Cooper, Lefty

Vergil Cooper

A southpaw (hence the nickname Lefty) from Minneapolis, Cooper fought professionally as a welterweight in the 1920s.

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
A welterweight, Cooper began his professional boxing career in the mid-1920s in California. He had quite a bit of early success, going undefeated in his first 10 bouts, and losing only once in his first 18 fights. In February 1925, Cooper fought Joe Simonich, whom he had defeated three months earlier in a brutal bout. Lefty was knocked out in the eighth-round and did not regain consciousness for ten minutes. Meanwhile, Simonich re-broke his collar bone, which he initially broke in the first fight with Cooper.

Three months later, Cooper returned to the ring and fought world welterweight champion, Mickey Walker -- he was knocked out in the first round of the non-title bout. Following the Walker fight, Lefty fought fairly regularly, although not against the level of competition as Walker. In October 1927, he fought Frankie Denny in San Francisco and won on a fourth-round disqualification after Denny through him to the canvas, where he hit his head on the ring post and was knocked unconscious. Cooper retired from the ring in 1930.

Origin:
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Physical description:
152 pounds

Career Statistics:
Professional record (incomplete):
Wins: 28 (11 by knockout)
Losses: 11
Draws: 7

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