Jean-Pierre Coopman was born on 11 July 1946 and is a retired Belgian boxer who is best known for his title fight against Muhammad Ali in 1976 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which Ali won by KO in round 5.
11 Facts About Jean-Pierre Coopman
1.
2.
Jean-Pierre Coopman was born on 11 July 1946, in the Flemish community of Ingelmunster.
3.
Jean-Pierre Coopman was instructed in sculpting by his stepfather, and Coopman's first fully paid job was as a stone cutter.
4.
In young adulthood, he appears to have been a lover of night-life, but after sparring several times with Gilbert Montagne, a noted Belgian middleweight, Jean-Pierre Coopman was urged to pursue a ring career, or at least to try.
5.
Jean-Pierre Coopman began in the amateur ranks, rising quickly enough to compete in the 1971 European Championships, where he was knocked out by a far more experienced Soviet fighter.
6.
Jean-Pierre Coopman fought his early bouts primarily in Belgium, though he is recorded as having won an early match versus Harald Skog, in Oslo, Norway.
7.
Jean-Pierre Coopman lost to Rudie Lubbers of The Netherlands, in 1973.
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Muhammad Ali 8.
Jean-Pierre Coopman was said to have been one of the least-deserving boxers to fight for the heavyweight title.
9.
Jean-Pierre Coopman was dubbed "The Lion of Flanders" by the Western press, but he had never called himself that.
10.
Jean-Pierre Coopman was awarded a contract to sculpt a statue of fellow Belgian fighter Cyril Delannoit.
11.
Jean-Pierre Coopman was the subject of "Lion", a tongue-in-cheek tribute by songwriter Freddy Blohm.