• May 21 down the years

Ali ends Cooper's world title dreams

Muhammad Ali simply had too much quality for Henry Cooper © Getty Images

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1966
Henry Cooper's shot at the world title. On June 18, 1963, he'd almost derailed the Cassius Clay gravy train. Now he faced a new man. Different name, mature skills - and increased wariness. Muhammad Ali didn't want 'Enery's left 'ook anywhere near his jaw any more. So here at Highbury Stadium he kept the fight at long range - and once Cooper had his puncher's chance taken away, there wasn't much he could hurt Ali with. For a start, by today's standards he wasn't even a heavyweight: 13½ stone, a stone lighter than the champion, who was almost ten years younger and had a longer reach and faster feet. Plus Henry was cursed with sharp prominent bones above his eyes that were prone to cuts. Of course, to make the cuts, you have to hit the area in question, and Ali connected far more often as Cooper stalked him looking for an opening like three years earlier. Henry landed some good punches in the second and third rounds, but the exchange rate was exorbitant. That 1963 fight was stopped on cuts. This time it was just one, but a horrible gash above the left eye. Cooper lasted a round longer before the referee stopped it in the sixth. There was no question of a clash of heads as some people claimed. England won the football World Cup that year, but not the world heavyweight title: Ali outclassed Brian London at Earl's Court in August.

1992
A British swimming record fell after ten years. The next one lasted less than 24 hours. Karen Pickering swam the 100 metres freestyle in 56.59 to better June Croft's by one hundredth of a second. Later in the day, she swam 56.31, then broke that record the following month.

2010
Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong had a day to forget. The Texan suffered facial injuries after crashing out of the Tour of California, while at the same time facing accusations from disgraced rider Floyd Landis that he has used performance enhancing drugs.

1950
In motor racing, the Monaco Grand Prix was first run in 1929. Today it was part of the first World Championship season. Fittingly, it was won by the great Juan Manuel Fangio, who started on pole. Behind him, there was mayhem. Only seven of the 19 starters finished, including Championship leader Nino Farina, who eventually pipped Fangio to the inaugural title.

On the same day in 1978, Mario Andretti won the Belgian Grand Prix with team-mate Ronnie Peterson second. Andretti was using the new Lotus, Peterson the one used earlier in the season. Peterson also followed team orders in other races. No wonder he finished second to Andretti in the Championship.

1995
Kris Radlkinski had just turned 19 when he scored three tries as Wigan humiliated Leeds 69-12. This was the Premiership final, and it completed Wigan's quadruple that year. They also won the League Championship, Challenge Cup and Regal Trophy. Leeds finished second in three of those, and today they were without their stars Ellery Hanley and Garry Schofield. They scored an early equalising try - but Wigan scored 12, even though iconic wingers Martin Offiah and Jason Robinson didn't get one between them. Like Radlinski, Gary Connolly scored three and Denis Betts kicked ten goals.

Chris Eubank loved to do things the hard way © Getty Images

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1994
You sometimes wonder if Chris Eubank enjoyed winning boxing matches unimpressively. He did it so often it was almost his signature. And it's more fun if you do it away from home: there are more jeers to lap up. Tonight he defended his WBO super-middleweight title in Belfast against local boy Ray Close. Eubank had bet £1,000 at 66-1 that he'd win in the first round - which was bound to get up a few noses: Close had held him to a draw in a title fight the previous year. Before tonight's bout, someone dressed as a leprechaun poured green tinsel dust down Eubank's back. He probably never recovered. After the split decision, not many papers resisted the Close Shave headlines.

2005
Talking of controversial boxers, Andrew Golota had his third world heavyweight title fight in a row - all under different governing bodies. His attempt on Chris Byrd's IBF title ended in a draw; he lost on points to WBA champion John Ruiz; and today Lamon Brewster kept his WBO belt by stopping Golota in the first 52 seconds. It was Golota's second one-round defeat in a world title fight: he was knocked out by Lennox Lewis in 1997 immediately after being disqualified twice in a row, each time for hitting Riddick Bowe with a series of low blows. The first Bowe fight sparked a riot which left a number of people injured, including Golota himself, who suffered more outside the ring than in: he needed stitches after being hit by a radio belonging to one of Bowe's entourage!

1942
John Konrads was born Jānis Konrāds in Latvia but emigrated to Australia when he was seven and enjoyed the swimming opportunities there, taking it up after a bout of childhood polio. He broke a world record for the first time on January 11 1958 when he was only 15, and set 12 in individual events from 200 to 1500 metres freestyle, plus another two in relays. At the 1960 Olympics, he was third in the 400 free behind his team mate, the great Murray Rose (born January 6 1939), who retained the title. Rose was also the defending champion in the 1500, but Konrads beat him into second place. They won bronze together in the 4x200 relay. Konrads won three golds at the 1958 Commonwealth Games. His sister Ilsa won one at the same meeting and set world records but her only Olympic medal was a silver.

1981
The New York Islanders beat the Minnesota North Stars by four games to one to retain the Stanley Cup. They kept it for the next two years after this.

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