Muhammad Ali was nicknamed ‘The Greatest’ for a reason, but even he was dropped and stopped in his career.
Muhammad Ali retired in 1981 after losing to Trevor Berbick. One fight earlier, Ali was stopped for the first, last, and only time in his career by Larry Holmes.
Despite being stopped just once, Ali was dropped a handful of times in his career. He was dropped by Chuck Wepner, Joe Frazier, and one British legend who he faced in his 19th fight.
Muhammad Ali was knocked down by Henry Cooper
Ali, then Cassius Clay, faced Henry Cooper in his 19th fight in Wembley Stadium in 1963.
Ali, who couldn’t intimidate Jean Pierre Coopman, had predicted he would knock out the durable and talented Brit in five rounds, stating: “It ain’t no jive, Henry Cooper will go in five!”
However, his prediction seemed to be nothing but a fantasy as, in the fourth round, Cooper landed clean on Ali’s jaw, sending him to the canvas.
Ali, who fought an NFL star once, did everything he could to recover, and was reportedly given smelling salts by Angelo Dundee, who once abandoned Ali to train his rival, in his corner.
Despite the scare, Ali went on to win the fight, as a cut sustained by Cooper had worsened, and the referee was forced to stop the fight in the fifth, just as Ali predicted.
The referee may have saved Ali from his first loss that night.
Muhammad Ali left Henry Cooper needing 16 stitches after their rematch
Ali, perhaps aware of how close Cooper came to beating him in their first fight, rematched the Brit after winning the world heavyweight title, offering a chance for Cooper to get revenge, and for Ali to settle any controversy.
And settle it he did, as he stopped Cooper once more after opening a cut above his eye in the sixth round.
According to BoxRec, Cooper required 16 stitches for the cut, which the Brit claimed was due to a clash of heads.