Don't know if this has been done before but is this a winnable fight for Cooney? Berbick was durable and would be a stiffer test than shot versions of Ken Norton and Ron Lyle.
This is the type of match Gerry Cooney needed circa 1981. Berbick was a tough up and coming entity in his prime and it would have answered a lot of questions about Cooney’s true abilities. anything could have happened here but I’m leaning towards Gerry by stoppage. While Trevor could punch he wasn’t an elite banger and nor was he the boxer that Holmes was. He was certainly durable but could also be stopped. Cooney’s fast starting ability along with his height, reach and power might have given him the edge he needed
I definitely agree with you,Magoo about this being the sort of bout that Cooney's people should have been chasing up in 1981 after Gerry beat Ken Norton. Gerry could nail Trevor early on. If not then it becomes a competitive fight with either man capable of winning.
Coney is still an unknown quantity, he fought Holmes, then took 2 years out of the ring, came back, fought some guy and a journeyman, then took another 2 years out and fought someone else before fighting Spinks, and that was that for his career, so he wasted 4 years of what should have been his prime, and we never seen what his level was, and against guys like Berbick, who wasn’t elite, but was world level, it’s hard to predict how Cooney would’ve done, in his prime he fought gatekeepers and an elite fighter, no inbetween.
Berbick could be caught early so there is a chance Cooney could blow away Berbick early before he gets warmed up. But if Berbick can survive the early onslaught then i think it would be a very rough night for Cooney.
This post is spot on and represents the conundrum we face with fantasy Cooney fights. I can imagination Cooney getting Berbick out of there early. I can also imagine Berbick crowding and bullying him to a decision loss or death by 1000 cuts. The splinters are killing me.
