Larry Holmes vs Gerry Cooney Was Very Competitive

An even easier payday with all the points and rounds being ceded to him by by Gerry's repeated fouling.

 

While I don't think this is what happened, yeah, Larry absolutely could keep it together in the face of nut shots for another big payday.

 

Damn, I can't decide if it's impressive or not xD

 

The morning after, in a joint interview with Cooney, Holmes told Howard Cosell he was more than ready to go for a rematch with Gerry, but Cooney did not return for over two years, until Philipp Brown, the same month Larry defended against Bonecrusher. Gerry's next bout was his starching of Eddie Gregg, the month after Jinx-Holmes II. Cooney's next outing was a year later, and Michael Spinks dispatched him in five.

Gerry got good purses for Michael and in 1990 for Foreman, but nothing like he would've gotten for a title rematch with Holmes in late 1983 (around the time Larry wiped out Marvis).

Cooney needed to get right back on the horse, and he didn't.

Cooney-Cobb would've been a good return. Gerry was a better puncher, but I think Tex would've extended him the 12 round limit in a title eliminator in 1983. (Tex decisioned Mercado, stopped Shelburg and Shavers in eight, so Cooney couldn't have stopped him. But Randall was much stronger physically, his best legal punch was an extremely heavy left jab, and it would've been an excellent experience for Gerry, one which would establish him as at least a 12 round fighter. He never went more than eight in his career.)

 

I seem to to remember Larry was very complimentary towards Gerry in his book regarding this fight

 

Considering Cooney admitted he went in with no intention to win- "I was just trying to go the distance to show I could"- and decided to "box" Holmes instead of applying intense pressure which was his calling card and only real hope of winning, I'd say it was surprisingly competitive.

 

Cooney showed heart against Holmes, a good chin? not so much. If they'd fought a rematch? Holmes gets him outta there quicker.
Cooney just wasn't focused on anything other than a bottle of Jameson back then.

 

I did see the fight live. Though I thought Holmes was winning Cooney
fought better than most give him credit for.
Cooney like so many big punchers seemed to lose it after that first
loss. Maybe it's a confidence thing with them, but so many seem
to not be able to just get back on the horse. (Foreman, Mugabi, Garza, Lopez
to name a few)
Cooney could've easily won one of the three championship belts if
he stopped feeling sorry for himself and got back into shape and
learned from the loss....
And no Usyk wouldn't survive Cooney at his best.

 

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He survived AJ - a better boxer and a bigger puncher, with similar chin. Why wouldn't he survive Cooney?

 

Usyk should easily beat Cooney given he's already beaten numerous guys better than Cooney with better attributes. This is one of the most bizarre takes I can think of up with Ali not surviving Ross Purrity

 

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It was indeed a competitive fight and Cooney was a good fighter. He wasn't ever going to beat Holmes, though. Unfortunately a lot of people believe the myth that Cooney was merely a hype job bum whose only appeal was his skin color. The reason he was the "great white hope" was because people believed he could actually beat Holmes.

 

By 1998 they were friends. In that book, he also slammed Butterbean as clown (in part to build up a prospective bout between the two), but in the post fight following Esch, he was complementary, saying, "He's not a four round fighter!"

In contrast, he was NOT complementary of Cooney after Gerry very cheaply blasted a five years retired Boone Kirkman who gasped at the first sucker hook, "Hey! I thought this was an exhibition!" I was hoping former Kirkman opponent George Foreman would kill Cooney for that nasty and sleazy ambush, and Larry was extremely contemptuous of that behavior, ridiculing what Cooney had done to the poor then ten years retired Kirkman.

Holmes made a comment to Brent Musberger from his ringside position where he'd be providing commentary for Haley-Mamby II about "If Cooney ever gets out of the bar," and was extremely disparaging.

As for Kirkman, he and Foreman had an exhibition "Foreman Fights Five" five year reunion encounter at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1975 while Boone was still competing, and both behaved themselves. Holmes and Ali both performed numerous exhibitions where they did what they were supposed to do.

Louis and Marciano also behaved appropriately. (Rocky was performing an exhibition with brother Pete however, and Pete sucker punched Rock, who tore into him for an instant. (Pete fell into a clinch, pleaded, "I'm sorry! Please Rock, I'm your brother!," after which the Rock fell back, calmed down and resumed taking it easy. The audience in Maine did go home pleased.)

When Joe Frazier was 62, he boxed three one minute rounds with friend and former amateur champion Willie Herenton, then mayor of Memphis, for charity. Frazier, obviously in a very cheerful mood, simply smiled with way through a bobbing and weaving display while letting the lanky 6'2" Herenton, also a former collegiate basketball guard, easily jab away. (Both were shirtless, somewhat unusual, but Frazier, never any kind of Adonis, wasn't obese either, but looked all right for a natural endomorph who was aged and hadn't been training.)

I just don't like what Cooney did to an unprepared Kirkman, who easily could've been hurt unawares.