FINISHING SHOTS BRITISH BEEF: On March 16, 1971, British,
Commonwealth and European heavyweight champion Henry Cooper defended his titles against rising force Joe Bugner at the Empire Pool in London. At the time, this was the biggest all-British heavyweight clash in boxing history. The action was highly technical, with little separating the fighters through 15 rounds. Using the old British scoring system, referee Harry Gibbs, the lone judge, scored the bout 73¾ to 73½ in favor of Bugner, creating enormous controversy that divided a nation. A British sporting hero, Cooper, then 36, retired immediately and never spoke a word to Gibbs for 26 years before finally reconciling. Bugner, who was only 21, never truly shook the outrage that surrounded his signature triumph.
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