Henry Cooper, 76, Dead; Scariest Boxing Photo Ever

Former heavyweight fighter Henry Cooper, one of the most popular personalities in the history of British sports died yesterday at the age of 76.  He was the first boxer to be knighted and was famous for almost knocking out a young Muhammad Ali when he was still known as the up-and-coming Cassius Clay in 1963.

Three years later, Cooper would be beaten to a bloodied pulp after he was stopped by Ali in a title fight in London.  A photo of the blood spattered Cooper after that fight made him the poster-boy for old-time boxing and a good reason to never enter the ring.

Cooper, who was left handed but stood in a right-handed stance, had a devastating left hook which British fans called "Enry's 'Ammer."  It was this same punch which knocked Clay into the ropes during the final seconds of the fourth round of their first meeting.  Clay saved himself by hooking his arm around the ropes, preventing him from slamming his head onto the canvas.

There was some controversy on whether or not trainer Angelo Dundee used smelling salts to revive the staggering Clay between the fourth and fifth rounds.  Clay went on to win in a 5th-round TKO while trailing on all scorecards.

In their 1966 title fight, Cooper was battered by the now World Champion Ali at  London's Highbury Stadium.   Ali stopped the bloodied Cooper in the 6th-round.

Ali once said Cooper's knockdown shot "hit him so hard that his ancestors in Africa felt it."

Cooper was a popular figure in Great Britain.  He won the British, Commonwealth and European titles, but never the world crown.

His sixteen year boxing career ended with a controversial loss to fellow Brit Joe Bugner by a quarter of a point in 1971.  It was claimed that Bugner's victory over the popular Cooper led British fans to never get behind the new champ.  That's how beloved Cooper, the small heavyweight, was in his homeland.

Cooper finished his career with a pro record was 40 wins with 14 losses and one draw.  He had 27 KO's.

In his later years, Cooper became disillusioned with boxing and what it had become.  Queen Elizabeth II knighted the gentlemanly fighter in 2000.

"I am at a loss for words over the death of my friend, Henry Cooper,"  Ali said yesterday.

Big East Tournament Worthy Tribute to Ali-Frazier 40 Years Later

It seems apropos that the Big East Tournament starts today at Madison Square Garden, 40 years to the day of the "Fight of the Century" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.  An unprecedented 11 Big East teams could possibly be headed to this year's NCAA tournament and there will surely be plenty of slug fests over the next five days on the Garden floor.

On March 8, 1971, on the same Garden floor Ali and Frazier, two undefeated heavyweights, faced each other in what many consider the greatest fight ever in the Garden or the modern era.

It's hard to believe that 40 years have passed since that night when over 20,000 fans sitting in the seats and over 30 million watching on closed circuit TV saw Frazier drop Ali in the 15th round with a left hook.  It changed fight history and how it was broadcast forever.

Just like the boxing match, which boasted two great fighters and touched on political and sociological opposites of the day, this year's Big East Tournament is loaded with talent and great back stories--if not as explosive as four decades ago.

If men's college basketball could ever be compared to boxing, it would be measured against the Big East.  The next five days should provide plenty of slipping, sliding, jabs and hooks.

Winning the tournament, on the biggest stage of all, is an exhausting feat.  The quarterfinals could actually pit eight top-25 teams pounding each other to a pulp, only to have to go another round in Friday's semis and another in the championship game on Saturday.  It says something about the toughness of the conference and it's a worthy tribute to the Ali-Frazier masterpiece.  The finalists in this smoker could be as spent as the two great pugilists were after their fifteen rounds.

Put this tournament in perspective.  Today's first-round games feature three teams who could get an invitation to the Big Dance.  A #9 seeded team like Connecticut or a #10 seed like Villanova is looking at playing five games in five days if they make the championship game.  Then the NCAA tournament begins on Thursday.  It's a killer route, with no cupcakes on the schedule.  The Final Four must be the furthest thing from player's minds during and after battling through the Garden.

While 1971 had the pall of the Vietnam War dividing the nation, each fighter had his own demons.  It was Ali's third fight, since his exile from boxing for his stance as a "conscientious objector," and, in some circles, Ali was a pariah.   Frazier had to deal with Ali's popularity and showmanship.  Frazier was never able to escape the cloud of Ali, even after winning the Ali-Frazier 1.

The tournament, while not as political, brings in it's own sub-plots, heroes and villains.

#1 seeded Pitt is playing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA's.  #4 Syracuse and #3 Louisville are two of the hottest teams in the conference and should make good runs.  Can Villanova and Georgetown get over slumps and injuries to make a statement?

#5 St. John's--which faded a bit in the last week--is back on their home court.  The senior-filled team is 8-1 at the Garden and steamrolled six top-25 teams during that streak.  Their play during that run was the talk of college basketball and the Red Storm's return to prominence makes a tournament ticket an even hotter commodity this year.  If they roll like they did in February, a basically home court Big East Tournament Championship could be theirs for the taking. 

While the Big East is lacking a dominating force this year, there are still plenty of players worth watching.  Marshon Brooks (Providence) leads the conference in scoring with 24.8 points a game.  Kemba Walker (Connecticut), Ben Hansbrough (Notre Dame) and Dwight Hardy (St. John's) follow and can all light it up.  Brooks holds the conference single-game scoring record with 52 points he dumped on Notre Dame earlier this year

The World's Most Famous Arena shined like never before forty years ago.  Celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dustin Hoffman lit up the ringside.  The big names this week will be Pitino, Boeheim, Calhoun and Lavin.  Worthy names all,  but none bigger than Ali-Frazier  that one magical night.