Cooper, Henry (1934-2011), a British professional boxer, was British heavyweight boxing champion for a total of 10 years. He was the first heavyweight to win three Lonsdale Belts, the belt awarded to the British boxing champion.
Cooper was born in London on May 3, 1934, and educated in Bellingham, southeast London. He won the Amateur Boxing Association light heavyweight championship in 1952. Cooper became a professional boxer in 1954. As a professional, he won the British Commonwealth and European titles. Cooper lost all three titles to Joe Bugner in 1971 and retired from boxing. He was knighted in 2000 and became known as Sir Henry Cooper. Sir Henry served as a commentator on boxing events for the British Broadcasting Corporation. He was also the author of Henry Cooper: An Autobiography (1972), The Great Heavyweights (1978), and Henry Cooper’s Book of Boxing (1982). Cooper died on May 1, 2011.
