"This is your Life" - Henry Cooper (Documentary)

ladies and gentlemen tonight's the subject of this is your life is actually here in this building a man who was in the news today so much so that he thinks he's here to do an interview for a special program in a few moments he'll be coming through a door over there from a dressing room down the corridor he doesn't know there's an audience here he certainly doesn't know that I'm here although he knows me and I know him as indeed you do too good evening hand every is we all heard on the news today and saw you've signed to meet Jack Bedell for the bridge and Emperor titles but as I think you've gathered as you stepped in the door of a little more to say to you than that which is Henry Cooper tonight this is your life well I wanted to sit down there because for once in your lifetime there's no point in fighting back Henry and the first greeting to you tonight comes from 3,000 miles away from Cleveland Ohio the voice of one of your greatest admirers Muhammad Ali hello Henry you're getting old you old man you you were not fast enough on your feet that time I'll be back to talk to you later you're willing I don't by the time you come back Muhammad or our satellite will be over there over Cleveland Ohio so that we can seal and hear you as well never mind but first of all and I want to give a ringside seat tonight to the people who are your closest people and have been in our secret for weeks the Cooper family beginning with dad Harry Cooper however brother Bernard twin brother George before you sit down of course the girl who hates the job you do but loves you your wife I'll beam up mrs. Cooper well they are I'm only sorry that your mother mrs. Lilly kuvikavi who's you know she's laid up with flu but in fact she's watching you here tonight from the home and market that you bought for your parents just three years ago I hope you get better very quickly mrs. Cooper tonight ladies and gentlemen this is the story of the gentle champion a professional in a hard and punishing sport whose qualities as a man have won a love and admiration well outside boxing no it was those very qualities I know that one of his wife because you don't like boxing out there do you know I don't I am and I don't sort to watch boxing and and then new Versailles to me I don't see why I worry because he never feels the punches at the time but now if that's the way you feel about boxing why in fact did you marry a boxing champion oh that's easy because he's a very nice person and gentleman and marvelous has been a good father yeah well that's a quite a compliment and there are two very important people who know you as a family man who can't be here tonight the reason is of course that they're too young to come to the studio but they wanted to be on the show and if you look here there they are from your home at Wembley your two sons you're surprised to say yes that's Henry and John he's just shy yeah junga let's say that to Daddy go on I think he's so time boxing he's a well we knocks everybody ask our diner we ask them then about whether you play with them when you come home and what is favorite trophy play well he usually is on the ground he starts fighting with us well just lurking around which is your fight the ones a queen gave to my father that one over there in the boxing ring a miniature boxing ring standing up thank you very much Henry Marco and John I know that from talking to you before in another subject you've got pretty definite ideas about how you bring up children and you well in my own way somos Weaver's go run more or less yeah in fact I think that I know that you've thought a lot about it and you once said that you took as your guide the best of what happened to you in your childhood mr. Cooper what were they like the twins as children well there were good pals but they used to have a punch-up now and again you know all in good fun like but we had to step in now and again first often tell me what started them off on boxing well I think my mother got him interested she knew all the old timers cuz my father was an old-time fighter you know in the old knuckle days and nurse used to tell him all the stories and I think that got him interested in it your dad yells box with her yeah well he travelled with Ted Pritchard who was the middleweight champion of England at the time for six months sparring exhibitions all over the country with him any new gym mates and all of them well obviously the boys took great notice of all this especially Henry I think was about this time that he began to develop Bernadette deadly left hand of his right it certainly was he was quite young at the time and I was four years old and Henry and quite a bit bigger I was sparring with him one day and he caught me with such a beautiful left hook he nearly put me out and your jacks are literally all him off me to to save me for the punishment and I didn't ever sparred him anymore after there anyway um I know when we was kids I think he must've been about six years old you know I remember lying in bed with him angels and used to say then I'll be the champ one day oh you know I'll be the chain you know that it was over that mhm and I believe that you George you once knocked Henry out little bit of ville yeah I better help from home a gas stove actually what what I mean the gas don't you throw it at him well my uncle John Bull was a set of gloves and uh we put him on and when he to each other hammer and tongs and he went back it he said on the gas stove and it was email but Bernhard I think that Henry got his on back on George later on between the pair of you that is oh yeah well one day when man was there we got Dead's up one of his rises and we give George a haircut well it was it was our way of his head we and we was laughing we said don't tell mom but cuz soon she come in he didn't have to tell her she saw him we both got a good one but then being twins has got you into a couple of spots George has no no not much yeah one biome and we could swim before I could I'm watching him in the pool and I someone's threw me in and I wouldn't come and get me out they thought I was Henry I nearly drowned it really wasn't me but mr. Cooper that's uh that incident with the gas stove where Andrew got knocked out with his head of course that was the last straw for mrs. Cooper was Lew yes the gloves went away for about two years they never saw him again and it was in fact by this time the war and the Blitz of London had begun and your house & Belling was hit by a landmine and you and your brothers were evacuated to Lansing I gather it wasn't exactly a very happy time well no going away from you know we was only kids also a little bit scared going a while II was I was strange people more or less and I suppose the poor woman down they try to do our best but we wasn't happy and we were standing worse over another four kids on a limb would be proud of us you know and then you know you felt the same Jordan I mean yeah we did enjoy anyway fortunately assumed back to your parents in Stroud and that shortly afterwards your old home and Bellingham your father is injured in a factory accident and then later had to go away to the war now for your mother in particular this is a tough time trying to feed and clothe growing boys on an Army private span do you remember what she had to do to make ends meet oh well she done several only she went out like you know doing scrubbing housework and then she went into the school mill site you know service with school mills but that was Annie because we got a extra portion we could do well I know that you never forget the sacrifices that your mother made and indeed as soon as you and George begin to win prices as amateur boxers you persuade your mother to sell them sometimes to buy something for herself I believe in fact mr. Cooper that you had quite a few canteens of cutlery in the house 11 or 12 we used to put them all on a big table around Christmas time and some members of the families to come round and salt our Christmas presents which was to our benefit Henry said Salomon keep the money or they won well you might never have won those canteens of cutlery of those prizes or become what you are today if a wartime fireman this is an extraordinary story in London have not stopped one day to watch you at the age of about nine having a sparring match on telling him green well he's 75 now you haven't seen him for 25 years but he's here tonight and he's Bob Hill I'll Bob you better tell us what happened there on Bellingham Green with you well I was looking through my window one day and I saw a crowd of children skylarking about you know and I saw this lady he sparred up you know I thought myself well he he got something good there so uh I went around to his home and took him around here and I went in discovery of him here was his mother and father sitting in the corn there I said yonder his boy go boxing he a Huey want some boxing lessons he and his old dad sitting in the corner they won't once he'd say yes you can see all over he's facing it and he's off aiming for about two hours she said yes on your on one condition that they never fought one another so why after getting waiting for godot decision I took her straight down there and they have not met since and they bit a credit to everybody I'm concerned I haven't even you've got a great eye on your head thank you very much Bob Plus teenagers you and George here go on boxing as amateurs with the elfin boxing club you leave school and learn your trade as plasters and then you go into the army to do your national service Henry had a fit when he found out whose sergeant major was going to be it's 17 years since I saw him Mick Cavanaugh make tell us why the shock when Henry found out who was the sergeant-major well a few months before and he joined the army my club Birkin had boxing club were boxing Eltham and the Cooper twins George and Henry didn't have an opponent so I volunteered and Henley was a choice how old are you then I was 34 he was 17 Oh tell me how did you get on I didn't the first round you know very very fast and by the end of the first sound I was really blowing hard I went back had two very small seconds a flyweight an abandoned weight and I came out for the second and after listen listening all the very good advice and I was met with a left jab found myself on the seat of my pants so I thought I I I'll watch that what's that left hand anyway I got up and the next thing I remember the referee was stopping the fight and Georgian Hadley will back me to the corner didn't watch and make the next time you met well when he joined the army you know I went up to see him you know and he approached the army way did his boxing you as you know you all know he's a dedicated boxer well he did the same there he was modest he tried hard never give anybody any trouble at all and I've often thought since if all boys grow up like Henry Cooper well we'll have nothing to worry about Thank You Vera in the army Henry Cooper who had already become the youngest-ever amateur boxing association light heavyweight champion won his second IV a title and the army and imperial services twice and here he is at Wembley in 1952 championships at Wembley with Cooper Revell Toulouse logging out to light heavies fight always McLean of Scotland max the one in the dark arrest who just missed for that right and now it's Cooper swinging away the teens not the beauty there if there's not a lot of skill there's certainly plenty of action in these bouts and Cooper's the winner on points but he can take him up later if you like a better not a lot of skill there as opposed you'd still a long way not just nice anyway a hard and deadly puncher in the ring this fellow but modest and gentle outsider but certainly not foolish and I want to just give you a quote I haven't read that I've only heard once before and I don't know whether you knows I never heard it before from anyone else but it said that you refuse to believe in the tales of hoffmann well I'll tell you who said that he's your manager who's guiding you to British Empire and European Championships one of the great characters of boxing gym wicks you're in trouble afterwards Jim but let's forget about it for now tell me how did the tales of hoffmann and the Opera get mixed up with boxing well I'll tell you the late JT has recommended them to come to me they came around before they did their national service you see so I said have you done you know some service I said no is that we're going as amateurs and then if you fancy Tony bro come and see me well that was the mistake I made why didn't you sign them up there then well I thought you know being honest like yourself I told I'd give him a chance to make up their mind what if they wanted to turn all that any other they had a lot of principle and when they did their service they came back but in the meantime all the managers in England were getting down to their army cab promising them the crown jewels if they signed up with him and telling them to Tulsa buffman and any other had a lot of principal when they finished they came around me I haven't signed up on television you know what the tears are Huffman meaning that finance what about the early days with them Jim did you have any problems with them being twins twins are used to make it so awkward they've wear the same ties the same shoes the same suits I used to be talking to Henry for George and George remember for a fortnight I was doing this and of course George was he's got a little bit taller since you know no I can tell him in a stevedore couldn't in those days thank you Jim well out of the army Henry Cooper did three things he went back to the council as of bellingham went back to being a plasterer and turned professional boxer and then came the night of his first professional fight that was at Herren gay arena on the 14th of September 1954 can you remember how you felt that lady your first pro fight Harry well that she no one agent nachi you wanna you know ii couldn't he was open that you was gonna do good you know but all very nervous Oscar Gina yeah was that or was it later in your career I believe that you were composed a special prayer your own oh I can't remember that you have to refresh me memory over there I'm I haven't gotten out of the prayer I pray that I remember there's someone who tell me later but somebody did tell me earlier about that anyway that particular first night through the first man you met have you Madame since whenever sins I know it was very paintable never met him since you haven't but you're gonna meet him again for the first time to that one and only meeting Harry painted it is come in Harry Oh Harry Hayes or her Henry tell us this was his first professional fight and I gathered it was also your last yes was my last yeah I thought well he's an amateur he'll be fit but nothing much else and well when I went into the ring I very soon found out different he soon put me me place on the floor of the first round yeah I believe you wanted to fight him again yes I wanted to return with him but the way I just got married like the wife said she thought was a good time for me to pack up so I thought it was too so I turned to this thank you very much I don't know Harry what you were paid for that night but I know the twins between them got 65 quid mr. Cooper tell us what do they do with that purse their first they bought us a television set the first television set with that if they had made an professor we wouldn't had one now well that win over a Harry painter saw Henry Cooper on the long climb to the top but in 1956 there were four bad the feet would have the Press rating him off and actually beseeching him to retire did you in fact during that year think seriously retiring yourself well not sure I suppose you know your confidence was shaken a little bit because I thought I was doing everything I should be doing and what I was doing in the gym what I thought I had to do but nothing would sort of come out right in the ring and that's how I had four bad defeats but a Jim solder had confidence in me and he said we'll go to continent and that's what we did and you didn't retire obviously as we all know not only that but he hauled himself off the floor of his career on the night of January the 12th 1959 he beat Brian London to become the British and Empire heavyweight champion the following year you married Albina now I'll beam as your told us earlier don't like boxing so he tell me how you meet and marry a boxer yes and I was working in my own his restaurant I was a waitress singly to Mario's and Henry used to come in with Uncle Jim and he always used to have orders we let's fill up in spaghetti and one evening the istea he asked me eyes and I thought he was kidding no but he came the next day you came in all dressed up and there I was working and he sat at the table and went out and asking what he wanted to eat Susan I thought we were going out I said oh I thought you was kidding so you ordered an omelet who went out all mad and then he never came near the place for about three weeks so some time but when he came three weeks later you did go out with make sure I did yes and so came marriage two fine children and a career that took you steadily upwards you win three Lonsdale belts outright hold the British title for longer than anyone and are awarded the OBE for Henry the the fellows your beat still liked you in spite of that left hand and they all wanted to come along tonight and shake you by the right hand two of them Joe askin and Brian London are knocked out by flu but I tell you is here at dick Richardson and Billy Walker and the man you stand against today Jack Bedell Jim I believe that when you started your career Henry here was a bit of an idol - yes I was a novice amateur when Henry won the cambrian I thought well that old mana be finished with time I'm ready but he's still going very strong as I know and dick you when you're that famous failing fourth chord you you thought you had it all buttoned up didn't you yes well added on a date in a 50-ohm like you know and he got up and you'd be the critics left that you've ever seen mate now I didn't get up but I've always tried to coax into play right because I know I could do him again and Jack when you came up there now you shook hands with Henry I reckon that's the last time we're gonna shake hands with in between now and March 24th yes the next time of his trying to knock his block off but you know after the fight dear materially wind asked us to love the same respect for enery I think he's been a you know good man for their job he's a family man and he's been a credit to the game thank you very much Jack and there's one boxing friend of yours Henry who's not here tonight not exactly a heavyweight he's five foot five and a half inches weighs in at eight stone - and he'd be 14 tomorrow give me an Archie McAteer ouch chrysten which is a long way from where henry lives in Wembley telogen well how did you'd meet him well I wrote to mr. Cooper ask you some advice on how to develop a perfect left don't ya and did he give you some advice he did a thousand times better he and mr. Wickes wrote me a letter back asking me to go down and stop with them for three or four days and I did do and I really enjoyed it I trained with him ate with him I even slept in same motel of him and I in box with him sparred with him and he gave you presently yes um just be the night before I left he gave me one of his own training vests does it Fletcher I know I've got quite a bit to go before so wasn't the one thing that he and Jim wouldn't allow you to do yes that was rored work at four o'clock in the morning why was that because they said if I was so small and if I went out rolling at that time the foxes have culminate me Thank You Archie McAteer thank you very much a memorable bus with Henry Cooper is fought to stand out of all the others in people's memories both were against the man we heard at the top of the show Muhammad Ali in 1963 at Wembley you hit clay with a punch that set him hard in the seat of his pants that famous left again and the fifth round cuts around your eyes cause the referee to stop the contest and it was cuts again that stopped your world title fight against Muhammad Ali in 1966 now those were tough contest for both of you but Muhammad Ali formed opinions of you then not only as a boxer but which you can express himself but as a man and here he is from Cleveland Ohio hello Muhammad a hearing is fine how you doing fine nice to hear from you again I know that you shall be in another part of Ohio now at a very important luncheon but when you heard it was Henry you said they can wait why yes they had a big luncheon here we promote in the Rocky Marciano fight which will be seen there in England Wednesday coming about 500 press men awaiting an hour this conflict with Henry Cooper's our life story so I told him they'll just have to wait I have to talk to my man and also wrote a poem for Henry that goes like this Henry if they ever have a this is your life for me I hope they bring you around they cost you the oldest man that's really knocked me down you're pretty fast you have a good left hook Henry you are not as dumb as you look Mohammed why why do you have you've met thousands of people in your life and you've got to this point why do you have this respect that you've told us you have for this young man here I've never been hit that hard in my life I've been hitting amateurs born in sunny banks knocked me down but that really wasn't more of a slip but Henry coupe was one of the hardest hitters in the history of boxing and it's just too bad he cuts as these as he do he gave me my two roughest fights he's not consider him the fastest heavyweight the most trick trick is next to myself and I'm sorry that he didn't get to fight James Ellis because I'm sure he would have won and I think it's a shame that they didn't let him participate in this homemade championship thing to have gone because Henry coop was much better than many boys who fought for my table and he likelihood Mohamad of yourself and Henry being inside a ring together again well I really don't know I'm having my problems in there I'm getting ready to do a few things write a book make a few movies and right now I'm not thinking about fighting but I'm getting a little old now I'm starting to shave and I don't think I can see where he's going with anything I had one last one he's old he's old man but very briefly how would you sum him up i sum him up as a great fighter one of the best of all time but I don't think he never had the chance to really prove yourself because doing his best fights the cuts open up on him and that stopped the fight and out of the ring I've met him at press conferences he seems to be humble prestige hasn't gone to his head and he's a humble nice gentle fella and I like it thank you Muhammad what more can I say the gentle champion Henry Cooper this is your leg thank you you

Channel: ibhof2

Views: 266,301

Keywords: this, is, your, life, henry, cooper, nbc, ralph, edwards, joseph, campanella, boxer, boxing, muhammad, ali

Id: Hnkq1CXvQPw

Length: 26min 6sec (1566 seconds)

Published: Sat Oct 22 2011