i know everybody is going to take the **** but the question is if cooney was around today would he be considered wlads biggest threat personally i think he has a good chance
Cooney at his best (I believe) has a chance as well. If you were to look at his fights with Jimmy Young, Ron Lyle and Larry Holmes you can see the guy has toughness and has some underrated attributes. Larry Holmes, following their fight said that he believed Cooney would eventually win the title. He felt that Cooney's jab was a lot better than anyone knew and that Cooney could take some damn good shots without folding. That fight in Vegas for the title was after Cooney had been inactive for over a year. His last fight prior was a blowout of Norton. They fought in swealtering heat, having trained to go fifteen rounds. As a kid I got to see some of Cooney's sparring sessions. He was brutal on sparring partners. Not maliciously, but his power was tough to deal with. I remember Victor Valle on several occasions yelling to Gerrty to lighten up. Cooney FOLLOWING this fight was never mentally the same and he lost a lot of desire. Versus Wlad we would see that they were the same height. Wlad is a bit heavier but if he were training to go fifteen he would come in around the same weight as Cooney I would guess. Wlad has a great jab but not near what Larry Holmes possessed. Wlad has a heavy right hand but doesn't deliver it with the same speed as Holmes. If Cooney lands that hook cleanly, ANYONE is in trouble. This would (in my mind) be an excellent matchup and Cooney could very well be the main adversary to Wlad's title or vice versa.
Yes. Don't let anyone re-write history on cooney- he was considered a huge threat. Its just that they threw him in there with an ATG champ without even making sure he had the rounds under his belt. I am a Holmes guy, and think he would have won no matter what, but if they had had Cooney fight more frequently, agaisnt the Ossie Occasio types who could give him some rounds, he might have made a better showing, kept his confidence, and gone on to have a good career. The size and hook tell the story, but most people don't remember that in the amatuers, he was actually cosnidered to have very good chin. I think the drugs, alchol, and lack of carring/training made him physically frail.
Cooney had potential, however, he was misguided in his career...... If the same inactive Cooney were fighting today, he'd be killed by the "K" brothers just the same as Larry Holmes, Spinks & Foreman offed Cooney boy...... :bbb:deal MR.BILL
I had always heard Cooney was rough with sparring partners and he always claimed he could not get good sparring that they would all run from him and he could not prepare for his fights. I always thought Victor Valle was the wrong trainer for Cooney and don't get me started on his management they were idiots. Maybe some of this is looking back in hindsight but there was no excuse for Cooney to have been inactive for 13 months going into the Holmes fight in the Las Vegas heat. That was idiotic.
Cooney would be super, super dangerous for Wlad. He's taller than Wlad which would neutralize much of Wlad's advantages and the left hook of Cooney is the biggest threat. The left hook is one of the punches I think Wlad may be a bit suseptible to, and Cooneys had ATG power. I'd pick Wlad over Cooney though, mostly due to power. Cooneys durability never imo was his strong point and against a guy who has an ATG right hand and the jab to make him tentative this would spell doom.
Cooney had that dangerous left hand. Be sure Wlad and Steward would design a gameplan to continuously move to his left like he did against Chagaev. Cooney had a swiss cheese defense Wlad would exploit from the opening belll too. I reckon Wlad would dominate with Cooney now and again landing a leaping right hand to the body. Mid-round stoppage for Wlad.
Yes. I know they were all about the money and had little confidence in Cooney but he was not ready for a long grueling fight with Holmes. I don't think he would have ever beat Holmes but he could have put up a better fight if he had more seasoning. They should have taken a fight or maybe 2 before Holmes.
Interesting matchup. For once, Wlad will be fighting a guy his own size and just as importantly a guy that carries as much and arguably even more power. Wlad's usual schtick of jab and right hand won't be quite so effective against someone who can reach him at any time. Cooney had some nice natural gifts but he seemed to lose his way after the loss to Holmes. Larry needed to be very good that night against Gerry and he was, although he had to pull through some uncomfortable moments. I see Wlad's jab dictating much of the action, but once Cooney starts digging with that left things will become very interesting. I suppose the majority would be picking Wlad and so would I, although it's not a very confident pick to be honest.
Big difference between 6'7 Gerry Cooney and a fat, injury and disease ridden Chagaev who looked like garbage in his previous 2 fights and was giving up nearly half a foot in height. Cooney fought to the end against an ATG who was out for blood, he sure as heck wouldn't be content to stand on the end of his jab like every opponent he's had in the best couple years. Wlad was timid to let his hands go against Ruslan, imagine what he'd be like against Cooney. I picked Wlad but it would be tough.
All the b-minus fighters of yesteryear are A+ in this day and age. I didn't know the old folks homes had wifi.
