How good a boxer was Henry Cooper?

Question

I was brought up to believe that the British heavyweight boxer Henry Cooper was one of the greatest boxers of all time, but was held back by the fact that his eyes cut very easily, and that he would "nearly certainly" have beaten Mohamed Ali if Ali's corner had not engaged in delaying tactics after Cooper knocked him down. Others say that Cooper was only average in general, but happened to possess a ferocious left hook that enabled him to beat better opponents, and that the delay in the Ali fight was minimal, and point out that in the rounds after Cooper knocked Ali down Ali "walloped Cooper all over the place".

Your opinions please.

Answer 1

Henry Cooper was so nearly good enough to win a world title.  The trouble was, like most other British boxers through the years, although he possessed an extremely heavy punch, he couldn't take one himself.  It was a shame he cut so easily as well, otherwise he would have won more fights.  He did win three Lonsdale belts outright, so he was Britain's best boxer for most of his career.  In another era he almost certainly would have been a World Champion.

Answer 2

He is truly a Legend and doesnt deserve all the question marks he had on his career. The 14 losses makes him look like a worse boxer than he actually was.

Answer 3

I would not say Henry was a great boxer but he was well above

average.Both he and his twin brother boxed.

Henry was and still is a gentleman,his  left hand was known

as Henry's Hammer,but cuts blighted Henry's boxing career

and maybe he would have gone further if not for this.

He never earned big money and had to sell his

Lonsdale belt becouse of financial problems.

Answer 4

I dont know who he is.

Answer 5

Cooper's greatest victory against a prime heavyweight is that he did beat Zora Folley once.  Folley was no slouch.  I have this to say for Cooper he hit Ali with a good shot.  Ali was on "q***r street" as the old timers used to say.  I've watch most of Ali's fights and I don't think anyone hurt him as much as Cooper did.

Answer 6

One Word ..

LEGEND!!!

X x

Answer 7

Cooper's left hook had the stuff legends are made of, and it clearly deposited Ali on the seat of his pants.  And yeah, Dundee might have fudged a bit with the "rip" in the glove.  I don't doubt it was split, but I would imagine he might have made it worse simply to buy time.  

Henry Cooper had so much national pride, so many people pulling for him, and so much heart behind every punch. . . .that it sometimes gets forgotten that, despite being tough, he wasn't exactly a "master technician" in the ring.  He fought during a time when technicians and powerhouses ruled the world.  Cooper was neither.  But he WAS a very good fighter with all the pride in the world, and was even given the title of "Sir" by the Queen.  I've met him at the Hall of Fame, and he's a joy to be around.

Answer 8

Our Henry was a alright boxer, but a fantastic representative of sports

Answer 9

He was good fighter Cooper was the only British boxer to win three Lonsdale Belts outright so yea he was great.

Answer 10

I think Henry was a good boxer but not a great boxer. He did have a great left hook and Ali was always vulnerable to a left hook. Who knows what would have happened if Ali's corner hadn't delayed the fight.

Answer 11

Those delay tactics earned Ali maybe an extra 5 seconds between rounds.  Everything else is fabricated legend.

Answer 12

sir henry cooper had a record of 40-14-1 (27) which included his bouts against heavyweight champions ingemar johansson, floyd patterson, and muhummad ali. he was and still is the most beloved of a long list of fighters from the united kingdom.

Answer 13

i agree wilf..

our 'enery' would certainly have fulfilled his full potential but for the cheating tactics of ali's corner.

he was certainly among the best this country has produced.

Answer 14

Henry Cooper was a fine fighter and a contender for the Heavyweight title several times in his career.  He had a career record of 40-14-1 (27 kayo's) and was the former British and European Champ.  When he fought Muhammad Ali the first time, he did indeed hit Ali with a tremendous left hook that sent Ali to the canvas.  Ali was obviously hurt and dazed as the bell sounded ending the round.  There was an apparent tear found in Ali's glove that gave Ali some extra time to recover.  Ali then of course battered Henry on his way to a TKO victory.  Cooper is probably the most popular fighter in British history and is affectionally known as "Our Enry"  His biggest weakness was that he cut too easy and lost several fights due to cuts including two to Ali.  He did have a very good left hook and was well known for that.