From a pair of Ali v Cooper dates to Tyson and Bruno, half a dozen GB v US boxing battles from down the years
“You got a Queen, you need a King,” crowed the brash, unbeaten 21-year-old Cassius Clay on his arrival in London in 1963. The chances of local hero Henry Cooper upsetting the princeling relied on a left hook nicknamed ’Enry’s ’Ammer. Cooper was left-handed but fought orthodox, carrying his power in his lead hand. If his opponent was worried, he hid it well. Entering the ring wearing a crown and a robe emblazoned with “Cassius Clay, The Greatest”, the visitor soon found his rhythm. A slashing jab opened the fragile skin above Cooper’s left eye and Clay began to showboat in the fourth.
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