British boxing world pays tribute to the late Sir Henry Cooper
The world of British boxing united in tribute to Sir Henry Cooper on Saturday night, as heavyweight champion David Haye acknowledged the late 76 year-old’s profound influence upon his own career.
Muhammad Ali and Sir Henry Cooper pose together in Windsor in 2009 Photo: AP
By Oliver Brown 11:49PM BST 01 May 2011
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“He’s a guy who put Muhammad Ali on the canvas,” said Haye, much affected by the replays of ’Enry’s ’Ammer, the left hook that floored Ali - then known as Cassius Clay - at Wembley in 1963.
“The left hook that he hit Ali with, I've never seen one thrown as perfectly as that. That one shot forever will be remembered in boxing history.
"Muhammad Ali is known as the greatest ever boxer, and Henry Cooper put him down very badly while he was young, fresh and at his peak.
“He has so much knowledge that he has passed on to so many people. He was at all the charity dinners and he would wish me luck, give me his opinion on what he thought I should do. It was always sound advice.”
Amir Khan, Britain’s light welterweight champion, remembered Cooper as a figure far removed from the enmities that mark the build-up to most modern marquee fights - Haye’s bout with Wladimir Klitschko in July being a prime example.
“Nowadays you get a lot of trash talking,” the 24 year-old said. “But Henry was known for one thing: when he was inside the ring he was like an animal, but when he was outside the ring he had a lot of respect for his opponents and for his fans.”
Promoter Frank Warren explained the secret to Cooper’s unparalleled popularity. “The British public really held him close to their hearts,” he said. “He was one of the true gentleman of sport.
“He transcended boxing. He never actually won a world title, but he was a guy the public could associate with. He wasn’t loud-mouth, he was just an old-school British guy who had done his best and tried as hard as he could in whatever fight he was in.
" Once he lost four fights in a row and had to go abroad, but he showed true grit and determination, and got himself back into contention to fight for world titles.”
Des Lynam, who first worked with Cooper on British television in the 1970s, added: “I first got to work with Henry on Sports Report. He was a lovely man, understated, and one of British sport’s first celebrities.
"When he was introduced to crowds at big fights, he would often be given a bigger cheer than the fighters.”
Former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan, who lived close to Sir Henry in Kent and became a close friend of his, claimed he never recovered from his wife Abina’s death in 2008. The couple were "devoted to each other,” he said.
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