Cassius Clay v Henry Cooper (1963)

There is a replay in there during d break after rd 4 , this is still n edited version . And it doesn't take even 65 secs after rd 4 , because it is edited and cut . So this is not a proof that Clay got only 5 extra secs . and even if there was such a proof , no1 disagrees that clay got extra time between rds 2 recover .
Even those in attendant whom r still alive (and i m sure they r very few r not in this forum with us but even if they were , they didn't take time since rd 4's end untill rd 5's beginning )

It just made me realize what ali meant when he told Dundee in Manilla 2 "cut them" .

 

I always heard and thought it was only a few seconds.

Lets say the Manditory 8 count was in place, Ali was up at the count of 3, and then add another 5 seconds the referee would have given him, and it would have been a wash, 60 +5 = 65 seconds.

 

As has been mentioned many times; a decade or so ago, the BBC played the entire live feed off of the Radio broadcast. The gap between the rounds was less than 70 seconds.

And has also been mentioned, Ali (Clay), did not have his glove replaced.

 

What generally doesn't get mentioned is how well Cooper was doing in the fight.

 

Cooper won rds 1,2&4 . Not saying that Ali won d 3rd .

 

Cooper had a troubling style for Ali. if he had not been so much of a bleeder he would have stood a great chance of pulling an upset.
and i think he was doing very well in the rematch too despite what some will say. henry cooper was a skillful boxer and a good puncher.

 

Clay had predicted a 5th round stoppage and was toying with a very cut Cooper waiting for the 5th. You could see when the 5th started he was fighting with a whole different impetus

 

Cooper gave the young Cassius a good fight,but it's gets more and more overblown as the years go by.

 

I think he did underestimate Cooper,who never the less fought a good and determined fight.
Ali came out and raised the tempo and did a number on Henry in the 5th but who by then was in a bad way with the cut.
I thought Ali's reaction in the 5th was more to do with the shock he'd just had in the 4th more than wanting to fulfill his prediction.

 

Its fair to say clay did not look to be above coopers level at this point in his career. Its true Clay set about cooper like his life depended on it after the knock down, he did hurt henry at that point but only marginaly more than henry hurt him in the first round yet nothing like cooper hurt clay with that knockdown. There is no getting away from two things, the cut helped clay and that the fight featured a superb knockdown. Remarcable that in his next fight clay could outclass Liston.