Gerry Cooney vs Joe Walcott

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As long as it's not the alcoholic version of Cooney from the Spinks fight, I go with Gerry by ko in 3.

 

Jersey Joe was skillful, more so than Cooney, but he did take chances and leave him self vulnerable.
Marciano took 13 round to Ko Joe, I see Cooney with his size and weight advantage taking less.
Cooney by Ko 6.
Scores at time of stoppage are
Walcott 4 Cooney 1
Walcott 3 Cooney 2
Walcott 3 Cooney 2
Cooney has a point deducted in the second round for a low blow.
Cooney seemed to be struggling for much of the fight, due to Walcott s unusual style.
Cooney went to the body and was warned several times by the ref, with a point deducted in the second.
Walcott was looking more comfortable and confident as the fight progressed, so the end came as a shock.
Walcott came in, shuffling his feet and with his gloves low, when Cooney struck him hard and fast, with a pulverizing left hook.
Poor Joe went down, face forward and was literally out cold several minutes.

 

Jersey joe walcott??
The one who Outclassed Joe Louis in their first fight?!!!
Well i pick this version to outpoints Cooney or even knocks him out. Walcott also has some serious power in these hands (Rocky said Walcott hit him harder than any opponent he has ever stepped in the ring with, including Joe Louis!!)
Though i agree with Fergy a bit, i certainly think if he screw up and leave himself vulnerable like he did most of the time, this would be a bad night for him!!

 

Just lay down until the feeling goes away!

 

Walcott via wide decision see his movement disrupting Conney's rhythm and avoiding big shots and constantly countering him and keeping him off balance. Cooney of course has a punchers chance but Walcott shows his class and gets the job done.

 

Cooney's a big guy and he'd be a tall order for Walcott. The only man who Joe fought of comparable physical stature in both height and weight was Abe Simon, who IMO was not as athletic as Cooney. Walcott was kayoed in the eighth by Simon in December 1940. You can talk all you want about Walcott being underfed early in his career, but it won't wash here. Joe weighed 192-1/2 against Simon compared with 194-1/2 when he first fought Louis for the title. Jersey Joe never demonstrated that he could beat anyone of Cooney's size and skill at any time in his career. Also, Walcott was an inconsistent performer. I respect Joe's skill and I love to watch him fight, but I see his chances against Cooney at no better than 50-50. To me, it's roughly analogous to the two Jack Sharkey-Primo Carnera bouts. Sharkey was more clever and skilled, but he had to be constantly on his best behavior against the much bigger and stronger Carnera. Sharkey won the first fight by decision, but it was almost inevitable that if Jack fought Primo over the course of enough rounds, Jack was going to get out-muscled and kayoed eventually. Hindsight I admit, but that's that the way it turned out.

Joe would be walking a tightrope all night long.

 

Walcott lost well over a dozen times. He blew hot and subzero cold. That man is overrated. There is also going to be a gargantuan difference in size. It'll be competitive but I'm going to go against the grain and pick Cooney by mid round KO

 

I'd go with Walcott but Cooney at his best could score a KO if Walcott slipped up.

 

I remember that this fight was discussed for about a week right after Cooney dispatched of Norton. Jones and Rappaport were looking for a new angle to get Gerry and themselves more publicity and more money. "We're tired of just fighting ancient former contenders," Mike Jones stated.

"We want the ANCIENTIST former CHAMPION we can get," Dennis Rappaport added. "When Gerry beats a former CHAMPION, the public will be primed for a Cooney-Weaver or Cooney-Holmes fight."

The search was on. Joe Louis was rejected due to his recent death, Ingemar Johansson was rejected for being too Scandinavian, Floyd Patterson was rejected because he was too fast, and finally 67 year old Jersey Joe Walcott was settled on. Negotiations were beginning when the bout was nixed by Cooney's trainer, Victor Valle.

"I'm not lettin' Gerry fight Walcott! I've seen him in the ring many times. Too cagey. He's gonna confuse Gerry. Did you know Walcott never even gave Liston a count!?!? Confusing! Nope. No Walcott!" said Valle when he was asked to comment on his decision.

Other opponents and potential fights were mentioned, including one with WBA CHAMPION Mike Weaver, but nothing actually happened until WBC CHAMPION Larry Holmes got sick of listening to Don King and agreed to fight the undeserving, in his view, Gerry Cooney. "He never even beat any former CHAMPIONS!" Holmes complained.

 

Thank you for chronicling an era of boxing. Great writing indeed and what is needed in this forum. I remember Valle rejected Rubin Olivares the same way in 1978. Even old just come backing Bugner was considered to have too ferocious a killer instinct in 81& 82. Shavers fought him in May 82 and stopped him in 2.

 

This is one of those matchups were one fighter is considerably more skilled than the other but due to the huge size difference it's a toss up fight. Walcott stands in front of Gerry for any moment he could get zapped. As KasmirKid said Joe would be walking a tight rope all night.

 

Think if Cooney had Tex's ability to take a punch & Joe FRAZIER's love of violent exchanges. If he actually loved fighting and wanted to often with those 2 attributes.

 

There's NO way I'm picking Cooney in this fight. IMHO, at the very LEAST, Walcott wins a decision, assuming Cooney doesn't gas out before the final bell.