Arthur Worrall
Heavyweight boxer who beat Henry Cooper but hung up his gloves to be a mounted policeman
ARTHUR WORRALL, who has died aged 88, was the much feted ABA British heavyweight boxing champion of 1949 who beat the future world heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson in 1951 and went on, in 1953, to beat Henry Cooper, the future British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion; but Worrall decided against the life of a professional boxer and chose instead a career as a mounted police officer.
Arthur (known as “Al”) Thomas Worrall was born on December 23 1928 in Ipswich, one of five children of Charles Worrall, a civil engineer, and his wife Florence. His education was interrupted by the war, and after leaving school with no qualifications he joined his father’s engineering firm. But as soon as he was of age he signed up to join the Army, where his talent for boxing was soon spotted and gained the nickname “Big Al”.
Deployed to Bassendorf in Germany, Worrall became the 7th Armoured Division champion and British Army of the Rhine champion, then returned to London to win the British Army Championship, earning himself a chance to compete in the 1949 ABA Heavyweight Championship of Great Britain. A lean and lanky “southpaw”, he combined an ability to take hard punches with great physical reserves, which he needed in an era when major rounds of competitions were compressed into a day. In the ABA Championship he fought the semi-final in the morning, with a first-round knockout, only to win the final in the evening with another first round knockout against Albert Hossey.
Having been crowned champion, Worrall was much in demand to represent Britain in international bouts and soon came to the attention of the sports press, particularly after an international in February 1951 when Worrall’s left hand hook to the solar plexus floored a talented young Swede, Johansson, who would turn professional the following year and become World Heavyweight Champion in 1959.
For Worrall too, a professional career seemed inevitable. In April 1951 The Daily Telegraph ran a headline announcing “Eyes on Worrall at Wembley”, and described him as a “magnet” for talent spotters. But an initial opportunity to turn pro was turned down on his behalf by his superior officers. The following year Worrall was picked for the British Olympic team but had to withdraw due to a hand injury, and when he was approached about turning pro again the offer came with a £2,000 cheque and the proviso that he would have to throw matches when required. Worrall tore up the cheque and in 1952 he left the Army and joined the Metropolitan police.
The temptation to return to the ring one last time was too great, however, when in 1953 it was suggested he fight Cooper, a rising star on the scene, at Lime Grove Baths.
As the first round started they traded body blows, until Worrall landed a left-hand punch on Cooper’s head, splitting his eye and ending the fight with Worrall the victor. It was to be his last match.
After a short time on foot duty with the Met he joined the Mounted Branch, policing sporting events and dealing with riots, including the Grosvenor Square demonstrations of 1968.
In the 1970s he joined the small mounted police team based at Thatched House Lodge in Richmond Park, where his role was to police the park. There he gained the respect and trust of various members of the Royal Family, whom he would escort in plain clothes on horseback around the park.
After leaving the police force, Worrall was delighted to discover that his horse, Anne, would be allowed to retire with him, and she joined him and his wife when they moved to Devon. He then began a new career as a landscape gardener.
Worrall had a lifelong passion for animals and birds, and a long association with the British Bird Council. He served as its chairman between 1970 and 1982, during which time he also acted as an adviser to the Department of the Environment.
A gentle giant who bore a strong resemblance to Sean Connery, Al Worrall was always willing to do a favour for anyone, even agreeing to pose naked for the sculptor Sir David Wynne, whose garden he worked on.
He married Doris Peck, who predeceased him, in 1949. In 1977 he married Myra Cole. She survives him, as do a son from his first marriage and a son from his second marriage.