Parker is the bigger stronger man and would win some rounds but I favor Cooney due to his power, superior infighting skills and he could box too. Cooney was a good body puncher that could play a role here. Speed wise Parker wasn't much faster
I’d like to see Cooney win but for that to happen he’d need to go for an early KO. The longer this goes the more of a chance Parker has to take over.
Admittedly, Cooney had a fairly precipitous decline after Holmes. But, up to and including that fight against Holmes, he showed me more than Parker ever did.
Perhaps. I think Parker has beaten some comparable or even slightly better contenders. Not saying the difference is huge
Cooney (slugger/boxer) 6'6, 81' reach 225 lbs vs Parker 6'4 76' reach 240 lbs (outside fighter/counter puncher) Power Cooney Speed Parker Technique Parker Timing Cooney Body shots Cooney Chin Parker Stamina Even Combinations Cooney Defense Parker Ring IQ Parker Killer instinct Cooney Heart Cooney Versatility Parker 6-1-6 they're roughly even overall. Dangerous fight for both men. While Cooney clearly hits harder, Joseph Parker has decent power and could hurt Cooney whose not very durable. Parker is faster, but not enough to box circles around Cooney. His edges in defense and ring IQ or only slight. I don't think this matchup boils down to just size and athleticism, it would be a very tentative, tactical fight (at least early) as both men would be wary for each other. The thing about Cooney is despite being so tall with long arms, he was a very good body puncher and knew how to fight up close (which was often his preference). Thus from the opening bell, Cooney would probably attempt to close the distance and target Parker's mid section stalking him while Parker uses his jab and lateral movement to try and keep the fight at mid or long range. Parker would probably try to walk Cooney into a big shot, then cover up, retreat, jab, move around, repeat, always keeping his right hand high to brace for those big left hooks. Cooney's experience with Holmes would probably warn him not to try to be too aggressive early and attempt to break Parker down. Considering how much hell Parker went through trying to keep guys like Zhang, Joyce, and even the fairly limited Chisora off of him, I'm not sure how long he'd last playing keep away with Cooney whose got the reach advantage and hits like a truck. I think the outcome depends on if Parker ever decides to get out of 1st gear and try going on offense the way he did against Wilder. Perhaps if he smothered Cooney's offense with smart pressure, strategic clinching, and letting his hands go when he sees openings or buzzes Cooney, he can tilt the match in his favor. A Parker come from behind KO wouldn't be impossible either. The other thing that would determine the outcome is if Parker doesn't break down from all the body shots and eventual barrage of hooks. Parker absolutely cannot afford to get into a slugfest or trade, and if he can't block or endure the body shots it's only a matter of time before Cooney is all over him. Gun to my head, I think I'd slightly favor Cooney to win 60-65% of the time; either taking a close decision or stopping Parker late. Both men would be in bad shape by the end and would likely visit the canvas once or twice in a nail biter of a match.
Like that left hook and especially the left uppercut to get the job done early in this. One of the bouts where Gentleman Gerry looks like a world beater.
