James Cook MBE, a former British and European boxing champion, has passed away at 66. He leaves behind a significant legacy, respected both for his achievements in the ring and his contributions outside of it.
The Jamaican-born boxer had been diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier this year and died tragically in a London hospital just months later.
While celebrated for his impressive fighting career, Cook also made a lasting impact through his youth work, particularly in the Hackney area, which he began shortly after retiring.
In recognition of his support for children in disadvantaged communities, the London-based figure was awarded an MBE in 2007.
Before his community work, Cook carved out a notable professional career across the middleweight and super-middleweight divisions over nearly 12 years, finishing with a record of 25 wins (14 by knockout) and 10 losses.
Following three consecutive defeats, the fighter from Peckham secured a significant eight-round points victory over British middleweight legend Michael Watson in 1986, handing Watson his first professional loss.
More setbacks followed before his first challenge for the Lonsdale Belt in 1988, where he was stopped in the fifth round by Herol Graham.
Despite the loss, and facing the formidable Herol Graham, this defeat did not derail Cook`s career momentum. Indeed, just two wins later, he claimed the British super-middleweight title by stopping Sam Storey in the 10th round.
Cook solidified his position at 168 lbs in his next fight with a dramatic 12th-round knockout win against Pierre Frank Winterstein, notably achieved away from home.
The tall fighter won the Lonsdale Belt again in 1993, concluding his exciting career shortly thereafter.
In recent years, Cook continued to contribute to the sport, offering his considerable expertise in training camps for fighters like former world title challenger Anthony Yarde.
