Obviously not both of them at the same time. Lol. Both Ken and Ron were undoubtedly way past their best when they face the young free swinging Cooney but would the results have been reversed had they been in their primes or still the same?
I don't think so for Norton. He folded against every big puncher and he could not fight when backing up. Lyle is interesting because he was awful vs Cooney. Watch that fight if he lands one good blow it's a lot. He was totally shot. In his prime he would of gave Cooney a much better fight.
Gerry Cooney would have been a bad matchup for Ken Norton even if the latter was in his prime. Norton simply could not cope well with big puncher. Based on his performance against George Foreman, a vintage Ron Lyle would have been a much tougher proposition for Cooney than Norton would have been. - Chuck Johnston
Ken's style was always wrong for a Gerry C00ney. Ken get's KOd every time. Ron on the other hand could do much better in his prime than when he did actually meet Gerry. My gut feeling is a 50/50 affair, with Ron getting a hard won points nod, or Ron getting stopped in the last round, still on his feet.
Lyle should be able to beat him on points or maybe a stoppage. Lyle was awful by the point Cooney got him and at his peak displayed the power, toughness, and skills that could turn the trick. Norton..Cooney might have his number. Norton just seemed completely overwhelmed by his reach and power, and I can't think of anything he could do differently. Norton's best hope is a Bobick situation but that isn't happening.
Norton goes a little longer, but not by much , probably gets to the third. Lyle could hurt cooney and if it end s up in a shoot out I see both men down but lyle winning the bout, by 5 th round ko.
Gerry Cooney never defeated a top quality prime contender. I think that's a far bigger question mark hanging over him than the much-stated knock on Norton being "vulnerable to punchers".
Norton would never make it past the first stanza. Lyle would have a much better chance, but using Cooney vs Foreman as a yardstick is a mistake. Boxing is very much about styles and Ron was a big puncher like George, but he was not the same as George.
Norton still gets stopped. Say what you want about Gerry but he had massive power and speed in spades, which is always going to spell trouble for Kenny no matter what. Lyle could do better, he was completely washed-up when Cooney got to him, but I'm certainly not ruling Gerry out in a prime for prime match-up.
Age is a factor before the first bell even rings. Being old and shot isn't something that takes rounds to manifest itself, it's something a fighter can't overcome for a second.