James Cook MBE RIP
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handsofstone
- Cruiserweight
- Posts: 22988
- Joined: 11 Jan 2011, 17:28
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
RIP seen a few of his fights in recent years, shame that
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
Very sad news. RIP
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
Terrible news - wonderful fighter who deserved a world title shot, and who helped so many people.
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
They're dropping like flies at the moment 
A wily & dedicated campaigner on the British and European circuit. More than capable of inflicting stoppage defeats on his opponents too.
His ring record is littered with solid opposition and James proved perseverance can pay off finally winning British & European titles in the second half of his career.
While Herol Graham pulled James apart when challenging for the British title, Cook took more than few notable scalps.
RIP
A wily & dedicated campaigner on the British and European circuit. More than capable of inflicting stoppage defeats on his opponents too.
His ring record is littered with solid opposition and James proved perseverance can pay off finally winning British & European titles in the second half of his career.
While Herol Graham pulled James apart when challenging for the British title, Cook took more than few notable scalps.
RIP
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
Lovely fella, someone you could genuinely call The Knowledge, did me a favour once, doing my corner when I had no one else to do it
Last edited by Coco on 07 Jun 2025, 12:28, edited 1 time in total.
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
Loved Cook. I was so happy when he won the Euro title. I love it when fighters who learn their craft the hard way have a later career streak.
Sad to hear of his passing. Cancer is a pudendum, isn't it.
Sad to hear of his passing. Cancer is a pudendum, isn't it.
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
Well this sucks. Had the pleasure of meeting him a few times, and he was a lovely guy, wasn't he in Yarde's corner just a few weeks back?
Did a load for the community, and in the ring he had one of the most fearsome uppercuts in the business. RIP James Cook.
Did a load for the community, and in the ring he had one of the most fearsome uppercuts in the business. RIP James Cook.
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Ruthless-RKO
- Welterweight
- Posts: 100771
- Joined: 24 Apr 2016, 11:59
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
James Cook MBE dies after struggle with cancer
James Cook MBE has died at the age of 66.
He was diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier in 2025, soon after which he started treatment, but his condition worsened and he passed in a hospital in London.
During a fine career Cook – born in 1959 in Runaway Bay, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica – won the British and European super-middleweight titles.
While growing up in Jamaica, however – he was being raised by his grandparents – it was cricket, and not boxing, that was his passion. He moved to London at the age of nine when his mother arrived from the English capital to collect him, and he was then raised on a difficult housing estate in Peckham, south London.
Cook had hoped to be a runner, but his growing interest in boxing took him to the Lynn AC Boxing Club and then on to East Lane ABC. His heavy hands contributed to him recording 20 victories in 26 fights as an amateur; he also twice reached the final of London ABAs, where he lost, via disputed decisions, to one Johnny Graham.
It was in 1982 when Cook made his professional debut, when over six rounds he outpointed Mick Courtney at London’s Lyceum Ballroom. His trainer was Brian Lawrence, to whom he always remained close.
In 1984 he earned his first professional title, when he stopped Tony Jenkins to win the vacant southern Area middleweight title. Perhaps his finest victory followed two years later, when he outpointed the celebrated Michael Watson, who in retirement remained a friend and visited Cook in hospital when he became unwell.
The British 160lbs title eluded him two years later when he fought Herol Graham – widely considered Britain’s finest never to win a world title – when they contested the Lonsdale belt that had been vacated by Tony Sibson.
Victory over Errol Christie followed in Cook’s next fight, and in 1990 so did the British super-middleweight title, when he stopped Sam Storey in 10 rounds.
Cook, in turn, defeated France’s Pierre Frank Winterstein to win the vacant European title in his following fight in 1991, and he twice defended it, before losing to the Frenchman Frank Nicotra in Vitrolles, France in 1992.
After four successive victories back in the UK, Cook reclaimed the vacant British title by outpointing over 12 rounds Fidel Castro Smith. He fought thrice more, winning twice and then losing, on points at the conclusion of 12 competitive rounds, to Cornelius Carr in his final fight in March 1994. He retired with a record of 25-10 (14KOs).
Cook thereafter became a successful trainer, and – largely on account of his commitment to the Pedro Youth Club in London, where he established a successful amateur club and an annual open-air tournament – in 2007 he was awarded an MBE in the Birthday Honours list for services to youth justice in Hackney, London. At Buckingham Palace he received his award directly from the Queen.
The brief on his MBE referenced his work on “Hackney’s notorious Murder Mile”. It came after he had also succeeded in boxing regardless of the prejudice that existed as a consequence of his being a black fighter during the 1980s and early 1990s. “What can I say?” he said in 2019. “My face never fit.”
In the modern era he continued to work with the British light heavyweight Anthony Yarde.
James Cook MBE has died at the age of 66.
He was diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier in 2025, soon after which he started treatment, but his condition worsened and he passed in a hospital in London.
During a fine career Cook – born in 1959 in Runaway Bay, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica – won the British and European super-middleweight titles.
While growing up in Jamaica, however – he was being raised by his grandparents – it was cricket, and not boxing, that was his passion. He moved to London at the age of nine when his mother arrived from the English capital to collect him, and he was then raised on a difficult housing estate in Peckham, south London.
Cook had hoped to be a runner, but his growing interest in boxing took him to the Lynn AC Boxing Club and then on to East Lane ABC. His heavy hands contributed to him recording 20 victories in 26 fights as an amateur; he also twice reached the final of London ABAs, where he lost, via disputed decisions, to one Johnny Graham.
It was in 1982 when Cook made his professional debut, when over six rounds he outpointed Mick Courtney at London’s Lyceum Ballroom. His trainer was Brian Lawrence, to whom he always remained close.
In 1984 he earned his first professional title, when he stopped Tony Jenkins to win the vacant southern Area middleweight title. Perhaps his finest victory followed two years later, when he outpointed the celebrated Michael Watson, who in retirement remained a friend and visited Cook in hospital when he became unwell.
The British 160lbs title eluded him two years later when he fought Herol Graham – widely considered Britain’s finest never to win a world title – when they contested the Lonsdale belt that had been vacated by Tony Sibson.
Victory over Errol Christie followed in Cook’s next fight, and in 1990 so did the British super-middleweight title, when he stopped Sam Storey in 10 rounds.
Cook, in turn, defeated France’s Pierre Frank Winterstein to win the vacant European title in his following fight in 1991, and he twice defended it, before losing to the Frenchman Frank Nicotra in Vitrolles, France in 1992.
After four successive victories back in the UK, Cook reclaimed the vacant British title by outpointing over 12 rounds Fidel Castro Smith. He fought thrice more, winning twice and then losing, on points at the conclusion of 12 competitive rounds, to Cornelius Carr in his final fight in March 1994. He retired with a record of 25-10 (14KOs).
Cook thereafter became a successful trainer, and – largely on account of his commitment to the Pedro Youth Club in London, where he established a successful amateur club and an annual open-air tournament – in 2007 he was awarded an MBE in the Birthday Honours list for services to youth justice in Hackney, London. At Buckingham Palace he received his award directly from the Queen.
The brief on his MBE referenced his work on “Hackney’s notorious Murder Mile”. It came after he had also succeeded in boxing regardless of the prejudice that existed as a consequence of his being a black fighter during the 1980s and early 1990s. “What can I say?” he said in 2019. “My face never fit.”
In the modern era he continued to work with the British light heavyweight Anthony Yarde.
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
If there's a heaven, he'll be there.
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
A lovely lovely man, this is so sad. Boxing is losing so many lately.
God bless James
R.I.P champ
God bless James
R.I.P champ
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SeanBrennan
- Bantamweight
- Posts: 9638
- Joined: 12 Feb 2022, 12:45
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
Learned of this via Mick Guilfoyle. Very sad news. That chap did so much in and outside the ring helping others
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MightyWarrior
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 13248
- Joined: 23 Jan 2003, 14:01
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
Terrific fighter and an even better human being everybody loved James Cook. For a few years he had a hell of a run. only five years older than his contemporary Mike McCallum. He’ll be sorely missed as well.
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Controversial
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 9152
- Joined: 13 Jul 2002, 18:29
Re: James Cook MBE RIP
I’ve heard so many nice stories about James, obviously very well respected in boxing but more importantly well respected as a man and community figure. A very good fighter to boot. Rest in peace.