British heavyweight champion who fought Muhammad Ali for the world title
The former British heavyweight champion Brian London, who has died aged 87, twice challenged unsuccessfully for the world heavyweight title: first when he was stopped in 11 rounds by Floyd Patterson in 1959, and seven years later when he was knocked out in the third round by Muhammad Ali, then Cassius Clay, at Earl’s Court in London. Years later, when asked about the fight and Ali’s deteriorating physical condition, London would joke: “Don’t blame me, I never laid a glove on him!”
Although he was outclassed by Ali, London was a tough bruiser of a fighter, with a face that told a thousand stories. His nose was flattened and broken on numerous occasions, but he was good enough to have defeated the talented Joe Erskine in 1958, when he scored an eighth-round knockout victory to claim the British and Commonwealth titles.