Gerry Cooney vs Bonecrusher Smith

Let’s make this a 12-rounder.

Who ya got, how would it go and why?

 

I put Cooney in the category of a guy who could fight … but not fight back.

Which is to say he didn’t exchange. He would throw his barrage and then try to ride it out/defend when the other guy threw.

I don’t think Smith is a guy who would force enough exchanges to overcome Cooney, who was devastating when he had time to set up his offense and unload. He has some rough moments but survives and takes Bonecrusher out somewhere in the middle rounds — kind of like Ruddock-Smith.

 

There’s a lot of mystery — and, imo, misconception — about Cooney’s management in his upbringing.

Here’s what I know (because it’s public and was written about or commented on at the time):

He had a ton of fights canceled, always on his end. It was supposed to be Cooney vs. Earnie Shavers but he pulled out and Tex Cobb beat the Acorn instead.

There were others but I cannot recall specifics.

I think Jimmy Young was a very good choice of opponent who was iron-chinned, durable and a great strategic test because he was very good defensively. He was on a bit of a role and got into pretty good shape (his physique was often unsightly because I’m pretty sure he never did a push-up in his life and preferred sparring to actually working out, but his weight was good). Anyone would have pegged that fight to go 10 rounds, and it probably would have had Cooney not busted him up for a cuts stoppage.

He fought and beat ST Gordon — who would later win a cruiserweight crown and also beat Trevor Berbick — early in his career. Also Eddie “The Animal” Lopez, a prospect who would go on to be at least a fringe contender. And a couple of fights before Young he beat John ‘Dino’ Dennis, who was at the very least durable and had a very good (protected) record.

So there are a few nice opponents along the way, and Norton had just beaten Cobb and was still a contender — I think it’s revisionist to say he was completely done and had zero value as a win. Far from prime but still somewhat viable. (Lyle, on the other hand, was washed).

He was angling first to fight Mike Weaver for the WBA crown after Hercules beat John Tate. It was signed but the WBA nullified it and instead ordered Weaver to fight Quick Tillis — this was before Holmes, so that’s who they aimed to fight for the title before Larry.

Now here’s what I suspect but cannot prove:

Gerry pulled out of a lot of fights (or was pulled out of a lot of fights), which we know, but it was always some mysterious injury and afaik never medically verified.

We also know that later Cooney publicly disclosed problems with alcohol and drugs (kind of natural in that he was, iirc, the son of an abusive and I’m pretty sure alcoholic father).

I think suspect in at least some of those cases, his management pulled him out to protect him because Gerry wasn’t training, had gone on a bender and crawled into a bottle (or a drug den) and wasn’t in any condition to fight. They hoped he could straighten his **** out, so kick the can down the road to give him time.

It makes sense, at least to me. Ask yourself, if you’re managing a fighter who might well be worth tens of millions of dollars (maybe more), do you allow him to lose to someone lesser if such were the case? Throw him in there when you know his head and body are ravaged by self-abuse? Do you cost him (and, yes, yourself as you’ve invested a lot of money in building and marketing this guy) his chance at financial independence for life? Is that really ‘taking care’ of him? I dunno.

Again, I can’t prove that this was why there are so many gaps in his record, but it makes a lot more sense than repeated ‘he injured his right shoulder’ excuses … but those injuries never require surgery.

 

So you seem to be saying nobody but maybe Ali should get credit for beating Norton because … styles?

I mean you could say that about any fighter who wins a fight — well it’s not a credible win because his style was favorable against the other guy’s. Mike Tyson beat several past-it guys too.

Norton was a top 10 heavyweight by every measure at the time Cooney beat him — bottom of the top 10 but top 10 nonetheless.

I do not think Eddie Lopez was zero risk … good, tough guy and a rising prospect. Only loss by split decision to John Tate. At that time, Lopez could have been on his way to great things and showed himself even after Cooney to be a good, albeit not great, fighter. That was a risk.

And he signed to fight Mike Weaver. Was his management protecting him by signing to put him in with a guy who had knocked out Tate and given Holmes hell?

Did you read my post? Let’s say you are Cooney’s manager. Let’s say he’s going on drinking binges or drug escapades and not training. Is it your plan to go find the toughest possible opposition so you can get him beat to ‘prepare him’ … is that how you take care of someone?

Cooney’s managers made him millions and millions of dollars more than if they’d have put him in over his head (or out of his gourd on alcohol/drugs, very possibly) and gotten him beat a few times. You seem to think everyone who gets put in tough gets better … when in reality some of them do not. They get the starch beat out of them and we say they were mismanaged because their managers didn’t bring them along slower.

If you were the fighter, would you rather be set for life financially or be a guy who had potential who got knocked out a few times and could say you fought tough opposition, lol?

I think Cooney’s management did right by him. I’m not so sure Gerry did right by himself with his lifestyle.