Oliver McManus Manchester’s AO Arena plays host to a triple-header of European title fights on Saturday night with Joshua Buatsi nominally headlining in a
Henry Cooper was England’s most beloved fighter. Looking back on a meeting with a man whose name was synonymous with decency and courage. By Thomas Hauser
ON November 10, 1970, Henry Cooper knocked out Jose Manuel Urtain at Wembley Stadium in London to reclaim the European Boxing Union heavyweight crown. Cooper, as was often the case when he fought, was cut above his left eye and below the right one. But he won every round en route to a ninth-round stoppage. It was gratifying victory and also the last triumph in a long ring career that saw Cooper become arguably the most beloved fighter in the history of British boxing.
Harry Mullan on Billy Aird, and his Las Vegas diaries
Harry Mullan, widely regarded as the greatest of all Boxing News editors, would have been 75 on April 22. To celebrate his memory, his substantial writing talent, and his unique appreciation of life, the sport and its fighters, we’re delighted to bring you two previously unpublished excerpts from a book he started working on in the 1980s but never completed
IF Billy Aird had been able to inflict on his fellow heavyweights even half the damage he did to the English language, Britain’s long wait for a world champion would have ended years ago.
Irish Boxing
Alexandru Jur [19(7)-4(2)] in London on May 15.
The European Boxing Union confirmed the voluntary defence will play out on a Matchroom card topped by Terri Harper.
Having defeated
Bilal Laggoune to become the 15th Irish fighter to buckle the EBU European title around his waist, McCarthy was ordered to defend against former WBC and IBF world champion
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk.
Talks were underway with the Pole’s team and a deal all but signed, only for Wlodarczyk to end up in jail for breach of a driving ban.
With the mandatory challenger otherwise engaged the EBU have allowed the popular Belfast big man to make a voluntary defence meaning Jur will provide the opposition.