Henry Cooper, a British heavyweight boxer and radio/TV personality, was a prominent figure in the post-World War II era. Born and raised in London, he grew up alongside his two brothers, all of whom excelled in sports. Despite the hardships brought about by the war, Henry’s determination led him to take on various part-time jobs while pursuing his studies. In 1954, he made his professional boxing debut, knocking out his opponent and quickly gaining fame. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Henry participated in numerous boxing matches, emerging victorious in 40 out of 55 bouts. As a heavyweight boxer, he proudly held the British, European, and ‘Commonwealth’ heavyweight championships. Although he faced defeat in his two encounters with the legendary Muhammad Ali, Henry’s legacy extended beyond the ring. He appeared on various ‘BBC’ TV shows and lent his voice to public awareness announcements on radio. Sadly, Henry Cooper passed away in 2011 at the age of 76, leaving behind a remarkable legacy in the world of boxing and media.
Quick Facts
- Nick Name: Our ‘Enry
- Also Known As: Sir Henry Cooper
- Died At Age: 76
- Family:
- Spouse/Ex-: Albina Genepri (m. 1960–2008)
- Father: Henry Cooper, Sr.
- Mother: Lily Cooper
- Siblings: Bern Cooper, George Cooper
- Children: Henry Marco Cooper, John Pietro Cooper
- Born Country: England
- Boxers
- British Men
- Height: 6’2″ (188 cm), 6’2″ Males
- Died on: May 1, 2011
- Place of death: Limpsfield, England, United Kingdom
- City: London, England
- More Facts
- Awards: BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award
Childhood & Early Life
Henry Cooper was born on May 3, 1934, in Lambeth, London, England, to Lily and Henry Cooper. He had a twin brother named George. The twins had another elder brother named Bern. The family lived on Farmstead Road in South East London. His was a middle-class family. His half-Irish grandfather was a horse trader, while his father had served in the ‘Royal Army’ and was also an amateur boxer who visited a local boxing club. During the war, in 1942, Henry’s father left his family to serve his country in Burma. Thus, Lily and her three sons were left to fend for themselves.
Henry and George attended the ‘Athelney Road School,’ when they lived in West Sussex. They had moved to the locality after being evacuated due to the war. Henry also did many odd jobs, such as delivering paper and chopping wood. George stepped into boxing while he was still in school. One of his neighbors took Henry to a boxing club that he frequented, named the ‘Bellingham Boxing Club.’ Henry began his training there. He started playing amateur games and quickly mastered a few moves. He joined the ‘Eltham Boxing Club.’ Of the 84 amateur games that he played there, he won 73. This also included two ‘ABA’ light-heavyweight championship titles. He also joined the ‘Royal Army Ordnance Corps’ as a private, owing to his strong boxing skills. Following the completion of his ‘National Service,’ he turned to professional boxing.
Career
Both the twins George and Henry began boxing under the management of Jim Wicks. Henry was in his late teenage years when he entered the ring as a professional. He represented his country in the 1952 ‘Olympic Games’ held in Helsinki. In 1954, he faced British boxer Harry Painter at the ‘Harringay Arena,’ London, in his debut boxing match. The game ran for only one round, as within the first few minutes, Henry delivered a knockout punch on his opponent. He faced three more opponents the same year and won all his matches.
The year 1955 was big for his professional career, as he reached unprecedented levels of fame after winning the first few games that year. He also lost two games, but he was already being hailed as a celebrity by then. However, he made some mistakes quite early in his career, such as challenging title holders without gathering much experience in professional boxing. In February 1957, he challenged the ‘Commonwealth’ heavyweight title holder Joe Bygraves. Henry had defeated Joe in an early non-title match, but this time, he lost after Joe delivered a knockout punch.
In May 1957, he eyed the European heavyweight title and challenged the title-holder, Ingemar Johansson. He lost the game due to a knockout punch once again. A few months later, he lost another title shot, to Joe Erskine. However, in January 1959, he was at the peak of his career and won the ‘Commonwealth’ and British heavyweight championships after defeating Brian London. The same year, he ended up defending his ‘Commonwealth’ heavyweight title against Gawie de Klerk. Later that year, he defended his title against former champion Joe Erskine. In March 1961, he successfully defended his British and ‘Commonwealth’ heavyweight titles against Joe Erskine. In the early 1960s, he was successful in retaining his title against two challengers: Dick Richardson and Joe Erskine.
By then, Henry had made a name for himself as one of the top British boxers of his time. In February 1964, he cemented his place after defending his titles and snatching the European heavyweight title from Brian London. In the mid-1960s, he continued to defend his title. However, by then, Muhammad Ali’s career was on the rise, and he was slowly making a name for himself as the best boxer in the world. Henry had two famous bouts with Muhammad Ali, one in 1963 and another in 1966. During their 1963 contest, which was a non-title match, Henry strongly stood his ground against Muhammad. Although he lost the match, it saw him exhibit his immense prowess as a boxer. A strong punch from Ali hit him under his eye, and he began bleeding profusely. The fight had to be stopped, and Ali was declared the winner through a technical knockout. Their second bout (in 1966) was for a title shot for the ‘WBA,’ the ‘WBC,’ ‘The Ring,’ and the lineal heavyweight titles. Muhammad Ali was more careful this time. However, the game ended in more or less the same way as the previous one. Henry sustained a cut under his eye, and Ali was declared the winner through a technical knockout.
Over the next few years, Henry successful defended his titles. However, he eventually lost them to Joe Bugner, in a game in March 1971. It was also the last game of Henry’s professional boxing career. However, his last game was marred by controversies. The referee, Harry Gibbs, declared Joe the winner through “quarter of a point margin,” a rule that has now been abolished. This led Henry to lose the ‘Commonwealth,’ European, and British heavyweight titles. Henry did not speak to Gibbs for many years after the game.
Personal Life & Death
Henry Cooper married Albina Genepri in 1960. The couple remained married until her death in 2008. They had two sons, Henry and John. Henry passed away on May 1, 2011, after a long illness. He was 76 years old at the time of his death.