That wasn't prime Page and you know it. Witherspoon had a somewhat similar style to Wills, but was much better and Greg easily went the distance with him. Page fought Wills in 86 after a succession of tough fights with Withespoon, Coetzee and Buster Douglas. And he fought Berbick, Tllis and Snipes before that. And he wasn't stopped in any fight before Wills. The significance of the first Wills fight is low, and the second one even lower. As for Cooney, he never beat a legitimate top 10 contender. Norton was way past it and Lyle even moreso. Eddie Gregg was rated but had already been stopped by James Broad. Jimmy Young was coming off losses to Ossie Occasio and Michael Dokes. At least Page consistently faced tough competition. And, I know Cooney beat Young before Page did, but Page consistently faced quality opposition after the Young fight.
You have absolutely no clue about context. Someone with no knowledge of boxing could look at box rec and post the exact same drivel you spewed in that post. Fortunately, I picked your post apart already.
Tex couldn't punch a lick and Norton barely beat him. Shavers pounded on Texs concrete chin but nothing happened and he gassed out. Shavers blew out Norton.. Styles make fights. Your argument that Cooney would beat Page because Norton beat Cobb and then Cooney beat Norton, who already had a reputation of getting destroyed early by big punchers, is king of laughable. I am not even sure Gerry could beat Cobb. What happens after 5 rounds and Gerry has unloaded the kitchen sink and Tex is standing there laughing. You have to look at each match-up. Page had the mobility to frustrate Cooney, to take him to deep waters like Holmes did. He isn't going to stand there like the two immobile old men Lyle and Norton did and let Gerry take target practice. And if he does trade a bit his much faster hands should beat Cooney to the punch. And Page had power, more than Holmes. It's not inconceivable that he hurts Cooney. I favor Greg by decision though.
What year was this "prime" of Greg Page? He lost fairly consistently from 1982 ON. In 1986, Greg Page got wasted by Mark Wills, a journeyman with a 5-5 record. Two weeks earlier, Cooney knocked out the WBC's #9/WBA's #3 contender Eddie Gregg in about 90 seconds. In December 1984, after Page lost the only two fights he had earlier that year, Page scored a shocking one-punch win over Coetzee - in a round that should've ended a full minute earlier. That same month, Cooney knocked out George Chaplin (who fought Page on even terms twice and went 10 with Coetzee) in two rounds. In 1982, when Cooney lost for the first time against the best heavyweight on the planet and a first ballot Hall of Famer Larry Holmes (in Holmes' prime), about an hour earlier, Page got knocked around from pillar to post and hammered against Trevor Berbick, who will never be in the Hall of Fame. When was this "prime" Page that was so dominant? Was it in 1981 when Cooney was destroying Norton in like 50 seconds while Page was struggling to eake out a 12-round split decision against Chaplin in their second fight? Was it in 1980 when Cooney was tearing Jimmy Young's face off and breaking Ron Lyle's rib, and Page was struggling to win a 10-round majority decision against Chaplin? Enough of this Greg Page nonsense. Page's style was all wrong to beat Cooney. Head exposed. Hands low. Sucker for a left hook. No way in hell Page wins. And Page's best win, the Coetzee fight, was a total fluke. It was Page's ONLY win during a five-fight span from 1984 to 1986 (he went 1-4). And in any other time in history, a champ who lost his title at the 4-minute mark of a round would've been given an immediate return. But Page, true to form, lost his first title defense and the belt, rendering a rematch pointless. Page NEVER beats Cooney. Not in 1986. Not in 1984. Not in 1982. Not in 1981. Not in 1980. Not ever.
Styles do make fights. And Page's style was tailor-made for Cooney. Page fought NOTHING like Larry Holmes. Holmes didn't hold his head forward with his arms at his sides and make it easy for even ordinary people to knock him cold, like Page did.
I watched all those fights live. I know about context and that era in particular. I don't know how anyone could watch Greg Page and say he'd take Cooney into deep waters "like Holmes." Good Lord.
Yep. He put up a hell of a fight against an ATG. A living legend. What's Coetzee a guy that had a short time at the top. Who cares if he won a strap. Cooney was the better fighter
Page had taken the best right hands of Coetzee (who many considered the best right hand puncher in the division) and assumed command of the fight. Fluke
Yes. Fluke. He lost two fights in a row. Got a title shot when David Bey wouldn't go to South Africa. Knocked out Coetzee at 3:58 seconds of the eighth round (nearly a full minute after the round had officially ended). And then lost three of his next four (including his first title defense). Yes. Fluke. His biggest win came when they should've been standing in their corners after a minute's rest ready to start the ninth. That's what you're hanging your hat on? Ignoring ALL of Page's losses. Ignoring how his style was all wrong to defeat Cooney. You think because he beat Coetzee he'd beat Cooney? Because they were so similar? Brilliant. Final round begins at the start of the clip. This content is protected
Greg Page never beat a Hall of Famer. Greg Page never lost to a Hall of Famer. Because Greg Page never fought a Hall of Famer. Everyone Page fought in his long career has been eligible for a Hall of Fame for a long time, and none of them are in there. In an abbreviated career, Gerry Cooney fought FOUR Hall of Famers. He beat ONE, by brutal KO. Cooney was better than Greg Page the whole time both were active. Page doesn't possess the style, the power, anything that would say he beats Cooney. Nothing.
Fwiw, their common opponent is Jimmy Young (who also was the most capable fighter Cooney beat). I thought Cooney did a good job in that fight although I've seen posters on here say they thought Young was getting into it when it was stopped. Page beat him by a few points two years later (I haven't watched it).
I think Cooney would stop Page in 82 or earlier. I don't trust Cooney's ability to go rounds at all past 82, so I think Page would probably tko him in the mid to late rounds after losing the first few, post 82.
As a previous poster said, Gerry was MIA in 83 so we'll never have known. They should have fought and...what does Cooney do after a credible performance against Larry? Not fight for two years?? He should have jumped right back in, at least, 6-8 months later against a top 5 contender, then another and, by mid 83 he'd of been clamoring for a rematch with Larry, rightfully so. But, oh...the "I love money and have zilch under my left t I t" 'could have been but turned out to be a wannabe' retired for two years.
How he got there doesn't matter at all. The fact is he pole axed Gerrie in his home country of all places in an arena almost totally in support of Coetzee. As for the 3.58, wasn't it 3.48???? Both fighters fought under the same conditions. Page had gained the upper hand after soaking up the best right hands that Coetzee could offer and dropping him the previous round. Page was the better man on the night, it's as simple as that. Winning any version of the title is something Cooney certainly never accomplished. The better man, simple. As for hanging my hat i am hanging my hat on a lot more that that. At least Page has victories over top flight heavyweights of the time, Cooney most certainly doesn't. It's a lot better than hanging my hat on a demolition of an old tired over the hill ex contender along with a couple of other corpses. Wrong in your opinion. Page was a lot bigger and a lot better than anyone Cooney ever beat and they actually had the same reach. Page's quick snapping jab and long powerful right hand as well as handspeed would have been a huge danger. He took one helluva punch all the way up to Wills too. Cooney didn't fight front line contenders or live bodies so he was hardly going to lose to them. The sheer fact of the matter is that the best three guys he faced all pole axed him. Did i say that? Page would beat him because he was a better fighter, certainly on a good night. Cooney beat no-one and has to be held up via a loss. Truth be told Weaver, Snipes and Witherspoon all come closer to besting Holmes than Cooney ever did.
