"Holmes vs. Cooney" 1982...

Ah ha, superb tussle. How the hell would Cooney have been leading on the cards outwith the point deductions? Mystery.

 

Yes, very intriguing mystery.

 

I don' know how much potential Gerry Cooney truly had, and frankly I don't think anyone really does. However, I can't help but wonder if he might have turned up in even better form had he fought more than just a mere 55 seconds over the previous two years, and not been completely inactive for 13 months before going in against Holmes. This was the developmental stage of Cooney's career ( of which he never grew out of ). He needed to be fighting live contenders and quality journeyman. Men who could test his abilties, take him into the later rounds, and make him work for the "W". Additionally, there was a lot of talk about time spent in drug reahab, along with Victor Valle's struggle to get Gerry to train. Top it off with some crap about a self-confidence issue, and I'd say the machine had a few broken springs.

In my mind, Gerry Cooney will forever reamain at the top of the list of fighters who tragically didn't make the best of what they had. On a positive note, he had a multi-million dollar career, and acheived his wealth while keeping his brains in tact, and not fighting to the point of disability.

 

I wasn't blaming Valle, and I agree that he was as good a trainer as anyone. Cooney had an obligation to motivate himself, and apparently didn't.

I still think that he needed a few more decent fights before facing Holmes. The Jimmy young, John Denis, and Eddie Lopez fights were decent picks for a rising prospect. Norton and Lyle were thoroughly shot though. Mike Weaver, Tex Cobb, Leon Spinks, Trevor Berbick, Marty Monroe and Scott Ledoux, would have been decent picks around 1979-1982.

 

Cooney was simply too green. Yes, he had that lethal left hook that knocked out many an opponent, but Holmes was far too refined, far too experience for young Gerry. It was a great fight, no doubt, one of my favorites, but the outcome I fully expected.

 

A British sportswriter at the time called them "Tweedledum and Tweedledumber"

For the first time in my life I placed a big-time bet on that fight. My late buddy and I laid down $500 apiece. Larry was the fav but we still got back about $370 ($870 less bet)

Cooney always reminded me of Ingo, superb talent, big punch, didn't really want to be a fighter. After a good effort against Holmes, why did he take two years off before fighting again? No heart pus!!! My $0.02

 

I'd call it "competitive" terms. Holmes was in control and it should have been reflected in the scoring.

Rememember too this was a very safety first Holmes wanting to snuff out any chance Cooney had by dragging him into the later rounds and mugging him.

If this wasn't such a name fight Holmes may well have finished him early when he had him a bit hurt.

Great event.

 

Scoring cards for that fight are freaking weird. Had Cooney not lost points and lasted 15... theres a chance he would have won. Cooney winning that fight would have been a huge robbery in boxing history.

 

It was one of those highly-hyped 1980s bouts that lived up to the publicity. Hagler-Leonard was pathetic. Duran-Hagler was decent but not the war one might expect. Holmes-Tyson was an annihilation, as was Tyson-Spinks. Hearns-Leonard II was the story of two boxers who'd forgotten how to follow up on chances. Duran-Leonard II and III were organised robberies of the PPV purchasers.

Holmes-Cooney was 13 rounds of hard action, even if Cooney had only won 3 or 4 rounds up to the stoppage point. It wasn't that Holmes was toying, in my opinion: I think he had a chance to win it early, played it safe, and paid the consequences because of the pace and heat. In the later rounds, Holmes was tired; it's a testament to Holmes's underrated finishing ability that he was able to follow up in such a state of exhaustion. As with the first Weaver fight, Holmes showed that he was dangerous even when he could barely find the energy to throw punches.

 

What's your rational behind this one? No one could possibly forsee Duran quitting.