, Ali was only stopped once; by Larry Holmes on a technical knockout. Ali was never counted out, but was unable to come out for round 11 in their title fight.

When Ali stopped Sonny Liston for the World Heavyweight Title, Liston had not lost a fight in over 10 years. First man to knock down Sonny Liston and George Foreman . Received the Otto Yamaoka peace medal for his "life-long engagement in the American civil rights movement and the global cultural emancipation of blacks, as well as his work as a UN Goodwill ambassador". [December 2005] Trained by Joe Martin (1953-1959) as an amateur, Archie Moore (1960-1961) and Angelo Dundee (1961-1980). His maternal grandmother's paternal grandfather was of Anglo-Saxon descent, and he is related to--among other notables--US Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor and Benjamin Harrison VI, Confedrate General Robert E. Lee, General George C. Marshall' and General George S. Patton . He is also related to actors Lee Marvin , Glenn Close , Laura Dern and Hilary Duff , journalist Katie Couric and cyclist Lance Armstrong .

Met The Beatles while training to fight Sonny Liston , and posed for photos with them in a boxing ring. Declared afterward that they were the greatest, but he was "still the prettiest". Was featured in a "Pizza Hut" boxing commercial alongside David Bortolucci and Ali's real-life trainer Angelo Dundee , which was meant to air during the 1998 Super Bowl but was pulled at the very last moment for being too violent. It was estimated that the entire campaign cost Pizza Hut tens of millions of dollars. Wanted the role of Bilal in The Message (1976) but the film's director nixed the idea. Father-in-law of Curtis Conway . Was photographed with American actor David J. Silver during his visit to Arizona. He attended a lavish dinner at the Palms Hotel in Paradise Valley for his famed 2004 Fight Night Celebrity charity at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix. The only fighter to score a KO of George Foreman and Oscar Bonnavena. The only fighter to win a decision over Joe Frazier (their second fight). Ali was arguably actually a four-time World Heavyweight Champion.

In 1965, after signing to fight dethroned champion 'Sonny Liston' for a rematch, a fight that was not sanctioned in many areas, Ali was stripped by The World Boxing Association of their recognition of him as Heavyweight Champion. The WBA sanctioned an elimination match between contenders Ernie Terrell and Eddie Machen to determine who the Heavyweight Champion would be. Terrell won by a 15-round decision and was the WBA champion for two years. Most sanctioning bodies and the general public still recognized Ali as the true champion. He regained the WBA Heavyweight Championship and unified the Heavyweight Championship by winning a 15-round decision over Terrell in 1967, only to be stripped of the title again several months later because of his refusal to register the military draft. He later won the title on two more occasions from George Foreman and Leon Spinks , reversing a previous loss to Spinks. He was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Live Theatre at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on January 11, 2002.

At Ali insistence, the star was installed at the facade of the Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards. Ali is the first heavyweight champion in the history of boxing to lose his title to a novice (who had only seven professional fights). This occurred when Ali lost to Leon Spinks on February 15, 1978. He first decided to take boxing lessons when neighborhood bullies stole his bike and he wanted to get back at them. Having the distinction of being one of the World's most famous celebrity's of all time. Many fans would request getting punched by Ali rather than a picture or autograph. Boasting that they got hit by the Greatest!. Personal Quotes (28) Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. I am an astronaut of boxing. Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey were just jet pilots. I'm in a world of my own. At home I am a nice guy - but I don't want the world to know. Humble people, I've found, don't get very far. When you're as great as I am, it's hard to be humble. It's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up.

Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill, and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill. You can't hit what you can't see; I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee! [after being rejected by the United States Army during the Vietnam War because he failed the "intelligence" test] I never said I was the smartest, I said I was the greatest. I won a gold medal representing the USA at the Olympic Games in 1960, but when I came home, I still got treated like a nigger. There were restaurants I couldn't get served in. Some people kept calling me "boy". Sonny Liston is too ugly to be world heavyweight champion!. [on challenger Henry Cooper] If he talks some jive, I'll knock him out in round five. I'm soooooooooooooooooo pretty!!! I'm gonna float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, George [ George Foreman ] can't hit what his eyes can't see, now you see me, now you don't, he thinks he will but I know he won't.

My toughest fight was my first wife. [on Elvis Presley ] Elvis was my close personal friend. He came to my Deer Lake training camp about two years before he died. He told us he didn't want nobody to bother us. He wanted peace and quiet and I gave him a cabin in my camp and nobody even knew it. When the cameras started watching me train, he was up on the hill sleeping in the cabin. Elvis had a robe made for me. I don't admire nobody but Elvis Presley . He was the sweetest, most humble and nicest man you'd ever meet. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. I ain't got nothing against them Vietcong. The man who views the world at fifty the same way as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life. [after the Supreme Court overturned his conviction for draft evasion] I've done my celebrating already. I said a prayer to Allah. [observation, 1984] What I suffered physically was worth what I've accomplished in life. A man who is not courageous enough to take risks will never accomplish anything in life. [after defeating Sonny Liston] I'm king of the world!

I'm pretty! I'm a bad man! I shook up the world! I shook up the world! I shook up the world! My conscience won't let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, some poor hungry people in the mud, for big powerful America. And shoot them for what? They never called me nigger. They never lynched me. They didn't put no dogs on me. [2004, asked what he thought when he looked back on the boxer he was] Sometimes, I feel a little sad because I can see how some things I said could upset some people. But I did not deliberately try to hurt anyone. The hype was part of my job, like skipping rope [1999, on being crowned Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC] Ever since I first came here in 1963 to fight Henry Cooper, I have loved the people of England. They have always been extremely warm and welcoming to me, which is why I am especially honored to accept the BBC's Sports Personality of the Century. I give thanks to God and to all the people in the UK who have supported me over the years. Cassius Clay is a slave name.

I didn't choose it, and I didn't want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name, and I insist people using it when speaking to me and of me. [1999, on being crowned Sports Personality of the Century by the BBC] I'd like to thank the British people for giving me this great welcome and thank you for this award. I had a good time boxing. I enjoyed it - and I may come back. I'm so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and got into bed before the room was dark. I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; Handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; Only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick; I'm so mean I make medicine sick. See also Rare Original Muhammad Ali Boxing Bouts and Fights on DVD Rare Original Muhammad Ali Boxing Bouts and Fights on DVD Go here to see my ALI Documentaries! I have many old classic Muhammad Ali fights on dvd. Some of these are very rare and from when he was still known as Cassius Clay. I have included a summary of the fights I have below and what happened in them.

I would love to trade and collect more old classic boxing bouts. If you are interested in any of my fights just let me know at kev121075@yahoo.com Bouts Ali, Muhammad (aka Cassius Clay) vs Banks, Sonny First time Cassius Clay would get knocked down. fighting Sonny Banks in Madison Square Garden in his first bout of 1962. He is knocked down for the first time in his career, but rallies to stop banks in the fourth round. vs Berbick, Trevor Ali's last fight. December 11, 1981 after one final fight, another losing battle against marginal contender Trevor Berbick in December of 1981, Ali finally calls it a career. vs Blin, Jurgen 1971 Heavy weight Title Bout: Ali vs Jurgen Blin: Ali knocks out Blin in the seventh round. vs Bonavena, Oscar Fight Ali needed to win to get Frazier.

He looks far from impressive in stopping Oscar Bonavena in the 15th round on December 7th, but this sets up the first "Fight of the Century" with the reigning Heavyweight Champion -- 'Smokin' Joe Frazier. vs Bugner, Joe #1 and #2 Joe Bugner went the distance twice with Muhammad Ali - the first time on February 14th, 1973 in Las Vegas and then again on June 30th, 1975 in Kuala Lumpur. In all they fought 27 rounds. Fight #2 June 30, 1975 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Ali defended against the 25 year old, 230 lb European champion from Britain, Joe Bugner. Ali at 33 years of age and 225 lbs was in remarkably good shape. He needed it because the fight went the full 15 rounds in intense heat. Ali started fighting flat-footed, then later changed to his familiar stick and dance. By round eleven Bugner was out of steam, but he still continued gamely. In the 13th round, Ali had a slight cut above his left eye.

The champion clearly was much the better fighter in the later portions of the fight and obtained a unanimous decision. vs Chuvalo, George #1 and #2 The first fight between the Canadian George Chuvalo and Ali went all 15 rounds and became known as "The Last Round," when Chuvalo almost knocked Ali out in the last round. The rematch in 1967 would again be a good fight, but again Ali would outclass Chuvalo for the unanimous decision. vs Clark, Lamar (no sound, highlights) Ali's first pro fight The icing on the cake for Cassius in 1960 was his first pro fight on October 29th. At this point he was still fighting under the name Cassius Clay, and was not known as Muhammad Ali yet. Before his first pro match with Lamar Clark, Cassius predicted that he would knock out Clark in the second round. He was right, and he continued to make his now famous rhyming predictions. vs Cooper, Henry #1 and #2 Fight #1 1963 Cooper almost beat the then Cassius Clay by knocking Clay down with a solid left hook in the 4th round.

The bell and a cut glove, which delayed starting the next round, may have prevented Clay from being knocked out. Fight #2 May 21, 1966 in London: Ali defended Heavyweight Crown against England's Henry Cooper. This was London's first heavyweight championship fight in 58 years. The 32 year old challenger had a 32-11-1 record and a good left hook. In this 1966 fight, Ali seemed to pace himself for the first five rounds. He pretty much kept skipping around and moved counter clockwise against the much slower challenger. Near the end of the second round, Henry landed a hard two left hand combination to the champion's head. This was the high mark for the challenger. While he did land several more solid shots, none were in combination, and none appeared to have any affect on Ali. Cooper received several warnings from the referee for hitting low, and Ali received several warnings for pushing and holding. Ali was content in these rounds to stick with short two punch combinations and then avoid most of Cooper's blows. Things changed quickly in the sixth round. Ali turned tiger. He quickly pressured Henry into a corner and landed a stiff right-left combination to Cooper's head.

This caused an immediate flow of a large amount of blood from above the challenger's left eye. The referee stopped the fight, examined the cut, and then let the fight continue. Ali then begin peppering the eye with a number of long left jobs which increased the bleeding. The referee stopped the fight giving Ali a TKO. vs Coopman, Jean Pierre February 20, 1976 in San Juan: Ali defends against the 29 year old Belgian Jean-Pierre Coopman. The challenger, with a 24 and 3 record, weighed 20 lbs less than the champ. Ali started the fight dancing and moving in circles. He increasingly was able to land sharp left jabs to the jaw of Coopman. By the forth round, Coopman's face was covered with red marks from Ali's lefts. Ali took most of his opponents blows on his elbows and arms, and consistently was able to man-handle his lighter opponent. At this point Ali started fighting flat-footed throwing combinations with both hands. Still his opponent kept coming forward, but was paying dearly for it.

Ali ended the fight with a KO at 2:46 seconds of round five with a jarring left right combination to the head. vs Dokes, Michael (exhibition) Muhammad Ali-Michael Dokes-sparring/exhibition (Dokes 19 years old) vs Dunn, Richard May 24, 1976 in Munich: Ali defends against Richard Dunn. The European champion was 31 years old, 206 lbs, and a British southpaw. Ali 34 years old and 220 lbs looked very trim. The aggressive Dunn gave Ali problems for a couple of rounds. Ali solved his opponents southpaw stance by being able to land many hard, effective overhand rights. In the forth round Ali knocked Dunn down with a short right. Dunn got up but was knocked down two more times in the round with more rights. The fifth round was even worse for the challenger. Another right and down he went. Up again, but then down again from still another right. Dunn with great courage got up again and staggered into the ropes. The referee then stopped the fight 2:05 seconds into the fifth round.

Ali looked in much better shape at 220 lbs than he did three weeks before in the Jimmy Young fight at 230 lbs. It took five knockdowns to finally put the Englishman away for the count of ten. The end came in the fifth round. Although staged at 3:00 A.M. local time ,to accommodate American television ,an enthusiastic crowd of 11,000 turned out. vs Ellis, Jimmy "The Inevitable Fight" Muhammad Ali and Jimmy Ellis were set to fight for the vacant NABF title. Angelo Dundee had been both fighters corner man since the start of their careers. Ellis and Ali were friends and had sparred together numerous times in the mid 60's when Ali was the champ and Ellis was a prospect, although Ellis was two years older at the time. Dundee had been with Ellis a bit longer and decided to stay in his corner for the fight while one of the other trainers went and worked with Ali. This was a lose, lose position for Dundee has one of his heavyweight stars was going to get a loss on his record and sink in the rankings.

Ellis was coming off three straight impressive wins over Roberto Davila, Tony Doyle and iron chinned George Chuvalo. Ellis had a record of 29-6 going into the fight with his former sparring partner. Ali was coming off his first loss of his career, the first fight with Joe Frazier. Ali was stepping right back into the bigtime with accepting the fight with the tough Ellis. Ali was very confident and sported a record of 31-1 coming into this contest. Ali would knock Ellis out in round 12. vs Folley, Zora Ali's last fight before being drafted for Vietnam March 22, 1967 in New York's Madison Square Garden: Ali, 25, defended title against 34 year old Zoro Folley. Folley looked good in the first two rounds, as he was able land most of the heavy blows against the champion, who took the blows without hardly a flinch. Ali didn't do much fighting until the third round. In the forth, Ali open up with a number of quick punches leading up to a crisp left-right combination that knocked Folley down. He laid on his stomach for a few seconds, then rose weakly.

The challenger quickly cleared his head and fought back gamely, and scored with a solid right that drove Ali to the ropes. But from the fifth round on it was all Ali. He landed punches in bunches while receiving little in return. In the seventh round, Zoro was in bad shape with a knot under his left eye and blood flowing from his nose. As the onslaught continued, the challenger tired and at 1:48 into the round, the fight ended. A right to the head by Ali knocked Zoro down prone on his stomach, he got to his feet at seven, but fell back to his knees as the referee counted ten. Going into the last round, two officials had the fight 4-2, Ali. The other official had it even. Ali's TKO of Zora Folley was his last fight in the ring for 3ï¿½ years. Now, Ali's opponent was Uncle Sam. When the military attempted to draft him, Ali said he was a conscientious objector. "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong," he had said in 1966.

vs Foreman, George "The Rumble In The Jungle" On October 30th, 1974 Ali tangles with Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire -- the "Rumble in the Jungle". Ali is a 3-1 underdog, and many actually fear for his safety against perhaps the hardest puncher in heavyweight title history. But Ali is in tremendous shape, and he has spotted a weakness in Foreman's armor. Letting Foreman punch himself out by employing his now famous "rope-a-dope", Ali covers up on the ropes as Foreman exhausts himself before the fight is even half over. In the eighth round, Ali comes off the ropes and stuns Foreman with a combination, dropping him in the center of the ring where he is counted out with two seconds left in the round. Again Ali has done the impossible, as he becomes only the second man to ever regain the heavyweigt crown. vs Frazier, (smokin') Joe #1, #2, #3 Fight #1: "The Fight of The Century" there remains one fight that truly lived up to it's billing.

The first contest between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier was simply called "The Fight of the Century." To this day, the billing rings true. When Ali challenged Frazier at Madison Square Garden on March 8, 1971, the ramifications reached far beyond the boxing ring. America had just emerged from the turbulent 1960s and the nation was divided. Ali was still held in contempt by much of the country. He was viewed as a brash, draft-dodging, Muslim who embodied the defiance and spirit of both the anti-war movement and the radical chic. Frazier -- who read the Bible and liked to sing -- was held up as the conscientious, blue-collar champion. THE SHOWDOWN was the most anticipated heavyweight title fight since Joe Louis defeated Max Schmeling in their 1938 rematch at Yankee Stadium. It remains a night to remember. Of those who participated that evening, seven have been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York.

They are Ali, Frazier, referee Arthur Mercante, matchmaker Teddy Brenner, Garden president Harry Markson, Ali's trainer Angelo Dundee, Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch and a broadcast team that included Don Dunphy and Archie Moore. Futch, a six-decade veteran of the sweet science, has said he has never seen a night like it before or since. There were more than 700 working press credentials issued for the fight and at least 500 more were turned down. The fight was a happening with celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, Bill Cosby, Sammy Davis Jr. and Hugh Hefner sitting ringside. Dustin Hoffman and Diana Ross were chased out of the press section but Frank Sinatra had a position along the ring apron as a photographer for Life Magazine. The fight was unique in that for the first time in history it matched an unbeaten former heavyweight champion against the unbeaten current champ. Ali was stripped of his title after refusing induction into the Army in 1967. Since he had not lost the crown in the ring, he proclaimed himself the People's Champion.

As he entered the ring against Frazier, his record stood at 31-0 with 25 knockouts. The showdown between Ali and Frazier was the only fight that mattered and the participants were each compensated with a guaranteed purse of $2.5 million, a record at the time. The Garden was sold out a full month before the fight and ringside tickets were going for a record $150. Mercante recalled being in awe of the atmosphere, which included Hollywood stars and national politicians as well as former champions Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey. The night was simply electric. Once the fighting started, it got even better. IF STYLES make fights, then there has never been a pair of fighters who complemented each other more. Ali was the boxer and Frazier the puncher. The key to Ali's success was his speed. He possessed lightning-fast hands and had a left jab that could dictate a fight. He also had enough agility and footwork to escape danger. Frazier's best punch was a devastating left hook but his greatest asset might have been his indomitable will. A fight with Joe Frazier was a war of attrition. It was a war he was used to winning.

Ali weighed 215 pounds. Frazier weighed 205ï¿½. From the opening bell it appeared that inactivity caused Ali to lose a touch of his hand and footspeed. He chose to stand flatfooted and go to war on the champion's terms. It might not have been the best strategy, but it made for marvelous action. For 15 furious rounds, Frazier stalked Ali with his sweeping left hook while Ali countered by flashing his jab and stiff left-right combinations. They fought at a pace that seemed more accustomed to lightweights. Ali predicted a sixth-round knockout but it was Frazier who carried Round 6. He pinned Ali to the ropes and battered the former champion to the head and body. Ali remained on the ropes and absorbed punishment, offering only token resistance. He launched three pitter-patter punchers as if he were playing "Patty Cake" with the champion. Later, Mercante would remark that Ali gave away rounds, such as the sixth. At one point in the eighth round, Mercante instructed him to fight. The momentum changed in the ninth round when Ali backed Frazier up under a barrage of left-right combinations.

They traded blows until the bell and the round was a clear statement from Ali -- it's not over yet. However, it would nearly end in the 11th. With 49 seconds left in that round, Ali was trapped in a corner and then rocked by a Frazier hook. Another hook buckled Ali's knees as he fell into the ropes. Ali stumbled across the ring with Frazier in pursuit. He was talking to Frazier and taunting him, never letting on how hurt he really was. Amazingly, Ali would survive the round. Frazier put an exclamation mark on the night at 2:34 of the 15th round. As Ali prepared to launch a right uppercut, Frazier unloaded a left hook and dropped Ali. Again, Ali would survive the round, but the fight was already lost. The scoring by rounds was as follows: Judge Artie Aidala, 9-6 for Frazier. Judge Bill Recht, 11-4 for Frazier. Mercante had it 8-6, with one even round, for Frazier.

THE FIGHT was witnessed by 20,455 at the Garden and it has been estimated that 300 million more watched it across the world on closed-circuit television. The live gate generated $1.3 million. Ali and Frazier set the standard that night at the Garden. They would meet two more times and their rivalry stands as one of boxing's most dramatic trilogies. Boxers will forever battle punchers, but few will do it with the skill, grace, courage and determination of Ali and Frazier. They brought the best out of each other and out of the sport of boxing. Fight #2 "The Rematch" Joe Frazier missed with a left hook designed to air mail Ali’s noggin to jersey. On the ropes, Ali looked into the crowd at ringside. He winked. Ali won a unanimous decision over Frazier in the Son of Super Fight, a descendant of the first engagement three years ago. Fight #3 "The Thrilla in Manila" Oct. 1, 1975: Ali beats Frazier in Thrilla. Joe Frazier had won the first bout and Muhammad Ali the second. It's 10:45 a.m.

in the Philippines when their rubber match, "The Thrilla in Manila," starts, and the fight lives up to the hype. The bout is really three fights in one: The first has Ali outboxing and outscoring Frazier, nailing him with clean, sharp shots. The second fight, from the fifth through the 11th rounds, has Frazier pounding the champion terribly. The third fight starts in the 12th and somehow Ali, with the will of a champion, tears into Frazier for the next three rounds. When the bell rings for the 15th round, Frazier, with his eyes almost completely shut, stays in his corner as his trainer, Eddie Futch, throws in the towel. Later, Frazier says, "Man, I hit him with punches that'd bring down the walls of a city. Lawdy, lawdy, he's a great champion." Ali says of the fight, "It was like death. Closest thing to dying that I know of." vs Foster, Bob November 21, 1972 "The first round I could'nt catch him. I could'nt see his hands at all.

They say he slowed down after the layoff, but this guy was still just too fast" Bob Foster. Foster went down three times in the fifth round, but in the sixth Foster came back to jar Ali. But in the end, Ali proved much too much for the smaller Foster. In total Foster went down seven times before being counted out in the eigth round. Although the clear winner, Ali suffered a cut for the first time in his career and many observers felt it was a dissappointing performance up against expectations. The fight was held in the High Sierra Theatre of the Sahara Tahoe Hotel. In the surreal seating of a ring surrounded by tables and spectators dining the fight was witnessed by a paid attendance of only 1,941. vs Holmes, Larry He announces his retirement on June 27th, 1979, relinquishing his title, then returns for a disastrous fight against Larry Holmes, on October 2nd, 1980. Ali is dominated by his ex-sparring partner, battered all over the ring for ten rounds before he retires on his stool before the eleventh round.

It is the only time Ali has not finished a fight on his feet vs Jay, Kenny In 1975 Kenny Jay "The Sodbuster," better knowen for his all-star wrestling skill, took on Mohammad Ali in an exhibition match. Of course Ali knocked him out, but then Ali was one of the best promoters of bizarre anything. Vince McMahon must have learned from Ali. vs Johnson, Alonzo On March 13, 1963 in Madison Square Garden, Clay won a close decision over Doug Jones in 10 rounds. vs Liston, Sonny #1 and #2 Fight #1 MIAMI BEACH, Feb. 25 - Incredibly, the loud-mouthed bragging, insulting youngster had been telling the truth all along. Cassius Clay won the world heavyweight title tonight when a bleeding Sonny Liston, his left shoulder injured, was unable to answer the bell for the seventh round. Immediately after he had been announced as the new heavyweight champion of the world, Clay yelled to newsmen covering the fight: "Eat your words." Only three of 46 sports writers covering the fight had picked him to win.

A crowd of 8,297, on it's feet through the early rounds at Convention Hall, sat stunned during the one-minute rest period between the sixth and seventh rounds. Only Clay seemed to know what had happened; he threw up his hands and danced a little jig in the center of the ring. Fight #2 "The Phantom Punch" May 25, 1965 in Lewiston, Maine: Ali fought Liston for the second time. As in their first fight, Liston was pressing the attack while Ali moved and countered. While still in the first round, Ali, while moving back, caught Sonny with a chopping right to the head. Most people at the fight claimed they did not see the punch. Films do show that it was a punch and that Liston's head did move back from the blow. But it was clearly not a knockout punch. To the surprise of all, Liston went down. Ali stood over the fallen ex-champion shouting, "Get up, nobody is going to believe this". The referee, old Jersey Joe Walcott, was trying to pick up the count and get the dancing Ali to go to a neutral corner. Meanwhile, Liston was rolling around the canvas.

It was a circus. Finally Liston got up. Walcott, who at that moment, was standing between the fighters, went over to the time keeper. The fighters started to fight again with Ali the aggressor. After about eight seconds, Walcott stepped between them again and declared Ali the winner. Cries of a fix mar the outcome, but the result stands. vs London, Brian August 6, 1966 in London: Ali fought England's Brian London who had a 35-12 record. Ali toyed with the very slow challenger for the first two rounds. Midway in the third round, Ali with a series of eight or nine punches in succession, forced his opponent into a corner. He then landed a hard left-right combination to the head that caused Brian to sink to the canvas and be counted out. After the fight Ali announced he would fight one opponent a month until he was called into military service.

vs Lubbers, Rudi Henry Cooper dies aged 76: British boxing legend once felled Muhammad Ali | Daily Mail Online Former British heavyweight champion has died at the age of 76 'He was a champion of the people,' says Chris Eubank Henry Cooper smiles after being knighted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on February 22, 2000 Boxer Sir Henry Cooper OBE, who once famously felled boxing legend Muhammad Ali, has died aged 76. Cooper, a former British heavyweight champion, died just two days before his 77th birthday at his son’s house at Oxted in Surrey The man was affectionately known as ‘Our Enry’ and collected a host of honours thanks to his fierce left hook called ‘Enry’s Ammer’. The retired English heavyweight famously fought Ali - then known by his birth name Cassius Clay - twice, firstly in 1963 at Wembley Stadium. In the final seconds of the fourth round Cooper felled firm favourite Ali with a jab of his left hook, but his head hit the ropes - not the floor - so it did not count.

Ali said several decades later that Cooper ‘had hit him so hard that his ancestors in Africa felt it’. The photograph became an iconic image of boxing. Ali then asked for a spare pair of gloves, giving him time to recover from the blow. Cooper claimed this lasted several minutes and after that day, a spare pair of gloves was always required at ringside. A blood bath ensued and the referee was forced to stop the fight in Ali’s favour, despite Cooper being up on the scorecards. In 1966 Cooper fought Ali, and the reigning world heavyweight champion, for a second time. Cooper lost on a technical knockout - despite being up on the scorecards for a second time - because he was bleeding badly from his eye. Pride of Britain: The bout with Muhammed Ali, then Cassius Clay, was one of Sir Henry's finest moments The Greatest? Sir Henry is fondly remembered for putting Ali on his backside during their London bout in 1963 Three-time world heavyweight champion Ali spoke of his sadness at Cooper's death: 'I am at a loss for words over the death of my friend, Henry Cooper. I was not aware he was ill.

'I visited with him two summers ago during a brief visit to Windsor as part of the Equestrian Games being held there. He was in good humour and looked quite fit. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share '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. My family and I extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family and loved ones.' Sir Henry was at one time the British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion. He 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, along with Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill.

Muhammad Ali and Henry Cooper, pictured in 1992, retained a mutual respect throughout their lives Infamous bout: Sir Henry Cooper and Muhammad Ali (then known as Cassius Clay) weigh in ahead of their bout at Wembley By Royal appointment: Prince William is joined by Sir Henry Cooper in 2006 He became a familiar face on television following his retirement and became one of the team captains on the BBC quiz show A Question of Sport for a number of years. He lived in Hildenborough, in Kent, with his beloved Italian-born wife Albina, 71, until her death in 2008, when she died suddenly of a heart attack. They had been married 47 years. Famous face: Cooper advertised Brut aftershave in the 1980s Chairman of Nizels Golf Club in the town, he was knighted in 2000 for services to charity as well as boxing. Sir Henry also famously advertised Brut aftershave and breakfast cereal on television in the 1980s. and was very active in charity work.

Brought up on a south east London council estate, he was relocated as evacuees to Lancing on the Sussex coast suring the second World War. George Cooper, Henry’s twin, died on 11 April 2010, aged 76. In 2006 Sir Henry was taken to hospital with breathing difficulties and fitted with a pacemaker. It happened on the day of a Sir Henry Cooper Golfing Classic, an event he hosts annually for the boxing fraternity at London’s Muswell Hill Golf Club. At the time his wife said: ‘You know Henry, he’s not a whinger. He keeps everything to himself. But he was just gutted, thinking he’d let everyone down.’ Tributes from the boxing world have been full of praise for Cooper the fighter, and the man. Former WBO middleweight and super middleweight champion Chris Eubank said: 'I'm the type of person who looks at a man's behaviour. It inspired me that Henry Cooper was loved by the public, and I wanted the same. There are many world champions who did not have the respect which he garnered. A world championship belt is one thing - it's a symbol.

A lot of people mistake having a belt for being a champion, when in fact it is winning the heart of the people. 'Henry Cooper behaved as a champion which is why he was a champion of the people.' Boxing promoter Barry Hearn echoed these sentiments, saying: 'Henry was one of us, he was one of the people. He wasn't a stand-offish superstar in his Ferrari; he'd play golf and tell you stories and he had a great sense of humour. 'He realised he wasn't the greatest heavyweight champion in the world but he delivered one of the most famous punches in boxing history.' Popular figure: Sir Henry Cooper won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award twice The first Lord of the Ring 'Enery never won the world title, but he won the hearts of a nation' By Jeff Powell OUR ’Enery has laid down the ’Ammer which floored The Greatest. The left fist which came within a bell-ring of changing the course of boxing history is unclenched now and at rest.

The blood brotherhood which held its collective breath when he sent the young Cassius Clay sprawling across Wembley Stadium in the summer of ’63 will pause for uncommonly tender reflection that the best-loved of all British boxers has taken permanent retirement from the hard old game of life. We cherished him as Our ’Enery but really he was Lady Albina’s Henry and he had not been quite the same since his Italian-born wife of 47 years died suddenly in 2008. Henry Cooper 'brought dignified validation to the time-honoured notion of boxing as the noble art' Cooper was always light for a heavyweight and as these three years passed that spare, angular frame grew ever more frail. That huge fighting heart had been broken by the loss of his soul mate. He leaves us to celebrate not just a career but a life which brought dignified validation to the time-honoured notion of boxing as the noble art. That roaring, knife-edge night at Wembley is forever central to his memory. Knife-edge because legend insists that Angelo Dundee, the wise and knowing trainer in the opposite corner, slit Clay’s glove to buy him more time to recover from the mother of all left hooks.

Henry Cooper is seen during a training session at the Thomas A' Becket pub on the Old Kent Road in London The brash young man who would become The Greatest of all prize-fighters, the Athlete of the Century, the most recognisable face on Planet Earth had courted danger from that British bazooka by coasting towards the fifth-round knock-out he had predicted. ’Enery’s ’Ammer duly connected near the end of the fourth. Clay was spreadeagled across the lower ropes as the bell came to his rescue. The official television film cuts from the end of the fourth to the start of the fifth but one grainy pirate image which flickers across the one-minute interval — while it does not confirm Dundee’s slitting of a glove — indicates that the bell for the restart was delayed for no more than six seconds. But six seconds can seem like a saving lifetime for a fighter swimming up through the fog-shrouded swamp of semi-consciousness. Clay duly surfaced to take lacerating advantage of Cooper’s curse, those protuberant eyebrows across which his skin was stretched thin as parchment.

Not for the first or last time Cooper was cut to the bone around the eyes and blood flowed in rivers down his face as a relieved Clay fulfilled his Round Five prophecy. The Louisville Lip pronounced: ‘Henry hit me so hard that my ancestors felt it in Africa.’ Cooper, as was the measure of the man, lost with dignity: ‘If Angelo did slit his glove I hold no grudge. That’s boxing. If I am in similar trouble I like to think my trainer would do the same for me.’ Despite all the drama and controversy, this was a non-title fight. The two would meet again three years later, at Arsenal’s Highbury football ground, with the world championship at stake. Muhammad Ali, as he had become, was forewarned. He kept such wary distance from that left hook that, again, he was behind on points before he cut Cooper horrendously, this time in the sixth. Back at Wembley later in that England World Cup-winning year of 1966 Cooper was knocked out by another of America’s most renowned world champions, Floyd Patterson, but no amount of defeats could extinguish the British public’s love affair with their favourite fighter.

During a halcyon era for domestic heavyweight boxing, Cooper won British and Commonwealth championship bouts against Jack Bodell, Joe Erskine, Billy Walker, Dick Richardson, Brian London and Johnny Prescott as well as to the European championship conquest of redoubtable German Karl Mildenberger. Legend: Sir Henry Cooper poses with his grandson Henry James after receiving his knighthood So slight was Cooper as a heavyweight that at the weigh-in for the second Ali fight Wicks put lead in his boots to make him appear heavier than the 12st 12lb to which he had slipped from his normal fighting weight of 13st 8lb. The end came in 1971 in contentious circumstances which gave rise to the only grievance this courteous gentleman ever nursed. At the end of 15 rounds, referee Harry Gibbs scored Joe Bugner the winner of all Cooper’s titles by the narrowest of all margins, a quarter of a point. For years Cooper refused to speak to Gibbs, saying mysteriously: ‘I don’t usually hold grudges but certain things went on before the fight which I don’t ever want to talk about.’ Not until six months before the referee died did Cooper relent, agreeing to pose for a handshake.

How heavily he fell upon need for financial help himself after losing most of his savings as a ‘name’ in the Lloyds crash is unclear. A public house named after him was not a success. He withdrew from his post-career role as a TV commentator, saying: ‘I’ve fallen out of love with a game which parades as heroes ordinary fighters who boxers of my generation would have beaten for breakfast.’ He insisted that he and Albina only down-sized houses when their two sons married and left home but some of his prized memorabilia was sold. Mercifully not all, since he is still the only boxer to have won three Lonsdale Belts outright. Respect: Henry Cooper and Muhammad Ali met for the last time in August 2009 in Windsor Deafness brought with it embarrassment, especially acute for a man who never knowingly turned down a request for an autograph. Lady Albina, his guiding light, became his ears as well and helped him keep his sense of humour.

When a sharp spasm of breathlessness necessitated the fitting of a heart device, he joked: ‘I had a lot of sparring partners but I never thought I’d need a pacemaker.’ When his wife died he lamented: ‘It was very hard . Through my grief I realised how much I had leant on her for help, for instance when I couldn’t hear the door-bell.’ That other bell, the one which saved his famous opponent all those years ago, still rang loud in the respect between the two fighters. Whenever Ali was in the company of English boxing men he always asked: ‘Say hello to Henry for me.’ They had the chance to say goodbye to each other in person when Ali and Cooper, a staunch Royalist, were invited to a private function at Windsor Castle. Said Cooper: ‘I knew it would be his final visit to Britain and I was glad of the chance to see him one last time.’ That moment was poignant but the pining for Albina never eased and it deepened when George, not only his brother but his best mate, died a year later. Cooper’s sons and their families did their best to comfort him but the fight had gone out of a very British hero.

Our ’Enery never won his world title. No matter. More importantly, he won not only Lady Albina’s heart but that of the entire nation.

Question: In 1966 Muhammad Ali had two fights in England – the first against Henry Cooper and the second against which boxer who he knocked out in the third round?
Answer: BRIAN LONDON