I dont think Calamity Cooney could beat Jethro, much less keep standing after tasting Maxie Seniors "killer" right!#&/%€(?$
Nothing wrong with picking Cooney, but early KO is highly unlikely against Baer. Even Louis hit him with everything he could and Baer simply refused to get up, he was still fully aware of the situation. Cooney isn't half of the puncher Louis was in terms of delivery and quickness. Nobody other even came close to stopping Baer early. Watch two Nova fights - Maxie was past his prime and took huge beating but he sustained it for a very long time and in the first fight he wasn't close to being KD either.
We are looking at two different levels of fighter here. Cooney never beat a single opponent who was ranked in the top ten by Ring Magazine at the time of the win. I get it that Baer was not the greatest lineal champion, but he was beating guys ranked in the top ten on a regular basis, over a number of years. Even if Baer had never held the title, he would still have been a standout among the contenders of the era. Obviously we don't know what would happen, but I can't see any justification for making Cooney the favorite. He seems to have every single variable working against him, both qualitatively, and stylistically!
Cooney was far more technically sound, had more boxing skill and ability and was a much faster starter .. Baer had the much better chin .. both guys could break bones .. it is really a matter of who hurts who first .. if Cooney fought his pre-Holmes best like against a Jimmy Young I can see his hook caving in Baer's tiny waist but I can also see Baer clipping him with a right and doing a number .. I'd pick Gerry but would not bet It ..
I would put my duckets on Cooney but I'll say Baer so that everyone thinks I'm the smartest guy in the room.
Both of them could punch pretty good, but ... Cooney was chinless. Holmes had him all over the place with a single stiff right hand but chose to play it cautious and wear him down over the rounds. Baer was crude as hell but at least had a granite head. I can't see chinny Cooney winning against Baer. He was big and cumbersome enough to present himself as an easy target and Baer would just swing away until he hit the jackpot.
This content is protected This is what Baer could do to hard hitting, big and durable guy. And Cooney wasn't durable.
I disagree. Cooney was faster. Cooney was bigger. Cooney was a better combination puncher. Cooney had far better overall skills. I find the whole post off. It is simply a matter if Baer catches him before he is caught. It's a tough call.
I don't see it at all. He had definitely slower feet. Maybe in terms of handspeed and it's still a huge maybe. Baer was very fast for his size and there was nothing wrong with his handspeed. Depends on how you define "skills".
Most of the people that Baer beat had certain advantages over him on paper. He had a system going that worked, and he had the results to prove it. It is not really a matter of who catches who first, because Baer is two orders of magnitude more durable, and proved his power against guys who could fight back. I could understand people picking Cooney, if he had beaten a couple of legitimate contenders of the day, like Weaver or Coetze say, but he didn't.