The legendary Muhammad Ali has been chatting with British boxing champ Sir Henry Cooper, exactly 40 years after their controversial clash at Wembley.
The two fighters first met in 1963, when Cooper knocked the young American to the ground in round four. It remains one of the most contentious bouts in boxing history, because Ali's trainer slashed his glove with a razor, so as to buy time for him to regain his composure. Muhammad, who was then known as Cassius Clay, went on to win the fight in the following round.
All that is now ancient history, however, as the two former athletes shared a telephone conversation to mark the anniversary. "Muhammad Ali gave me a call because it was the 40th anniversary of that fight – which was the first time someone had knocked him on the seat of his pants," revealed Sir Henry.
"He asked me how old I was now. I told him I was 69 and he said 'Man, you are old!'. He's still as cheeky as ever. We're still friends. Fighters are always friends."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
