Henry Cooper, A Great Fighter.

The BBC debunked this years ago, by playing the as live radio coverage. Ali got an extra five seconds, as they taped up rather than replaced the glove.

But Angelo knew how to spin a story, so when in the UK, he always made it look like the national hero was unlucky.

 

An extra five seconds can make a difference though, when a fighter is hurt bad like that right at the end of the round.

 

Yes, but ninety mythical seconds is probably going to help even more, when explaining a loss, or Mr Dundee wanted to flog a book...

 

No he wouldn’t.

 

These are the split glove timeline facts..............

Dundee called the referee over to the corner and told him Clay had a torn right glove. Some have accused Dundee of tearing the glove to get Clay more time to clear his head, but the films of the fight prove that the glove had been split in the fourth round. However, Dundee later admitted that he stuck his finger in split glove, causing a slightly bigger split.

It has been reported that officials went back to the dressing room to get a pair of replacement gloves, but they were unable to find a pair. However, Teddy Waltham, then General Secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, said that is not true.

"Referee Little was called to Clay's corner, and then shouted to us officials at ringside for a new pair, which I already had quite near," Waltham said. "There was no question of anyone having to go to the dressing room to get them, as has been suggested."

Harry Vines, who later became Chief Inspector for the BBBofC, also said that there were a suitable pair of replacement gloves at ringside. "I am not sure whether both gloves were replaced or just the split one, but the latter certainly was," he said. "Certainly no one had to go all the way back to the dressing room to get a pair."

It has also been reported that five minutes passed before the fifth round started, but ringside timekeeper Stan Courtney said that is false. "At no time was I instructed to stop my watch to allow for the refitting of the gloves," he said. "Therefore, I waited until I got the signal from referee Little to ring the bell. When I did so, my watch showed that the interval between rounds had in fact been 1:40."

 

Film of this shows only about 3 to 5 seconds extra time between the rounds.

 

This. An extra 5 seconds is a liftetime in a title fight. That fight is a perfect example on why an experienced cornerman is worth their weight in gold. Dundee’s experience likely saved Ali from taking an early loss in his career.

I can only imagine if Ali had a green cornerman like an Aaron Snowell in his corner after Cooper dropped the hammer on him.

 

Cooper had a great fighting heart,, but less than great skill