Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG |
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Cooper c. 1969
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Statistics | |
Nickname(s) | Our 'Enry |
Rated at | Heavyweight |
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
Reach | 75 in (190 cm) |
Nationality | English |
Born |
London, England |
3 May 1934
Died | 1 May 2011 Limpsfield, Surrey, England |
(aged 76)
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 55 |
Wins | 40 |
Wins by KO | 27 |
Losses | 14 |
Draws | 1 |
No contests | 0 |
Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG (3 May 1934 – 1 May 2011) was an English heavyweight boxer known for the power of his left hook, "Enry's 'Ammer", and his knockdown of the young Muhammad Ali. Cooper held the British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles several times throughout his career, and unsuccessfully challenged Ali for the world heavyweight championship in 1966.
Following his retirement from the sport, Cooper continued his career as a television and radio personality and was enormously popular in Britain: he was the first (and is today one of just four people) to twice win the public vote for BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and is thus far the only boxer to be awarded a knighthood.
Cooper was born in Lambeth, London to Henry and Lily Cooper. With identical twin brother, George (1934–2010), and elder brother Bern, 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.