British boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper has died, just two days before his 77th birthday.
- May 2, 2011
AceShowbiz - The former English, Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion Henry Cooper passed away at his son's home in Surrey, England on Sunday.
Cooper began his career in 1954 and was considered one of the U.K.'s biggest boxing talents.
He represented Britain at the 1952 Olympics and his many triumphs included knocking down a young Muhammad Ali in 1963.
But, despite a hugely successful career in the ring, he never managed to win a world title and retired from the sport in 1971.
Cooper subsequently found fame as a regular TV pundit, including a longrunning stint as a team captain on BBC quiz show "A Question of Sport". He was also a published author and devoted a lot of his time to charity work.
The boxing champ took home the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 1967 and 1970, becoming the first person to ever win the honour twice. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000.
His twin brother, George Cooper, died a year ago in April, 2010.
Britain's world heavyweight champion David Haye paid tribute to Cooper on his Twitter page on Sunday, writing, "One of Britain's greatest sports man (sic) Sir Henry Cooper passed away today. A true warrior and great human being. Rest in Peace."
