Michael Spinks vs Prime Cooney

Spinks battered the version of Cooney he fought. But Cooney was still the favorite to win and Spinks was the underdog. Who's to say that Spinks couldn't beat prime Cooney?

 

Cooney has more of chance this time around but Spinks was far more proven. Cooney likely makes it to the end though and gives Spinks a tough fight.

 

Hard to say really. That 1987 version of Cooney was visibly out of shape and had only seen one round of boxing in like 2.5 years. He wasn’t acting like he really wanted to be there except to collect a paycheck. He did manage to get some good shots in for the brief time the fight lasted. If we turn back the clock 6-7 years to 1980-1981 and look at Gerry on film he fought much more tenaciously and was in better shape. I guess it would depend on who’s chin failed first under those circumstances

 

Spinks (Holmes 1 fight) would beat any version of Cooney.

 

I have to agree, reluctantly. No excuses for Gerry. When exactly was "prime Cooney"? When he knocked out Young, Norton and Lyle? Instead of turning things upside down and calling for Spinks to fight prime Cooney, let's instead imagine Cooney fighting prime anybody.

 

IF he could take those massive hooks to the head and body that Cooney frequently threw. The version of Cooney that he fought was sloppy, lazy and out of focus. In the 70s and early 80s Gerry was breaking ribs with those shots

 

Spinks vs any Prime Heavyweight Top-Tenner likely ends in him getting beaten and his run coming to an end.

A Pre-Holmes Cooney would have seriously hurt Spinks, in my opinion. Their actual contest serves as no barometer.

Cooney could not be considered anything like a live opponent at the time.

 

On second thought, I'm going to have to retract this. Spinks wasn't all that proven at Heavy truth be told. He had two controversial wins (and one outright robbery) over a considerably past prime Holmes, a win over Cooney who was in the worst condition of his career (he actually looked far better against Foreman despite being considerably older), and when he finally fought a prime top heavyweight (who admittedly was a H2H monster), he was visibly scared and dispatched in a minute and a half by a mere 8 punches.

Still either guy's fight, but I'm not all that sure Spinks could take power from someone of Cooney's caliber who though not nearly as good a puncher as Tyson, was likely more powerful.

Gun to my head, I'll go with Cooney.

 

Yeah this post is what made me change my mind.

I'm more than certain Cooney can stand up to Spinks' power considering he did the same against Holmes, until he tired due to lack of in ring action leading up to the fight.

Tyson needed only eight punches to dispatch of Spinks. Cooney was obviously nowhere in Tyson's realm as a puncher but he likely has the edge in pure power.

 

Agreed. Probably not a fight I’d bet money on but I also don’t see Spinks repeating the EXACT result on Cooney of 1980 as he did with the one of 1987. Too many other factors to add into the equation

 

Somehow I think more and more that the hype that has built up around Cooney because of his knockout wins over Norton, Lyle, and Young has made Cooney look like a much better boxer than he actually is.
Holmes finally broke that reputation, and Cooney's further career is not worth mentioning.
1. Norton
last fight of his career, and Norton was never good against real punchers
Norton been past prime in the fight with Holmes, and between that fight and the last fight of his career, he was knocked out by Shavers.
2. Lyle
Also past prime, and a year before Cooney he was knocked out by Lynn Ball who I've never heard of
3. Young
He's also past prime, and the loss to Cooney was his fifth loss in eight fights

 

Just to clarify, is this a prime for prime fight or is it prime Cooney vs early 80s HW Spinks?

 

I practically worship Spinks at light heavy, but he definitely was lacking as a heavy.

Cooney just hit too hard, the left hook or uppercut would have pulverised Spinks. Michael would be lucky to last three rounds.

 

I’d still pick Spinks. Cooney lost due to the same nonexistent defense from his peak. Add in that Cooney never proved he could go 15 and it doesn’t look good for him.

 

And Spinks record at heavyweight consists of two decisions over a 36 year old Holmes - one of which a robbery, a victory over steffen Tangstad who wasn’t even a top 30 heavyweight, Stoppage over Cooney who was a retired out of shape ex-contender and a 91 second loss to Tyson.