Supposing Henry Cooper had if fact stopped Ali in their first match? Whenever Cooper had landed earlier in the round and Ali had been to hurt to recover or Henry caught him in the next round? Unlikely as Ali had a Atg chin but Supposing Cooper got lucky? Even if there was a immediate rematch, and Ali would have no doubt won that, how high up do we place Cooper now? The only man to have stopped the legendary Ali.. Is he seen as a Atg British heavy? Or is he seen on the same level as schmeling stopping Louis? A decent heavy who just got extremely lucky?
If illegal smelling salts had not been used between rounds to revive Ali, we might be really answering that question now.
He'd have been seen obviously as a lot higher up imo as time went on. Liston, Frazier, foreman, all unable to replicate Henry. Quite a achievement to look at, actually stopping Muhammad Ali. But I think you're right Birmingham, he'd never be seen as highly regarded as even schmeling. Achieving that would have been his greatest moment but what then? A rematch with Ali which would no doubt seen Cooper beat. A title shot against Liston?. No chance then against the bear.
