Frank Bruno Vs Gerry Cooney - 1984. Wembley Arena?

You gave a far better explanation of my take on Frank, which has been: “Make sure no one whispers in his ear that this is a big fight (especially one against a well-regarded American).” Because if he sensed that, he’d tighten up so bad it must have taken a team of masseuses a month to untangle him after.

Cooney had his anxieties, too, but I think the Holmes fight demonstrates that he dealt with them better as far as performance.

Gerry TKO 6.

 

Interesting match up.
Bruno was a Chinny robotic fighter with mediocre stamina
Cooney was a savage puncher who lacked confidence and was a fast starter who went 13 rounds with Prime Holmes.
I think Cooney gets a robotic Bruno out of there early. BUT and it is a big BUT I would not be shocked if Cooney somehow managed to choke and snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

I don’t get this Bruno was fearful and frightened before fights.
The only time this was the case was in the second Tyson fight for whatever reason Bruno just looked beaten before he started, I never saw any evidence of this in any of his other big fights the first Tyson fight included.
As for a Cooney fight I’d take Bruno here.
I don’t see Cooney as the dig deep opponent who survives Bruno’s first half fight onslaughts of the ilk of Lewis, Witherspoon and Smith.
I think he folds and Bruno stops him before half way.

 

I grew up on Bruno. I cheered him on. But the bottom line is The only live opponents Frank ever fought always wound up beating him.

It’s fine for prospects to blow away the fall guys but having to concentrate in working out how not to let a live opponent force him to fight their fight was never quite achieved until he had before him the disillusioned Oliver McCall right at the end of his career.

Against a real live guy Frank just never had the nerve to dominate him and fight his fight.

Bruno stressed out on the big occasion. His first important bout was Smith. He should have won that.

Smith had less fights and had been beaten by James Broad on his debut. But nerves still got the better of Frank. It prevented him from fighting to his strengths.

adopting an unfamiliar safety first strategy he was unable to carry it out. The next live opponent was Witherspoon. To beat him Frank again had to adapt. But he set the wrong pace, got too involved inside and was not used to being hit quite so much.

He did not have to be fearful or frightened to fail these fights. But he did tense up and leave his A game behind each time. He really did.

There is the argument he psychologically fell apart both times. The first time going into the tenth round. The second time for going into the 11th round. Mental barriers he had not crossed. He almost flunked going out into the 12th round against MCCall.

probably his most well rounded wins were over Bugner and Truth Williams. But those guys were too over the hill for Frank to ever replicate that against a good fighter.

Against Lewis he could never maintain it. The stress and pressure of keeping it up depleted him because it was totally beyond him to maintain it against someone who was his equal. Another psychological collapse.

Against Tyson Frank could not get off. Different level. He didn’t quit. That’s all.

 

I get what you’re saying and I certainly know Frank’s limitations but just because he physically blew up and gassed doesn’t mean it was a mental thing.

 

Well Frank Bruno is not considered a senior citizen yet in 1984, Gerry Cooney likes to feast on old relics, I am surprised. Ha Ha, Lol.

 

So true, Bruno and Cooney would make a good tag team, they are called The Relic Chompers, Ha, Ha, Lol. They love to be cash cows.

 

Their drink of choice is Geritol, Lol.

 

I think it was. It was well a shared opinion during his career that if Frank could mentally get it right then he couldn’t be beat. He had immense pressures. Which is probably true of most world class fighters that don’t make it to champion.