Cooper's knockdown of Clay. (Video)

When the next round started dempsey or rock would have been all over him. Ali had a first class jaw but he'd have still been shaken up.. So he'd have been in danger no doubt. He'd have had to pull out everything just to survive.

 

Precisely.

 

Maybe. Maybe not. I suppose this question could also be asked "If Ezzard Charles could cut Marciano as bad as he did,could n't Ali who punched faster do even MORE damage" ?

 

Unlike a lot of fighters...Marciano had a knack for delivering the big punch when he needed to...see the 1st Walcott fight in '52...and the 2nd Charles fight in Sept.'54. He never gave up...I've seen guys quit on their stools for a lot less...

 

That's the quality I love about rock. That I ain't quitting attitude.

 

But he did quit and at a relatively young age of 32.

Or was it his body that was giving up on him?

 

That punch was picture perfect, exactly landed on the button, completely unexpected and unseen.

 

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He had beaten everyone they put in front of him...his back was hurting...he was having trouble with his manager,Al Weill...and he didn't enjoy being in the gym any more. Also..with a style like his....you can't go on forever.
49-0 looks a lot better than 49-1. He got out with his powers still intact. He thought about a comeback after Patterson lost to Johansson in 1959...tried to make a comeback...but his heart wasn't into it!

 

nothing could be sadder than trying to flog a knockdown despite getting beaten handily by the guy inside the distance.... TWICE

 

Yeah but it's not like he was knocked out cold both times or staggering like a late night drunk every time he was hit. You brits would probably know better but how competitive was Cooper in the fights before he was stopped on cuts?

 

Actually Cooper gave a very good account of himself in both of the Ali fights.
They certainly weren't one sided beat downs.

 

True. One of Muhammad's tougher sixties opponents.

 

If Cooper wasn't so prone to cuts he might have done better on the world stage.
Did well in Europe, though.