Henry Cooper

by Norman Giller

  ‘Henry prepares to throw the ’Ammer that floored Clay’

  HENRY: If only I’d had another minute, I reckon I could have finished him off. Anybody who has watched me over the years knows I never let anybody off the hook if I’ve got them going and Clay was in a right state when he got up. But what can you do? The old mince pie let me down and we couldn’t argue when the ref stopped it. At least we shut him up for a while. To be honest, I quite like the bloke and all that shouting before the fight got bums on seats. So we can’t complain. At least I think I’ve won his respect. Didn’t do bad for a bum and a cripple, did I?

  FIGHT NO. 38

  Venue: Belle Vue, Manchester, 24 February 1964. Weight: 13st 6lb.

  Opponent: Brian London (Blackpool). Weight: 14st 11lb.

  Result: WON points 15 rounds (British, Empire & vacant European titles).

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Sydney Hulls, Daily Express): Henry Cooper added the European crown to his title collection and won a second Lonsdale Belt outright after comfortably outpointing Brian London over fifteen one-sided rounds. This is the third time that Cooper has grounded the Blackpool Bomber, who was gracious to admit afterwards that Henry has now won him outright. As champion of Europe, Cooper has first claim on a world title challenge once Liston and Clay have sorted out their differences.

  HENRY: Brian and I used to be sworn enemies, but we have got to like each other and he was sporting enough to concede that I’m his guvnor. I couldn’t miss him with my left jab and he took his punishment like a man. Now we’ll watch the Liston/Ali situation with close interest.

  FIGHT NO. 39

  Venue: Royal Albert Hall, 16 November 1964. Weight: 13st 6lb.

  Opponent: Roger Rischer (USA). Weight: 14st 2lb.

  Result: LOST points 10 rounds

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Reg Gutteridge, London Evening News): It’s not often that Britain’s favourite boxer Henry Cooper hears boos, but the jeers from the Albert Hall crowd were shared equally between both the British champion and his mauling, spoiling opponent Roger Rischer after a boring ten round battle narrowly won by the American. It could have passed as a wrestling rather than boxing match, with the referee continually trying to pull the two rivals apart. It was not a pretty sight.

  HENRY: Hands up, probably my worst performance as a professional, but it takes two to tango and Rischer just didn’t want to fight. He grabbed me at every opportunity and we finished up with a real stinkeroo. It was a clash of styles, and only one of us came to fight. The quicker we forget it, the better.

  FIGHT NO. 40

  Venue: Royal Albert Hall, 12 January 1965. Weight: 13st 7lb.

  Opponent: Dick Wipperman (USA). Weight: 14st 7lb.

  Result: WON referee stopped fight 5 rounds.

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Donald Saunders, Daily Telegraph): Dick Wipperman, billed as ‘The wild buffalo from Buffalo’, was cut down to size by the left hooks of Henry Cooper after four even rounds in which both men concentrated on left jabs from distance. A change of tactics by Cooper in the fifth brought the British champion quick results, and the tall American suddenly wilted as he took a series of hooks to the jaw that had him sending out distress signals, bringing a merciful intervention by the referee.

  HENRY: He had such a long left lead that I had problems getting close enough to land the hook, so I jabbed with him but was getting him into a frame of mind where he thought all I had was the jab. The moment I started bringing my punches in on an arc he was bang in bother. At least I got that Rischer result out of my system.

  FIGHT NO. 41

  Venue: Wolverhampton Civic Hall, 20 April 1965. Weight: 13st 11lb.

  Opponent: Chip Johnson (USA). Weight: 13st 7lb.

  Result: WON knockout round 1.

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Steve Fagan, Daily Sketch): Oh brother, what a night of revenge for the Coopers! Five months ago Chip Johnson virtually ended Jim Cooper’s career when he cut him so badly he was forced to announce his retirement. Last night identical twin Henry made Johnson pay with an incredible first round knockout victory, his famed and feared left hook landing with such venom that the American was out before he had hit the canvas.

  HENRY: That was for George. I’ve never been more determined to beat an opponent. Johnson got his comeuppance for saying stupid things before the fight, like what he’d done to one brother he could do to the other. That’ll teach him to keep his mouth shut. Everybody’s trying to be an Ali these days. More rabbit than Sainsbury’s!

  FIGHT NO. 42

  Venue: St Andrew’s Stadium, Birmingham, 15 June 1965. Weight: 13st 4lb.

  Opponent: Johnny Prescott (Birmingham) Weight: 13st 9lb.

  Result: WON retired round 10 (British and Empire titles).

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Frank McGhee, Daily Mirror): Johnny Prescott, the Boxing Beau Brummel of Birmingham, put up a brave show against Henry Cooper, but manager George Biddles did him a favour by pulling him out of this British and Empire title fight after taking steady punishment for ten frantic rounds. The biggest danger to Cooper was being drowned during rain storms that swept over the Birmingham City football ground. Heavy body punches knocked the fight out of Prescott and he took two counts in the tenth round before Biddles decided his man had nothing left to give.

  HENRY: Johnny is a good, strong boy but I knew he was struggling when I started digging punches into his body. I could hear him grunting, and so I abandoned my jabbing and kept up the attack downstairs. It was wise to retire him because he knew I was completely in charge.

  FIGHT NO. 43

  Venue: Wembley Pool, 19 October 1965. Weight: 13st 8lb.

  Opponent: Amos Johnson (USA). Weight: 14st.

  Result: LOST points 10 rounds.

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Jack Wood, Daily Mail): There are whispers of a world title fight for Henry Cooper, but he may have wrecked the script by dropping a points decision to the ambling Amos Johnson. When Henry has an off night it is not a pretty sight, and he struggled to get his usual rhythm against an awkward but well-schooled opponent. Even so, I had Cooper winning by a round, and the crowd booed the decision. It was a nightmare for Cooper from the moment in the first round when a punch well below the border dropped him, but the referee let the American off with a warning.

  HENRY: I thought I did enough to win, but admit I boxed badly. It was one of those nights when I just couldn’t find my range and that punch in the first round hit me right in the family jewellery and knocked me out of my stride. I’m aching in a place where you wouldn’t show your mum. There’s talk about me getting a title fight with Ali, but that’s all it is at the moment, talk. I’ll believe it when it happens. Didn’t do myself any favours tonight, did I?

  FIGHT NO. 44

  Venue: Olympia, London, 25 January 1966. Weight: 13st 10lb.

  Opponent: Hubert Hilton (USA) Weight: 14st.

  Result: WON referee stopped fight round 2.

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Donald Saunders, Daily Telegraph): This fight was staged in the circus ring at Olympia but British champion Henry Cooper was in no mood for clowning as he dispatched the tall, dark and hazardous Hubert Hilton in two rounds. Ranked ninth in the world, Hilton promised all sorts of evil intent before the fight, but was wrecked by a devastating left hook that instantaneously knocked the fight out of him and brought the referee’s intervention as he fell flat to the canvas.

  HENRY: I know a world title fight could be around the corner, so I dare not slip up again. I wanted to get Hilton out of there as quickly as possible because he’s a dangerous guy if you let him get on top. He knocked out Bodell and Prescott, but that put me on alert and I made sure I got in first.

  FIGHT NO. 45

  Venue: Wolverhampton Civic Hall, 16 February 1966. Weight: 13st 8lb.

  Opponent: Jefferson Davis (USA). Weight: 14st 3lb.

  Result: WON knockout round 1.

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Sydney Hulls, Daily Express): Jefferson Davis came, saw and was conquered in just 100 seconds, the quickest win of Henry Cooper’s career. It was another revenge win for t
he Cooper twins, and Davis never looked like repeating the victory he had enjoyed against Jim Cooper three years ago. Henry landed his ’Ammer with such force that the count was a mere formality. Muhammad Ali, haunted by memories of Wembley, will have made careful note of the finishing punch as he prepares to put his world title on the line against Cooper.

  HENRY: It’s no secret that Jim is negotiating a world title fight for me. That’s been my dream since I first pulled on boxing gloves. I like it here at the Civic Hall. Two fights, two first round wins!

  FIGHT NO. 46

  Venue: Highbury Stadium, Arsenal, 21 May 1966. Weight: 13st 5lb.

  Opponent: Muhammad Ali (USA). Weight: 14st 3lb.

  Result: LOST referee stopped fight round 6 (cut eye) (World heavyweight title).

  RINGSIDE REPORT (George Whiting, London Evening Standard): Henry (London Pride) Cooper, a craftsman seeking improbable dominion over an artist, gave of his best and gave of his blood until, after ninety-eight seconds of round six, a jagged, monstrous gash over his left eyebrow brought referee George Smith flinging wide his arms to signal that the war was over. There will forever be controversy about the exact manner of the bloodshot finish – Cooper claiming a butt, Clay insisting that the payoff came from the same downward right-hander that lowered Sonny Liston. The precise instant that the Cooper brow split asunder calls for sharper eyes than mine, but I would vote for a legitimate punch.

  HENRY: I thought at first that Clay or Ali, or whatever he calls himself caught me with his head, but now I’ve had a chance to see film of the fight I accept that it was a punch that did the damage. We’ve now fought for eleven rounds and I think you’ll find I’m ahead on points! Ali calls himself The Greatest. I’m not arguing. He’s certainly the fastest. The ring was like a ballroom and I could not pin him with my left hook, like in our first fight because he was dancing away like Fred Astaire on roller skates.

  FIGHT NO. 47

  Venue: Wembley Pool, 20 September 1966. Weight: 13st 8lb.

  Opponent: Floyd Patterson (USA). Weight: 13st 10lb.

  Result: LOST knockout round 4.

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Desmond Hackett, Daily Express): They say the last thing a great champion loses is his punch. Floyd Patterson may be past his peak, but his punching power was there for all to see at Wembley. The only person who did NOT see it is British folk hero Henry Cooper, who was knocked sparko by a right out of the blue midway through the fourth round. Recovering from a knockdown moments earlier, Cooper was a sitting duck for the punch that landed with such force that it turned him around before he fell face first to the canvas.

  HENRY: You’ll have to tell me what happened. I’ve no idea. One minute I was defending myself after being knocked down by the quickest punches I’ve ever faced, and the next Jim Wicks was asking if I was all right and I was down on the canvas. Floyd has been in to make sure I’m all right. He is not only a great fighter but also a real gentleman.

  FIGHT NO. 48

  Venue: De Montfort Hall, Leicester, 17 April 1967. Weight: 13st 12lb.

  Opponent: Boston Jacobs (USA). Weight: 13st 9lb.

  Result: WON points 10 rounds.

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Reg Gutteridge, London Evening News): Henry Cooper returned to the business of winning after his back-to-back defeats by world greats Muhammad Ali and Floyd Patterson, but against an opponent – Boston Jacobs – who is not even a household name in his own house. Cooper took time to shake off ring rust, but once he had settled into his stride won on points at a canter. Jacobs was a spoiling opponent who came to survive, and at the final bell at least had the satisfaction of still being on his feet. He will go home to the States with Henry Cooper’s left fist tattooed on his face.

  HENRY: I needed that to get my rhythm back. It was a good workout against an opponent who was more interested in stopping me hitting him than throwing any punches. Now we’re going to look for some title defences.

  FIGHT NO. 49

  Venue: Molineux, Wolverhampton, 13 June 1967. Weight: 13st 6lb.

  Opponent: Jack Bodell (Swadlincote). Weight: 14st 2lb.

  Result: WON referee stopped fight 2 rounds (British & Empire titles).

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Steve Fagan, Daily Sketch): Manager George Biddles talked a good fight for his man Jack Bodell before this British and Empire title fight, but the Swadlincote chicken farmer could not put action to go with his words. Henry Cooper took one round to weigh up the swinging southpaw from Swadlincote and then at the start of the second had him trapped on the ropes taking a procession of left hooks to the jaw. The referee pulled Cooper off as Bodell sank to the canvas like a holed ship going down at sea, completely bemused and badly bruised. Henry may not have ruled the world, but he is without question king of his own back yard.

  HENRY: It may have looked as if I was under pressure in that first round, but I was being calculating and wanted to lead Jack into a false sense of security. Our plan was not to open up with the big punches until we’d had a look at him. It worked to perfection.

  FIGHT NO. 50

  Venue: Wembley Pool, 7 November 1967. Weight: 13st 4lb.

  Opponent: Billy Walker (West Ham). Weight: 13st 9lb.

  Result: WON referee stopped fight 6 rounds (British & Empire titles).

  RINGSIDE REPORT (John Rodda, The Guardian): South Londoner Henry Cooper won a record third Lonsdale Belt outright at Wembley, but it was the East London idol Billy Walker who took the real belting. How ironic that Cooper – who can bleed for Britain – eventually won on cuts, Walker being sent back to his corner a third of the way through the sixth round with his face a crimson mask. The ‘Battle of London’ was settled by Cooper’s powerful left jab, and I counted twenty punches crashing into Walker’s face without response in what proved to be the final round. Walker should now urgently consider his future. It cannot be good for his health to use his face as an archery target.

  ‘Henry’s left jab crashes through Billy Walker’s defence’

  HENRY: I’m so proud to have won a third Lonsdale Belt outright. I will put them away in a vault and one day pass them on to my sons so they know their old Dad could fight a bit. Billy was brave, but he leads with his face too much. I couldn’t miss him with the jab. Makes a change for my opponent to suffer the cuts instead of me. I like Billy a lot, and hope his injuries heal quickly.

  FIGHT NO. 51

  Venue: Wembley Pool, 18 September 1968. Weight: 13st 3lb.

  Opponent: Karl Mildenberger (Germany). Weight: 14st 9lb.

  Result: WON disqualified round 8 (European title).

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Donald Saunders, Daily Telegraph): Henry Cooper regained the European heavyweight title at Wembley when German southpaw Karl Mildenberger was disqualified in the eighth round for using his head as a third glove. There was an element of desperation about Mildenberger’s work throughout the contest as Cooper’s left jab and whiplash left hooks slowly broke him up, and he was close to a knockout defeat in the seventh round when sent sagging to the canvas for an eight count. His one weapon appeared to be wild use of his head, and he was warned several times before the Italian referee decided to disqualify him after Cooper had come out of a clinch with blood running down his battle-scarred face.

  HENRY: That’s the record put straight, because I never lost the European title in the ring and Mildenberger got it because an injury prevented me defending it. He played the part of the gentleman before and after the fight, but he was definitely trying to get the old nut in as he realised he was outgunned. I thought I did a good job on him.

  FIGHT NO. 52

  Venue: Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome, 13 March 1969. Weight: 13st 5lb.

  Opponent: Piero Tomasoni (Italy). Weight: 13st 4lb.

  Result: WON knockout 5 rounds (European title).

  RINGSIDE REPORT (Neil Allen, The Times): One of the roughest European title fights of all time ended with Henry Cooper hammering Italian challenger Piero Tomasoni to the canvas in the fifth round. As the ten-second count was tolled, the ring canvas became carpeted w
ith rotten fruit and vegetables hurled by angry Italian fans. Tomasoni was like a wild bull after being dropped by a Cooper left hook in the first round, and attacked the champion with everything but the ringside stool. Amazingly the Dutch referee ignored the fact that many of his punches were landing below the belt and Cooper fell to his knees in agony, taking a nine count. It was another four rough and tumble rounds before Cooper finally tamed Tomasoni with what has famously become known as Enery’s ’Ammer. The European champion later showed me his protective cup to prove that Tomasoni’s punches had been so low that they had made a normally convex piece of sports equipment concave.

  HENRY: That’s the wildest fight I’ve ever been involved in. I couldn’t believe what the referee was letting him get away with. I’ve got bruised thighs from where some of his punches landed, and his head was hardly out of my face. We thought we were going to get lynched when the referee counted Tomasoni out, but the fans switched to our side at the end and applauded us. Maybe it’s because I’ve got an Italian wife?

  FIGHT NO. 53

  Venue: Wembley Pool, 24 March 1970. Weight: 13st 13lb.

  Opponent: Jack Bodell (Swadlincote). Weight: 14st 10lb.

  Result: WON points 15 rounds (British & Empire titles).