Gerry Cooney vs Joe Bugner prime for prime

About lyle, lyle was past his prime and bugner was in his prime and still lyle won. I think that this fight would be close. PRIME VS PRIME, Early /cooney, if this go to the distance i pick bugner by decision. BUGNER HAD BETTER CHIN AND COONEY MORE HITTING POWER.

 

its Cooney by late stopage with Bugner still on his feet.

 

Cooney by KO within 8 rds...

MR.BILL

 

Bugner is exactly the type of dude that Cooney could feast on...

"The Bug" was a decent boxer; never great... I see Cooney walking him down and ending Bug's night with a wicked hook or two...

MR.BILL

 

The pre 1983 Cooney was healthy and a dangerous dude at heavyweight. he had talent and potential... He was a real top-10 contender.... Cooney's success and failure entailed his managers... The big $10 million dollar payday of 1982 is what ruined Cooney as a fighter... As for the fight against Holmes, Cooney fought well and was tuff / game...

Had Cooney never got spoiled with the big money, he'd have been forced to fight way more often...

MR.BILL

 

This, imo, is a real tough one to call.

With this match, a lot depends on which Bugner turns up. Joe could sometimes go into a defensive shell. It's quite possible that Joe tastes Gerry's power early on, doesn't like it, then becomes very defensive and boxes to survive. This could lead to Gerry dictating the pace of the contest, so Cooney's questionable stamina might not come into play. However, it's also possible that even in this scenario, Cooney could still fade and Bugner, realising this, comes on strong, but too little too late and Gerry hangs on for a close decision.

On the other hand, if Joe "fancies it" from the start, uses his solid jab and sound defensive skills to offset Gerry's offense, he could outpoint Gerry or stop a fading Cooney late.

The thing with Cooney is, I don't think we ever saw the best of him, I believe in one respect he was actually badly managed - not from a business point of view, obviously, but from the point of view that the way which he was undermatched pre-Holmes meant he never became battle hardened - I think this happens with a lot of punchers. Bugner, with a big number of professional rounds, was battle hardened.

As the thread asks the question of what would happen prime for prime, I go with Bugner's experience winning out just, but he probably has to get off the floor to do so, but grits his teeth to win narrowly on points. But I think Cooney comes out of it a better, more experienced fighter.

This is the sort of learning match up Cooney needed earlier in his career prior to fighting an ATG champion at the peak of his powers!

 

bugner could and would beat cooney

 

Bugner was a strange man. He had talent and drive when he wanted it. Mostly he fought only as hard as he had too. Frazier brought the best out of him because bugner was fighting for his life to stay with Frazier but that is all buner ever wanted to do -"stay" with them. Bugner would not push that extra bit if that extra bit was beyond his own comfort zone regardles of how close he could take a great fighter to the edge.

cooney would have developed into a beter fighter if he fought a few joe bugners. He never did so it is hard to rate cooney against even respected contenders. Do we rate gerry on his potential or on how he did when he had everything his own way? Cooney had things his own way a bit too much.

as beeb says gerry never got battlehardened because he went out to win early and things went his way. Other fighters at that time didnt do that, there were a lot of low rent ali clones around then who wanted rounds. I rate cooney as a guy with a lot of talent and desire, he went for it against holmes when a lot of guys like page and tubbs would have tried to get by with tricks had they got the chance. Most talented guys knew not to take the fight to Holmes even guys who did well against him.

 

the only chance of gerry cooney was early. after of 6 rounds it is all of bugner, he had a very good chin and the power of any fighter is not equal after of 6 rounds. and cooney would not have the habitual GREAT advantage in height, bugner was 6,4 and cooney 6,6, bugner was much bigger and stronger, he was more solid, cooney was a skinny really,bugner weighed 230 pounds in less height, and cooney 224 in 6´6. and cooney had a weak chin, bugner might well ko him.