Wembley Terror For Ali

 At Wembley stadium, on 18 June 1963, Cooper landed Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, on his pants with a punch that made boxing history – a left hook travelling five and a half inches at 30mph with 60 times the force of gravity, striking the side of the American's jaw. The world came to know it as 'Enry's 'Ammer, and it felled Ali as never before. However, in front of 55,000 people, Ali was "saved by the bell" amid unique controversy.

Subsequently, a myth took hold that Dundee had slit open Clay’s glove to prolong the intermission while a replacement was found.  Folklore has it that Clay was given two more than the scheduled one minute to recover.

In fact, while the referee did indeed inspect a small tear in the glove, no replacement was brought and video-tape of the fight reveals that only six seconds were added to the interval, albeit half a dozen precious heart-beats for Clay.

Nevertheless, such was the outcry, that a stipulation requiring a spare pair of gloves to be available at ringside was subsequently added to boxing’s regulations.

Clay heard, as well as felt, the wake-up call.

His lightning fists opened and widened cuts, most woundingly on those prominent English eyebrows, as the fateful fifth unfolded. The prophecy was fulfilled.