Was Ali losing these fights before cutting Cooper? How many rounds did Ali legitimately win v Cooper in either of these fights?
I thought Cooper was ahead in the 1st fight 3-1, and may of been on level terms in the rematch. The rematch is often forgotten about, but that was still a competitive fight.
I saw the second fight with Muhammad Ali vs Henry Cooper with my Dad and uncle live on ABC's Wide World Of Sports on May 21 1966. Ali was thin for that fight, he weighed 201 and a half pounds. The fight happened in Arsenal Football Stadium, the fight itself was pretty even as Ali was avoiding Cooper's left hook by grabbing his left arm. Ali danced and kept Henry at bay with his left jab. I was hoping the fight would have lasted longer, Ali caught Henry with a chopping right hand in an exchange in round 6. Moments later with Cooper covered in his own blood, the referee ended it, declaring Ali the victor in his 4 th title defense. This fight was shown via the Early Bird Satellite. Ali did not visit the canvas this time, lesson learned not to play around with someone as dangerous as Cooper with that left hook.
