Supporting cast
Looking back at the Cooperbugner undercard from 50 years ago
AS a 13-year-old I was captivated by the Muhammad Ali-joe Frazier fight at Madison Square Garden in 1971. I had only seen one boxing contest prior to this and that was Ali’s first comeback fight against Jerry Quarry – the bout that started my interest in the sport. Rather like having two buses coming along at once, only eight days after the Fight of the Century, one of the UK’S biggest contests of the 1970s took place – the bout between Henry Cooper and Joe Bugner. I was in boxing heaven. This week marks the contest’s 50th anniversary.
In those days, Britain’s biggest fights always took place on a Tuesday and they were nearly always at either the Royal Albert Hall or the Empire Pool, Wembley. There was no boxing at all on a Saturday night, or for that matter on a Friday, and modern fans will find this hard to believe. Most boxing in those days took place on a Monday or a Tuesday.
Cooper, at 36, was taking part in his final contest against the 21-year-old up-andcomer Bugner. It was a classic case of out with the old, in with the new. I have watched this fight many times since and I really cannot see what all the fuss was about. It was a very tight contest and I thought Bugner nicked it, as did Boxing News. Given some of the controversies that have arisen in recent years over decisions made in British rings, it is incredible that such a genuinely close fight generated so much bile in the press and among the fans.
Let’s have a look at the undercard of this great event. The Empire Pool was the venue, with Mike Barrett and Harry Levene the promoters, and the place was packed, as usual. Second in importance on the bill was that great London favourite, Mark Rowe, who comfortably outpointed an Italian, Sauro Soprani, over 10. Mark could be a slow starter, but he came right out and took the initiative from the first bell, obeying trainer Bill Chevalley’s specific instructions. Rowe had recently lost his British middleweight title to Bunny Sterling and was on the comeback trail, eventually getting a return in 1973, where he was beaten again. He was a very popular fighter and, I am pleased to say, is still very much alive and kicking.
In 1966, Mark defeated Tom Imrie at light-middleweight to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. I have featured Tom before in this column, as I think he was one of Scotland’s greatest amateur boxers. Imrie made his professional debut on this bill, outpointing Darkie Smith of Walsall over six, taking every round on the card of referee Mike Jacobs. Imrie didn’t hit the heights as a pro, which was a surprise to many.
Marking his 15th straight victory with an easy eight-round points victory over Dante Pelaez of France was another cockney favourite, the great John H. Stracey. John was one of the most exciting fighters of the era and, after a great amateur career, would go all the way as a pro. He didn’t drop a round in beating the clever veteran and this was just the sort of scrap he needed at that stage of his career, for the Peru-born Pelaez gave him plenty to think about.
There was an excellent eight-round domestic dust-up between lightheavyweights Roy John of Bargoed, rated number two in Britain, and Rossendale’s hard-punching Phil Matthews. Phil had recently moved up from middleweight and had lost to Johnny Frankham in a close one in his first fight at the weight. They didn’t muck about in those days! John knew too much for Matthews and took the decision.
Evan Armstrong, a great fighter in my view, won his contest against another Frenchman, Abdou Fakyh, after eight interesting rounds, and he would go on to claim British featherweight title glory in his next fight. What quality we had 50 years ago.
THE CLOSE CONTEST GENERATED SO MUCH BILE IN THE PRESS