Bugner V Cooney ?

Cooney had a great left hook, was about his only punch, bunger went 12 rounds against a overall better fighter than cooney with a even better hook.

If he can survive Frazier he can survive cooney.

 

I sure don't see Bugner getting his hand raised with a decision. Even if he could win some rounds the boxing powers would see to a Cooney win.

So that leaves a Bugner ko and I don't see him taking the chances to pull that result off. Most likely outcome is a decision win for Cooney. But a guy like Joe Bugner is not going to show Gentlemen Gerry in the best light. They scouted for the highlight ko victims when they could and this guy does not fit the bill

 

Although Cooney was the one who pulled out of the fight, he had knocked out Ken Norton seven months prior (and immediately after tried cocaine for the first time, per his new bio) to the scheduled fight with Bugner and was pretty much on a roll. He was at the peak of his career.

Contrast that to Bugner. Bugner's only ring action in over 4 1/2 years was his TKO over 8-4 Gilberto Acuna. Bugner would stopped by Earnie Shavers six months after the canceled Cooney-Bugner bout. To speculate that he would show the form that he showed against Joe Frazier... well... that's a stretch in my opinion.

I just don't see Bugner competing with Cooney at this stage of their respective careers. And the Cooney-Bugner bout was scheduled for 10 rounds, not 12.

 

Here's what Dave Anderson had to say in the New York Times regarding the then-upcoming Cooney-Bugner fight:

The primary questions about Gerry Cooney concern his ability to take a punch and endure a long, difficult fight. Neither is likely to be answered in his scheduled Dec. 5 tuneup with Joe Bugner, now 31 and trying to make a comeback. Other than a four-round knockout of one Gilbert Acuna nearly 15 months ago in Los Angeles, the curlyhaired, blond Englishman has not had a fight in four and a half years. Even when he challenged Muhammad Ali in Malaysia in 1975 for the title, Joe Bugner was little more than a statue. Now it's as if a sheet were being taken off that statue.

Joe Bugner falls into the same category as Ken Norton and Ron Lyle - a marquee name who's a stationery target, who wants a TV payday and who can't hit anymore. Not that Joe Bugner could ever really hit.
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I forget that Bugner was only 31 at that stage. He'd already done so much.
Now... if they'd fought sometime in the first half of 87 when Cooney was deep into his fight with alcoholism and drug abuse and Bugner was winning against veteran heavyweights like Tillis, Page, and Bey, we might have seen a different outcome.

 

Bugner on pts

 

Definitely Cooney. Cooney hits way too hard. Bugner sparred with Cooney and noted his power. Once he feels a left hook particularly to the body, he goes into survival mode. Cooney by late stoppage or unanimous decision.

 

Agreed a prime Bugner may be a different story but Cooney was a much bigger and IMO harder puncher than Frazier so first half of the fight is a toss up....but the point I agree with is Bugner was being used as a career builder and as insiders in Cooneys camp as well as the promoters was that Bugner was in no condition to win a fight like that anymore so he was chosen to be another sacrificial lamb to a young lion....so the same old story goes

 

People in boxing always took Bugner very seriously because they knew if he ever really wanted to win a fight there was never that many fighters who would always beat him.

Training any fighter to meet Bugner must have been a real headache. How do you motivate somebody to fight Bugner? He was never scary enough but at the same time always had more than enough skill and experience to steal a win.

 

Bugner has skills, but for a big guy he wasn't a really hard puncher, and he always played it safe in the ring. He liked to pick and poke his way to decisions, and that just isn't going to work against Cooney. Bugner doesn't have the skills of a Holmes or Michael Spinks, and he doesn't have the power of Foreman.

 

Bugner could win possibly by late stoppage he was a better fighter all round than Jerry. But would he ? Would he go into his shell go the distance pick up his money and go home ? Hard to tell with Joe ! Funny bloke.

 

I would pick Big Gerry to KO Joe fairly early, as did Earnie Shavers. As regards to Dave Anderson's comment that Joe couldn't hit, watch his fight with fellow countryman Richard Dunn, and then his KO of John "Dino" Dennis.

 

I don't think Bugner had the necessary aggressive mentality to beat a Cooney at his best.

Cooney at his best was decent; tall, long reach and crushing power; he put up a decent showing against a prime, focussed, sharp Holmes.

Bugner had a decent chin; he survived Frazier's left hook, albeit a Frazier likely in decline; sacrilegious I know but although not a "better" left hook than Frazier, I think Cooney may have hit harder than Joe with a single left hook.

I don't think Joe had the power to discourage Cooney, but I think Cooney most certainly had the power to discourage Joe from taking too many chances; I think Joe tastes some of Cooney's power and goes into survival mode. Furthermore, Bugner did not have Holmes' mobility to enable him to get away from Gerry if need be, or the spiteful fighting mentality that Holmes often displayed; fighting back when hurt as he did against Snipes & Shavers.

I'm not sure stamina would come into this in this bout as I believe with Joe in survival mode, Cooney would be able to box at a pace that suits him.

Cooney would win this either on points or via a stoppage; Cooney's left hooks to body and head could unhinge Bugner enough to enable Cooney's follow up attacks to force the stoppage.