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Gerald Arthur Cooney "Cooney Has Bright New Visions Says Bad times Behind Him as He Gears up to Fight Spinks". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 23, 2018. (born August 24, 1956) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1990. He challenged twice for world heavyweight titles in 1982 and 1987. He is widely regarded as one of the hardest punchers in heavyweight history. He beat Ken Norton and S. T. Gordon and Ron Lyle and Jimmy Young late in their careers. He boasts an 85.7% knockout to win percentage.
Cooney trained at the Huntington Athletic Club in Long Island, New York, where his trainer was John Capobianco. His amateur record consisted of 55 wins and 3 losses.
When he turned professional, Cooney signed with co-managers Mike Jones and Dennis Rappaport. He was trained by Victor Valle.SIVAULT 06/02/1980, New York Daily News Archives, SIVAULT 04/19/1982, New York Daily News Archives
By 1980, Cooney was being featured on national television. Stepping up, he beat one-time title challengers Jimmy Young and Ron Lyle, both by '.' The Young fight was stopped because of cuts sustained by Young.Boxing 101, "Gerry Cooney vs. Jimmy Young: VHS Classic Rewind", May 25, 2012 By then Cooney was ranked number 1 by the WBC and eager for a match with champion Larry Holmes.
In 1981, he defeated former world heavyweight champion Ken Norton by a knockout just 54 seconds into the first round with a blisteringly powerful attack.Boxing 101, "Gerry Cooney vs. Ken Norton: VHS Classic Rewind", May 31, 2012 This tied the record set in 1948 by Lee Savold for the quickest knockout in a main event in Madison Square Garden. Since his management team was unwilling to risk losing a big future pay day with Holmes by having him face another viable fighter, Cooney did not fight for 13 months after defeating Norton.Boxing 101, "Gerry Cooney, Still A Gentleman 30 Years Later: Part One - The Championship Fight", April 30, 2012
The following year, Holmes agreed to fight him with the fight held June 11, 1982. With a purse of ten million dollars for the challenger, it was the richest fight in boxing history to that time. The promotion of the fight took on racial overtones that were exaggerated by the promoters, something Cooney did not agree with. He believed that skill, not race, should determine if a boxer was good. However, if Cooney won, he would have become the first white world heavyweight champion since Swede Ingemar Johansson defeated Floyd Patterson 23 years earlier. Don King called Cooney "The Great White Hope." The bout, held June 11, 1982 drew attention worldwide, and Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney was one of the biggest closed-circuit/pay-per-view productions in history, broadcast to over 150 countries.
Cooney was knocked down briefly in the second round, and was fined three points for repeated groin attack against Holmes. After 12 rounds, Holmes finally wore him down. In round 13, Cooney's trainer Victor Valle stepped into the ring, forcing the referee to stop the fight. Two of the three judges would have had Cooney ahead after the 12th round if it weren't for the point deductions. Holmes and Cooney became friends after the fight, a relationship that endured for them. On December 14, 1982, Cooney fought Harold Rice, the heavyweight champion of Connecticut, in a four-round bout. No winner was declared, so Cooney told the crowd following the bout: "This is only an exhibition. I'm sorry if I disappointed anybody. I'm trying to work myself back in shape so I can knock out Larry Holmes. Everything is OK. I felt a little rusty, but that is normal. It has been a while. I felt good in front of the people." Boxing: Cooney rusty in exhibition match, Lowell Sun, December 15, 1982, p. 56.
After a long layoff, Cooney fought in September, 1984, beating Phillip Brown by a 4th-round knockout in Anchorage, Alaska. He fought once more that year and won, but personal problems kept him out of the ring.Boxing 101, "Gerry Cooney, Still A Gentleman 30 Years Later: Part Two - Life After Boxing", May 1, 2012,
Although Cooney had only fought three official bouts in five years following his loss to Holmes, in 1987 he challenged former world heavyweight and world light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks in a title bout. Cooney appeared past his prime and Spinks, boxing carefully with constant sharp counters, knocked him out in round 5. Cooney's last fight was in 1990. He was knocked out in a match-up of power-punching veterans in two rounds by former world champion George Foreman. Cooney did stagger Foreman in the first round, but he was over-matched, and Foreman knocked him out two minutes into the second round. Gentleman Gerry: A Contender in the Ring, a Champion in Recovery
The losses to Holmes, Spinks, and Foreman exposed Cooney's Achilles' heel: his inability to clinch and tie up his opponent when hurt. In the Foreman fight, he rose from a second-round knockdown and stood in the center of the ring as Foreman delivered the coup de grâce. Cooney was also notorious for his poor footwork.
Cooney compiled a professional record of 28 wins and 3 losses, with 24 knockouts. None of his 10 to 15-round fights went the distance. He is ranked number 53 on The Ring's list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time".
Cooney's left-hook is described as one of the most powerful punches in boxing history.
Cooney was known for not throwing punches at the head, aiming instead for his opponent's chest, ribs, or stomach. This made him vulnerable at times, the fight against Holmes being an example.
According to George Foreman, Gerry Cooney was one of the three hardest punchers he had faced in his career along with Ron Lyle and Cleveland Williams.Archived at Ghostarchive and the
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Cooney is deeply involved in J.A.B., the first union for boxers. He became a boxing promoter for title bouts featuring Roberto Durán, Héctor Camacho, and George Foreman. Cooney is a supporter of the "hands are not for hitting" program, which tries to prevent domestic violence. He guides young fighters in the gym.Boxing 101, "Gerry Cooney, Still A Gentleman 30 Years Later: Part Four - The Future of Boxing", May 3, 2012
In June 2010, Cooney became the co-host of "Friday Night at the Fights" on SIRIUS XM Radio.Boxing 101, "Gerry Cooney, Still A Gentleman 30 Years Later: Part Two - Life After Boxing", May 1, 2012Boxing 101, "Gerry Cooney, Still A Gentleman 30 Years Later: Part Three - Boxing Today", May 2, 2012
Cooney resides in Fanwood, New Jersey, with his wife Jennifer and two of their three children, Jackson and Sarah. His son Chris resides in New York.
In Season 5 Ep 21 of 30 Rock (100: Part 2), Dean Winters' character, Dennis Duffy, claims to have attended an elementary school named "Gerry Cooney Elementary".
| 31 | Loss | 28–3 | George Foreman | KO | 2 (10), | Jan 15, 1990 | ||
| 30 | Loss | 28–2 | Michael Spinks | TKO | 5 (15), | Jun 15, 1987 | ||
| 29 | Win | 28–1 | Eddie Gregg | KO | 1 (10), | May 31, 1986 | ||
| 28 | Win | 27–1 | George Chaplin | TKO | 2 (10), | Dec 8, 1984 | ||
| 27 | Win | 26–1 | Philipp Brown | TKO | 4 (10), | Sep 29, 1984 | ||
| 26 | Loss | 25–1 | Larry Holmes | TKO | 13 (15), | Jun 11, 1982 | ||
| 25 | Win | 25–0 | Ken Norton | TKO | 1 (10), | May 11, 1981 | ||
| 24 | Win | 24–0 | Ron Lyle | KO | 1 (10), | Oct 24, 1980 | ||
| 23 | Win | 23–0 | Jimmy Young | TKO | 4 (10), | May 25, 1980 | ||
| 22 | Win | 22–0 | Leroy Boone | TKO | 6 (10), | Dec 14, 1979 | ||
| 21 | Win | 21–0 | John Dino Denis | TKO | 3 (10), | Nov 9, 1979 | ||
| 20 | Win | 20–0 | Malik Dozier | KO | 6 (10) | Oct 9, 1979 | ||
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Broderick Mason | KO | 4 (10), | Aug 22, 1979 | ||
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Tom Prater | TKO | 2 (10), | Jun 29, 1979 | ||
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Charlie Johnson | KO | 1 (10), | Feb 26, 1979 | ||
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Eddie Lopez | UD | 8 | Jan 13, 1979 | ||
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Grady Daniels | 5 (8) | Dec 15, 1978 | |||
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Sam McGill | 8 | Nov 1, 1978 | |||
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Charley Polite | KO | 4 (8) | Oct 4, 1978 | ||
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | G. G. Maldonado | 8 (8), | Jun 22, 1978 | |||
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | S. T. Gordon | 4 (10), | Mar 17, 1978 | |||
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Gary Bates | KO | 4 (6) | Feb 11, 1978 | ||
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Austin Johnson | KO | 1 (6), | Jan 27, 1978 | ||
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Terry Lee Kidd | KO | 1 (6) | Jan 14, 1978 | ||
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Jimmie Sykes | KO | 1 (6) | Dec 21, 1977 | ||
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Quinnie Locklear | KO | 1 (6), | Nov 30, 1977 | ||
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Joe Maye | KO | 4 (6), | Nov 18, 1977 | ||
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Matt Robinson | 4 | Aug 3, 1977 | |||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Jose Rosario | KO | 2 (6), | Mar 20, 1977 | ||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Jimmy Robertson | KO | 2 (6), | Mar 2, 1977 | ||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Bill Jackson | 1 (6), | Feb 15, 1977 |
| 2 | Win | 1–0 | Boone Kirkman | TKO | 3 (4) | Feb 11, 1983 | Eugene, Oregon, U.S. | |
| 1 | 0–0 | Harold Rice | 4 | Dec 14, 1982 | Pasadena, Texas, U.S. |
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