Heavyweight icon Muhammad Ali once admitted that he underestimated one of his legendary opponents in a shock claim.
Known simply as ‘The Greatest’, Ali began his professional career back in 1960, just a couple of months after he walked away from the Summer Olympic Games in Rome with a Light-Heavyweight Gold Medal.
He would go on to fight 61 times over the next twenty years and would reign as the world heavyweight champion on three separate occasions prior to his retirement from the sport in 1981.
‘The Greatest’ picked up a number of legacy-defining wins during this period, defeating the likes of Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman amongst a number of other legendary heavyweight opponents.
In quotes that resurfaced recently, Ali reflected on his clashes with British heavyweight legend Henry Cooper as he claims the former European heavyweight champion was the toughest opponent he ever shared a ring with.
“Cooper’s not a bum anymore. I underestimated him. He’s the toughest fighter I ever met [in the ring] and the first to really drop me. He’s a real fighter.”
Ali crossed paths with Cooper twice in a several year period, getting the better of the British icon on both occasions. Cooper famously floored Ali in the fourth round of their first clash in June 1963 but could not get the job done as ‘The Greatest’ stopped him just one round later.
Ali defeated Cooper for the second time at Arsenal’s Highbury Stadium in May of 1966, forcing the referee to wave the fight off in the 6th round after the Brit sustained a nasty cut.
