Who is Gerry Cooney? Why is he considered a legend?

[doubleg]

ive been watching Showtime panels before the fight. I recognise most of the guys on the panel, except the white guy. Idk in the UK, never really heard poped in conversation at all. Idk if he was there for diversity sake. and he fought these people in the golden era. Just seems out of place. seem to leave a lot of people out who were great fighters in that period. idk too much about the panel but all are Hall of Famers. However seems like a black sheep there.

 

[Noveltymortar]

This isn't 1973. Google him. Then learn context.
P.S. Where is the hate button?

 

[doubleg]

This isn't 1973. Google him. Then learn context.

whoa, dude. I looked him up. most of the guys who fought don't even have wiki pages. therefore I would like context.

 

[DeJulez]

A damn good fighter.
knocked out an older Ken Norton in one round right after he KO'd Ron Lyle in one round.

 

[borntoloseNOT]

Foreman rated high very high as far as power goes, unfortunately it didn't work very well for him in their particular fight. Gerry's biggest fight was probably his highly anticipated bought with Larry Holmes who eventually got him out of there, but like someone pointed out, he had some good scalps on his resume aside from his losses.

 

[doubleg]

Foreman rated high very high as far as power goes, unfortunately it didn't work very well for him in their particular fight. Gerry's biggest fight was probably his highly anticipated bought with Larry Holmes who eventually got him out of there, but like someone pointed out, he had some good scalps on his resume aside from his losses.

tbh i think frank bruno was a better fighter. hes not on par with these guys. a lot better fighters from that era.

 

[mozfonky]

cooney was the last real big white hope, people wanted him to beat Holmes and before the fight, larry merchant recalls that he actually felt the vibe that a riot could break out, that's how much race was a factor 30 odd years ago. Cooney was very popular, probably didn't deserve some of the breaks he got, probably could have been a champion if he'd been handled better, and he probably never even wanted any of that "white hope" shit, a troubled, unstable but nonetheless, very nice man who's given back to the sport and helped fighters more than just about any other boxer I know of. He was a good fighter with a great left hook, no bum. As is being discussed in another thread about white hopes, the white hope thing is a purely american phenomenon, national/racial in nature which is my answer as to why americans generally don't care at all about the heavyweights today.

 

[mozfonky]

tbh i think frank bruno was a better fighter. hes not on par with these guys. a lot better fighters from that era.

frank was good but had a weak chin and horrible stamina. Loveable guy, gave Tyson Hell in the first fight until he tired out which you didn't have to be nostrodamus to know would happen.

 

[doubleg]

frank was good but had a weak chin and horrible stamina. Loveable guy, gave Tyson Hell in the first fight until he tired out which you didn't have to be nostrodamus to know would happen.

If they wanted a personality he would be a fit because he was a good boxer, he got a title. Ik he had a horrible chin, but he was a top guy in the golden era. A contender this Bruno. A great white hope, at least Morrison got to a title. This guy shouldn't be a hall of Famer. If they wanted to get, a white guy get chuck wepner. He was more culturally significant than this guy.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Foreman rated high very high as far as power goes, unfortunately it didn't work very well for him in their particular fight. Gerry's biggest fight was probably his highly anticipated bought with Larry Holmes who eventually got him out of there, but like someone pointed out, he had some good scalps on his resume aside from his losses.

he rates his power highly because in their bout Cooney rocks him with a left hook.

 

[mozfonky]

If they wanted a personality he would be a fit because he was a good boxer, he got a title. Ik he had a horrible chin, but he was a top guy in the golden era. A contender this Bruno. A great white hope, at least Morrison got to a title. This guy shouldn't be a hall of Famer. If they wanted to get, a white guy get chuck wepner. He was more culturally significant than this guy.

you must not have been around when the cooney holmes fight happened, it was huge and gerry had a lot of potential, he just wasn't handled well and it ruined him.

 

[doubleg]

you must not have been around when the cooney holmes fight happened, it was huge and gerry had a lot of potential, he just wasn't handled well and it ruined him.

no im 20, still larry holmes a legend this guy isn't an international superstar.

 

[Confucamus]

cooney was the last real big white hope, people wanted him to beat Holmes and before the fight, larry merchant recalls that he actually felt the vibe that a riot could break out, that's how much race was a factor 30 odd years ago. Cooney was very popular, probably didn't deserve some of the breaks he got, probably could have been a champion if he'd been handled better, and he probably never even wanted any of that "white hope" shit, a troubled, unstable but nonetheless, very nice man who's given back to the sport and helped fighters more than just about any other boxer I know of. He was a good fighter with a great left hook, no bum. As is being discussed in another thread about white hopes, the white hope thing is a purely american phenomenon, national/racial in nature which is my answer as to why americans generally don't care at all about the heavyweights today.

Cooney rejected that “Great White Hope” label. He famously said he wanted to be the “Great Red, White, and Blue Hope”. Very troubled guy who had his demons, but was a tough as balls fighter who just wasn’t elite. Very likeable though.

The “Great White Hope” thing is just marketing. Everyone knows that’s what a large portion of the public who held racist views was calling whichever white guy could beat Jack Johnson. But the media just likes to inject race into situations where it has no relevance to get ratings. Just look at the war on police going on nowadays.

Sucks Cooney couldn’t shake that label. He deserved better.

 

[mozfonky]

Cooney rejected that “Great White Hope” label. He famously said he wanted to be the “Great Red, White, and Blue Hope”. Very troubled guy who had his demons, but was a tough as balls fighter who just wasn’t elite. Very likeable though.

The “Great White Hope” thing is just marketing. Everyone knows that’s what a large portion of the public who held racist views was calling whichever white guy could beat Jack Johnson. But the media just likes to inject race into situations where it has no relevance to get ratings. Just look at the war on police going on nowadays.

Sucks Cooney couldn’t shake that label. He deserved better.

sure, it was all marketing, both holmes and cooney didn't really like that but they sure took the money. I'm listening to cooney now, he say on the panel that he actually had a black great grandma. He also admits that his management fucked up his developement as a fighter. with better handling who knows? The holmes fight was one of holmes' better, tougher defenses when he was in his prime, that counts for something. Holmes thought cooney would be able to come back, he couldn't.

 

[actjac]

I attended the Cooney vs Holmes fight. . . It was and still is the highest attended boxing match in Las Vegas history (outdoors behind Caesars Palace) with probably more celebrities and stars in attendance than any event ever prior to Mayweather/Pacquiao. . . .The only fight I remember where the champion was introduced first and the challenger last. . . . a HUGE event hyped by Don King and Dennis Rappaport. Both undefeated big men with Cooney a legitimate punchers chance via a deadly left hook.

 

[actjac]

you must not have been around when the cooney holmes fight happened, it was huge and gerry had a lot of potential, he just wasn't handled well and it ruined him.

However he (like Holmes) invested money well. . . . among other things Cooney bought and sold several minor league baseball teams.

 

[mozfonky]

However he (like Holmes) invested money well. . . . among other things Cooney bought and sold several minor league baseball teams.

that's always great to hear, maybe only 10 percent of the guys of that era live off the money they made then, hagler is ok, mancini has never complained about money, foreman is one of the richest fighters ever, not all of them had the smarts or good people around them to help. they say bad investments are the number one reason athletes go broke, they need help to realize what is bad and what isn't.