Put Gerry in his prime with all of this modern training and nutrition that many claim makes fighters today better than those of the past. What does he weigh in at with modern strength and conditioning? His body type always looked like he was going to be lanky no matter what, but I imagine he would fill out a bit if he fought today.
If he spent a few years during his prime exactly matching the training, diet and "supplements" of, for example, Joe Parker, I'd guess he'd be somewhere in the region of 260lbs.
People seemed to think anyone can gain 40lbs of muscle easy done… a fair share of folks don’t respond to them overly well, bodybuilding’s best are mostly just high responders to drugs. LOADS of strong, gifted guys don’t blow up the way they think they would. I’ve seen skinny guys turn into competitors and rugby guys be “more” but nothing crazy on similar drugs.
Considering the number of low calorie beers available today, he probably weighs less. And he's likely a spokesman for Michelob Ultra.
What would be the point of him bulking up? He had big power as-is. Why add weight that would just make him slower and sap his stamina? A guy with middling power, you can understand the calculation. But a guy starting off with all the power he needs? Don't mess with his stamina, kinetic chain, etc. Focus on his skills and stamina.
He'd probably be a little fatter due to there being less rounds and less of a pressure on HW fighters to be lean.
I agree wholeheartedly, but it seems as though heavyweights today are obsessed with bulking up and adding unnecessary weight, so I assume if Cooney were a part of this generation, his team would look at his lanky frame and say “we have work to do.”
