Cooper the tougher challenger here...he beat Urtain I think...have that fight somewhere...Cooper would have been overwhelmed a bit I think...a bit like the patterson fight.....battle of the left hooks!Il Duce wrote:European Sports Newspapers {October 1970}
World Heavyweight Champion 'Smokin Joe' Frazier was going to embark on a European Tour,
and both Henry Cooper and Jose Manuel Ibar Urtain were lined up as the 'first' Group of
European Challengers.
Henry Cooper was the #6 Ranked Heavyweight, and the Spaniard was the #7 Ranked Heavyweight.
Would these '2' Title Defenses and 'subsequent' crushing Knock-out wins made any difference in
Smokin Joe's Heavyweight Standing.
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Henry Cooper, at {Age; 36 1/2} was the British-Commonwealth Champion, and was still a capable
Top 10 Heavyweight with a record of 39-13-1 {26 KO's}, and Henry had been 'unbeaten' since April 1967 when
he started his own comeback run.
The stocky muscle-bound Spaniard - Jose Manuel Urtain, {Age; 27 1/2} was the European Champion, and
with a record of 34-1-0 {33 KO's} could 'Bust Bricks With His Fists'.
Smoking Joe would have only been beaten by A Foreman type at that point....Liston, Tyson, Foreman...he was an animal ...
