Did Gerry Cooney really deserve his rating ?

I've heard that Norton was #9 by WBC when he fought Cooney.

 

Cooney got his top ranking based more on how impressively he beat guys like Norton, Lyle, etc. rather than how significant the wins actually were. Some will say that's fair, others will disagree; but that's basically the matter in a nutshell.

 

At the end of 1981 Cooney was both WBA and WBC #1 rated contender.

Remember he was going to fight Weaver before Holmes but Arum pulled some strings and got his fighter (can't remember who) a shot instead and he was ranked like #3 behind Cooney,

 

Agreed,

The time frame and the structure of the division was such, that Cooney was just as qualified to be a top 3 heavyweight as anyone.. Had the year been say, 1986 then it would have been a slightly different story.

 

Oviously there is always a little political movement and with Cooney the hype, the Amercian White buildup and although carefully matched, Cooney was impressive over some hand-picked fighters, Lyle,Norton,Young but Jimmy did not have the tits he had vs Ocasio....Norton got smoked but Gerry would have always been a problem for him....I have heard from inside guys Lyle was paid to insure a early KO but Lyle was spent and I dont think that was needed. IF anything hurt Gerry if was his lack of rds...8 was his max at that point and he should have been put in with a durable Cobb type to get him rds.

To answer the question, Gerry did no less than any contender at the time to gain a rating in fact he was impressive over the hand picked opponents more that can be said of many of the contenders and under-acheivers of the day.

 

I remember the WBA and/or the WBC had Norton and Young ranked at 9th or 10th in the world. This is because both guys had won victories immediatey prior to facing Cooney. Norton had decisioned Tex Cobb, and Young had kayoed John L. Gardner.

True, Norton and Young were weak links in the ratings, vulnerable and ready to go. But still, if they were rated and Cooney knocked them out, that alone would justify Cooney's high rating.

Remember: in 1980-81, rated fighters tended to avoid each other. Thus, Cooney's getting a win over a marginally rated boxer was just enough to catapult him to the top. That's how the ratings work.

 

That's another issue, too. Cooney blew Norton and Young away in the early rounds. That got people thinking that Cooney might be special.

 

Good assessment. I think Cooney deserved his ranking and the battle he gave Holmes for the title was a well contested match despite Cooney's lack of rounds.

 

James"Quick"Tillis.

 

They used to handle Howard Davis Jr. also.

 

While he was rather limited as a fighter, he did have a great hook and good heart and considering the state of the division at the time, he probably did deserve to be a top 5 contender.

 

exactly