FORMER British and European champion James Cook MBE has died at the age of 66, leaving behind a profound legacy both in and out of the ring.
The Jamaican-born pugilist was diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier this year, a matter of months before he sadly passed away in a London hospital.
Known mostly for his glittering fighting career, Cook equally made a lasting impact through his work with the younger generation, particularly those in Hackney, shortly after his retirement.
The Londoner was then awarded an MBE in 2007, recognising the support he lent to children living within communities of notable deprivation.
But before that, Cook made his mark on both the middleweight and super-middleweight divisions as a professional, amassing a record of 25-10 (14 KOs) within a near 12-year window.
After suffering three defeats on the bounce, the Peckham man outpointed British middleweight legend Michael Watson – scuppering his previously unblemished record – through eight rounds back in 1986.
A series of further setbacks then arrived before his first stab at the Lonsdale Belt, which saw him lose to Herol Graham via a fifth-round stoppage in 1988.
And yet, given Graham’s formidable reputation on the domestic scene, Cook’s defeat was by no means catastrophic to his career moving forward,
All it took were two victories, in fact, before he dethroned British super-middleweight champion Sam Storey with a 10th-round stoppage victory two years later.
Cook then extended his surge at 168lbs with a dramatic 12th-round finish over Pierre Frank Winterstein – on away soil, no less – in his following outing.
After that, the rangy puncher claimed the Lonsdale Belt for a second time in 1993, before calling time on his thrilling career soon after.
In more recent years, meanwhile, Cook had been involved in several of Anthony Yarde’s training camps, offering his undeniable wisdom to the former world title challenger.
