Sir Henry Cooper

Sir Henry Cooper (3 May 1934 – 1 May 2011) 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 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. In 1966 he fought Ali for a second time. Ali was then world heavyweight champion. However, Cooper again lost by TKO. 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.