Ex-British boxer Cooper dies at 76

AP: Former heavyweight boxer Henry Cooper, one of Britain’s most popular sportsmen who was best known for knocking down Muhammad Ali while he was still known as Cassius Clay, died Sunday. He was 76.

The first boxer to be knighted and receive the title ‘Sir’ from a British monarch, Cooper died just two days before his 77th birthday, the British Boxing Board of Control said. He died at his son’s house in Oxted, Surrey, in southern England, after an extended illness.

“I am at a loss for words over the death of my friend, Henry Cooper,” Ali said in a statement.

Cooper floored Ali, then an up-and-coming contender named Clay, in a 1963 non-title fight at Wembley Stadium.

Cooper threw a trademark left hook – known by fans and British boxing writers as ‘Enry’s Ammer’ in acknowledgment of his south London accent – toward the end of the fourth round, catching the much larger Ali flush on the jaw and sending him through the ropes and onto the canvas.

Ali, who later said the knockdown punch “not only shook me, it shook my relations in Africa,” won the bout by technical knockout in the next round while trailing on the scorecard.

The two fought again in 1966 at London’s Highbury Stadium. This time, Ali came in as the world champion and he retained his belt by stopping a bloodied Cooper in the sixth round.

Ali said he visited with Cooper two summers ago during a visit to England.

“Henry always had a smile for me; a warm and embracing smile,” Ali said. “It was always a pleasure being in Henry’s company. I will miss my ole friend. He was a great fighter and a gentleman. My family and I extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family and loved ones.”

Cooper, who won the British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight titles but never the world crown, remained revered in Britain as much for his warm personality and gentlemanly manner as a 40-14-1 record in a professional career spanning more than 16 years.