BERT COOPER
- A powerful ring brawler who was the first professional boxer to knock down Evander Holyfield
- £15.99
One punch away. That’s how close Bert Cooper was to becoming the heavyweight champion of the world on November 23, 1991, the night he fought Evander Holyfield in Atlanta.
It’s easy to look at Cooper’s record – 38-25 (31 knockouts) – and dismiss him as a journeyman, but those numbers are just as good thrown out the window. On any given night, you didn’t know which Cooper you’d get. You could get the Cooper that spun Holyfield backwards and left him drooped along the ropes, the one who welcomed Michael Moorer to the heavyweight division with two knockdowns before being overpowered in the fifth, or you could get the version who had his purse held up after quitting before the third round against George Foreman.
