On This Day In Boxing History

Cassius Clay vs Henry Cooper

June 18th, 1963

Wembley Stadium, Wembley, London, UK  

The infamous fight between Henry Cooper and Cassius Clay from 1963.  Cassius Clay would be knocked down for only the second time in his career and mystery still surrounds exactly how long did he get to recover in between rounds...

Clay would enter with a record of 18-0, Henry Cooper 27-8-1.  Henry Cooper had wanted to face current World Heavyweight Champion Sonny Liston, but his manager, fearing for his fighter’s safety against a monster like Liston, would not pursue it.  Instead, they accepted the challenge of a young arrogant boxer named Cassius Clay. This was to be Clay's first fight as a pro outside of the United States and his last fight before beating Sonny Liston, becoming World Heavyweight Champion and changing his name to Muhammad Ali.  Cassius Clay held little respect for Henry Cooper going into the fight.  He claimed Henry a bum, and if he could not beat him in 5 rounds, he would not return to the USA for 30 days.  Henry was only a warm up to the brash Cassius Clay.  Henry Cooper's record although not great was respectable and he was the reigning Commonwealth and British Heavyweight Champion with 19 of his 27 wins coming by way of KO and most by way of his devastating left hook known as "Enry's ammer".  Late in the fourth round the young Cassius Clay was floored by the aforementioned punch and saved by the bell ending the round.  Although Cassius was able to get to his feet, he was noticeably wobbled and the break between rounds was desperately needed.  For Cooper however, it was too little too late.  His face a crimson mask, cut wide open from Clay's repeated jabs with a torn glove, the referee had no choice but to end the fight in the following round when Clay turned up the heat.  Clay's prediction of a 5th round KO had come to fruition but also a new level of respect for the veteran British boxer, 1 of only 3 men to ever drop Clay/Muhammad in his 61- fight career. 

Note: 3 of the 4 knockdowns Muhammad Ali suffered during his career came by way of a left hook to the jaw... Sonny Banks, Henry Cooper and Joe Frazier.  And 3 of those 4 fights in which Ali got knocked down, he went on to win... Chuck Wepner, Sonny Banks and Henry Cooper.

June 18th

1894: Joe Choynski D5 Bob Fitzsimmons

1923: Pancho Villa KO7 Jimmy Wilde

1929: Panama Al Brown W15 Gregorio Vidal

Kid Chocolate TKO3 Terry Roth

1934: Jackie Brown D15 Valentin Angelmann

1941: Joe Louis KO13 Billy Conn

1946: Harold Johnson age 18 debuts KO2 Dick Brewster

1957: Bobo Olson SD10 Joey Maxim

1958: Yama Bahama W10 Kid Gavilan

1963: Cassius Clay KO5 Henry Cooper

1965: Nino Benvenuti KO6 Sandro Mazzinghi

1971: Masao Ohba TKO9 Rocky Garcia

1973: Earnie Shavers KO1 Jimmy Ellis

1975: Jose Ramon Gomez Fouz W15 Romano Fanali

1976: Eckhard Dagge KO10 Elisha Obed

1977: Victor Galindez W15 Richie Kates

1984: Natasha Jonas is born in Liverpool, England

1989: Tony Lopez KO8 Tyrone Jackson

2005: Antonio Tarver W12 Glen Johnson

2008: Oleydong Sithsamerchai KO9 Junichi Ebisuoka

2011: Saul Alvarez TKO12 Ryan Rhodes

Kaliesha West DSD10 Ava Knight

2016: Anabel Ortiz   TKO8 Jolene Blackshear

Rau'shee Warren WMD12 Juan Carlos Payano

Joe Smith Jr TKO1 Andrzej Fonfara

Mayerlin Rivas WSD10 Melania Sorroche         

Yesica Yolanda Bopp W10 Nancy Franco         

Hanna Gabriels TKO3 Katia Alvarino     

Linda Laura Lecca DSD10 Carolina Alvarez

2022: Artur Beterbiev TKO2 Joe Smith Jr.