A Fighter By His Trade

Saddened to hear of the death over the weekend of the great Henry Cooper. Easily the finest English boxer of the second half of the twentieth century, he combined excellence in the ring with excellence of character, and genuine wit and intelligence. What Mum & Auntie Norah & Auntie Bet et al would have termed, rightly, a true gentleman.

I was too young to have witnessed live the monumental moment he floored Ali, but watching the moment replayed on English tv over and over in the years that followed confirmed the fact that he was a genuine contender. In fact, he was excellent in the re-match, when Ali was undisputed champion - and we're talking about the young Ali here, simply the greatest fighter ever seen in the ring. Henry's problem was simple and devastating: he was vulnerable to cuts over the eyes, and Ali knew that, and used that.

Sometimes you forget that were times when sportsmen really were giants in every way and you didn't need the hype to tell you that.