Gerry Cooney with Manny Steward as his trainer

Victor Valle and Cooney were a good match. Steward may have gotten Gerry a better right hand, but all in all, I think Gerry would do about the same. Maybe a victory over Michael Spinks.

 

I think rating Valle mediocre is way too strong. He was also heavily involved with De Jesus, Costello and Escalera. Tho Cooney had his weaknesses, not all can be blamed on Valle IMO. IMO he did a great job getting Cooney to where he did with a management team both rushing and coddling. When Cooney should have been taking his lumps and learning from defeat he instead went walkabout.

I'd say Manny would not have allowed the team to rush him Mendoza and there'in lay the biggest difference. Manny may have taken him to a victory over Weaver and then a later unification.

The big problem tho is that Cooney lacked that something deep down, and no trainer IMO would have been able to change that.

 

Valle had a good chemistry with Cooney, but Valle was a boxer when he fought....Steward is good with Tall punchers....Valle did well with Cooney...Steward may make him set down on his punches but Cooney was still a dangerous guy in any era, just had some big weaknesses

 

He would get Gerry an extra win or two, but not much more of a significance.

 

Labelling Victor Valle "mediocre trainer" is just utterly ignorant and utterly disrespectful.

:deal

 

While you're right to defend Valle from the insult of being labelled "mediocre", judging a trainer's worth purely on the fighters he was involved with is flawed. Some GREAT trainers work for years without getting a world champion, but they develop the talent and personalities they work with to remarkable degrees.

As for the reputation of "star" trainers such as Manny Steward, I admire him and consider him great for developing all those boys who came into his KRONK gym in Detroit, but taking over the reins with already-elite fighters such as Lewis and Klitschko impresses me less. I'm sure he does a good job but it's not the same as bringing those boys up from scratch, or pro debut. IMO.

 

What Cooney needed was not a great trainer but a strong manager and trainer who would keep him on the straight and narrow. Sombody who would put the fear of god into him.

A great trainer could have polished him off better but what he realy needed was stability guidance and good managment.

 

Manny would be interesting as he has a history of getting the most out of big punchers with so-so chins (Hearns/Lewis/Klitschko ... however if Gerry stayed so inactive no one was really going to make him better ...

 

Cooney was an enigma, something was missing, kind of like Wlad.

I think Manny would have been great for Cooney.

I'm Going off memory so correct me if I'm wrong here. Gil Clancy trained Cooney for Foreman fight right? A while after that fight somone was asking Clancy about fighters he trained over the years. He said of all the fighters, Jerry Cooney was the one he wished he could have trained from the beginning. I came away thinking Clancy saw a great deal of unrealized potential in Cooney. Is my memory correct here or am I getting old?

 

Much better career w/ Steward.

This is an illustration of exactly what transpires in almost all boxing careers. You really do need a top notch corner for that final polishing if you want to win the big ones or stay on top. Cooney definately needed some polishing, but even if he trades corners in the Holmes bout, I still don't see him winning. And holmes was a guy with that polishing. But it would've helped Cooney against the other guys.

 

I think Janitor made a good point that what Cooney needed was a figure to keep him on the strait and narrow. Keep him off drugs and booze, plus really disciplined him like no other. Additionally, I think he simply needed more fights under his belt before stepping up to facing an elite fighter like Larry Holmes at his peak. I don't have a problem with the fact that he fought shot versions of Lyle and Norton, but only having fought once within a two year period prior to engaging in the biggest match of his career, was unacceptable, especially for a developing fighter going through a critical phase. What Cooney needed between 1980-1982, was some matches with guys like Mike Weaver, Tex Cobb, Earnie Shavers, Leon Spinks, and perhaps Gerrie Coetzee. had he fought a few of those guys, along with keeping busier in general, plus staying focussed and building confidence in the meantime, he might have been Holmes' toughest test. He certainly could have launched a career that would have topped the likes of Witherspoon, Thomas, and Berbick.

 

I think Cooney wouldn't have been rushed like he was against Holmes! he probably would fight Homes like in 1985 and could have a chance against past it Holmes! (Cooney was very green when he fought Holmes)

 

At no point in Gerry's career do I see him beating Holmes.

 

Cooney would not have fared any better with Steward. He had a great chemistry with the very capable Valle and most of Gerry's issues were as a result if his immaturity and insecurities at the time of his career. In fact Victor probably got the most out of Cooney. Cooney's management guided hiim (and themselves) to a small fortune. I think they all were right for the job at the time.