How and Why did Spinks put such a brutal beating on Cooney!?

Brains over brawn.

And the far superior corner. Futch was a guy that was going to probe holes in Cooney's game. And he had a top notch student and disciple that listened and obeyed.

I didn't like the fight at the time becuase I thought Spinks should have been matching up against better opposition like Tucker or Carl Williams or those guys. Not a dug up Cooney. At that Time, I'm not sure that 87 version of Gerry would have been winning fights agianst Tucker. Or the Truth. Or Bruno even. Hell, Berbick or Bonecrusher would have been a disaster. Let alone the juggernaut version of Mike Tyson at the time--he'd have gone thru that version of Cooney in about 90 seconds.

So it was a nice win by Spinks, but that was a bad bad cut he had in there. Guys with boxing smarts would have gone on to win via tko stoppage with that kind of opening. Even a Tyrell Biggs at the time could and maybe would have got the tko victory. Gerry was just slugging away as always and once hurt, he has no bag of tricks to turn to. he has survival skills like Frank Bruno and once he's ready to go, he goes.

 

Always thought that one Cooney's biggest problems was having Victor Valle as his lead trainer.

As for the Spinks fight, Cooney was no way ready to fight. Following Spinks around the ring eating power jabs and right hands without ever letting his hands go.

 

Spinks great defence was a great offence, Cooney was by now still drinking and doing the coke which was pretty well known in certain circles in NY. Spinks had had his number, Cooney during moments in this fight had Spinks hurt but he just at admired his work. Spinks would get out of trouble very quick. Spinks had said, Cooney had hurt him few times with the left hook and he looked at Cooney he could tell he wanted this real bad.

 

Cooney was in shambles by the time he faced Spinks. His workouts were bending his elbow to get the alcohol into his mouth and bending over to do lines of coke. He was not in a good mental state, either. There was no way he'd be 100% focussed or ready for the fight and it showed when he finally got into the ring.

To win, Spinks basically needed to avoid Cooney's ever dangerous left hook and pop him with combinations and Gerry would quickly lose confidence, as he did.

The Cooney of 1982 on back would've had a much more interesting and close fight with Spinks.

 

^ the cooney of 82 wouldve broken Mike in half. Mike is the better man but cooney hits too hard

lookit how long he lasted w Tyson just by him pressing the fight. u think Gerry couldnt do the same?

 

Cooney never learned how to clinch when hurt. I also think Valle did not develop Cooney properly but some say Cooney was the issue not Valle.

I think Cooney would have been better off with a different trainer. Gil Clancy said he had to spend most of his time training Cooney for the Foreman fight teaching him stuff he should have already known and de-programming him of things Valle taught him.

 

Considering he was a one armed fighter it is amazing. He had savage power in that left hand. He was a wasted talent he could have been far better had he been developed properly.

Poor management, inactivity, handpicked opponents, and a second rate trainer killed him.

 

it was his managers' fault for protecting him, not letting his risk fights with so much as washed up Joe Bugner. under better management, would probably beaten the rest - Weaver, fat, blubbery Page & Tubbs, nothing much Coetzee, and cocaine addict M. Dokes. Berbick had a decent shot at beating him

 

Cooney had called Spinks an "Uncle Tom" and a gorilla. He said he was the white man's fighter and that he was stupid and ugly. Spinks' kids were being mercilessly hounded at school. It turned his entire family upside down. He had loaned Cooney money once when he was hard-up for cash. He helped Cooney get his boxing license back. He thought they were friends. The fight was years in the making because of one of the most intense public demands known to the history of the pugilist fights. Spinks grew to hate Cooney more than any man alive. He savaged Cooney with that left hook but he couldn't knock him out. He won widely. At one point, Cooney said "You can't defeat me. I AM GOD." and Spinks just snarled at him and said "God, you're in the wrong place tonight." bashed his brains in with that left hook. He even knocked him down once, which almost no one ever did to a mature Cooney. Really one of the greatest fights ever recorded, but a shame that was the back story. Anyway, that's why Spinks did Cooney in like that. Hate and pride. And the heart of a champion.