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Gerry "the Great White Hope" Cooney (Born August 4, 1956) was a boxer from Huntington, NY best known for his loss to Larry Holmes in one of the largest boxing spectacles in history. A talented, but under-developed fighter, Gerry became the number-one heavyweight contender in 1981, mostly due to a carefully guided career and a devastating left-hook. His size, punch and surprisingly good hand speed (for a man who was 6'6" 230lbs), was enough to easily defeat fading top heavyweights like Jimmy Young and Ken Norton. However, his lack of ring experience against true contenders became his undoing against champion Larry Holmes. In the end, it appears that Gerry Cooney was rushed to a payday with Holmes, before he had the chance to fully develop as a fighter. Much of this was due to the media hype over the "great white hope" hysteria. August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ...
1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo DomÃnguez (left, throwing a left hook) versus Rafael OrtÃz Boxing, also called pugilism (from Latin), prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science[1] is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with...
Life Before Boxing Cooney was raised in a blue-collar Long Island family, and lived out his father's dream to become a professional fighter. Cooney's brother, Gavin Cooney, was also a boxer, and reached the finals of the New York Golden Gloves Sub-Novice Heavyweight division where he was defeated by Eric George.
Amateur career As an amateur, he won international tournaments in England, Wales and Scotland as well as New York Golden Gloves titles. Cooney won two New York Golden Gloves Championships, winning both the 1973 160lb Sub-Novice Championship and the 1976 Heavyweight Open Championship. Cooney defeated Larry Derrick to win the 1973 160lb Sub-Novice title and he defeated Earlous Tripp to win the 1976 Heavyweight Open title. In 1975 Cooney reached the finals of the 175lb Open division but was defeated by Johnny Davis. Cooney trained at the Huntington Athletic Club in Huntington, Long Island, New York where his trainer was John Capobianco, Sr. Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification - by Athelstan 967 Area...
This article is about the country. ...
Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots3 Government Constitutional monarchy - Queen Queen Elizabeth II - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP - First Minister Jack McConnell...
The Golden Gloves is an annual competition for amateur boxing in the United States. ...
His record consisted of 55 wins and 3 losses. When he turned professional, he signed with managers Eoin O'Sullivan and Peter Lynch. He was trained by Victor Valle Sr. Peter Lynch (born January 19, 1944) is a successful Wall Street stock investor whose record ranks him as one of the best stock-pickers in the world. ...
Professional career Equipped with his big left-hook and imposing size, Cooney set out on his profesional career. Cooney's first paid fight came on February 15, 1977, when he beat Billy Jackson by a knockout in one round in New York. Nine more wins followed and Cooney started gaining fame as a future contender. Then he stepped up in class and fought future world cruiserweight champion ST Gordon in Las Vegas, winning by a fourth round disqualification. Cooney's star kept on rising with 11 more wins in a row, spanning 1978 and 1979. Among the people he beat were former victim Charlie Polite, former United States heavyweight champion Eddie Lopez, and Tom Prater. February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ...
NY redirects here. ...
Cruiserweight is a weight class in boxing where previously contestants weighed between 176 and 190 pounds. ...
This article is about the city of Las Vegas in Nevada. ...
1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ...
For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ...
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. ...
Eddie the Animal Lopez is a former United States heavyweight boxing champion. ...
By 1980, Cooney was already being featured on national television. He beat title challengers Jimmy Young and Ron Lyle, both by knockout. By this time, he was ranked number 1 in the WBC and challenging Larry Holmes to a fight. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...
Jimmy Young (November 16, 1948 – February 20, 2005) was a Philadelphian heavyweight boxer who had his greatest success during the 1970s. ...
Ron Lyle (born February 12, 1941) was a professional boxer. ...
Knockout (also referred to as a K.O. or knock), is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking. ...
WBC logo mark “WBC†redirects here. ...
For the politician and activist, see Larry Holmes (Marxist). ...
In 1981, he completely annihilated former world heavyweight champion Ken Norton by a knockout 54 seconds into the first round in front of a Madison Square Garden crowd and HBO cameras. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This article is about the hall of fame boxer. ...
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, known colloquially simply as The Garden, has been the name of four arenas in New York City, United States. ...
HBO (Home Box Office) is a premium cable television network with headquarters in New York City. ...
Then 1982 came and Cooney's life changed. Holmes agreed to fight him, with a purse of ten million dollars for the challenger, making it the richest fight in boxing history up to that time. The promotion of the fight took on racial overtones, which Cooney did not want, but the promoters loved the hype. If Cooney won, he would be the first white world heavyweight champion in 23 years. Don King played this up by calling him "The Great White Hope." In this circus atmosphere, the upcoming fight drew huge attention worldwide. Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney was one of the biggest closed-circuit/pay-per-view productions in history, broadcast to over 150 countries. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Larry Holmes vs. ...
A game Cooney fought bravely after he was knocked down briefly in the second round. But after 12 rounds, the more skillful and ring saavy Holmes wore Cooney down. In the 13th round, the challenger's trainer Victor Vallie stepped into the ring to save his fighter from further punishment.
After a long layoff, Cooney finally stepped into the ring again in September of 1984, beating Phillip Brown by a knockout in 4 rounds in New Orleans. He fought one more time and won, but personal problems took him away from the ring. New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ...
By 1987, Cooney was far past his prime and made an ill advised comeback to fight former world heavyweight champion Michael Spinks. He was knocked out in five rounds. Cooney's last fight was in 1990; he was blown away in two rounds by the former world champion George Foreman. Overall, Cooney compiled a professional record of 28 wins and 3 losses, with 25 knockouts. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Michael Spinks, a native of St. ...
MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ...
George Foreman, born (January 10, 1949) is an American two-time World boxing Champion in the heavyweight division. ...
And although he never truly gained the same type of fame that some of the heavyweight champions have, he still his remembered by boxing historians as one of the most powerful punchers in boxing history.
Life After Boxing Cooney then started the FIST Foundation, an organization which has helped retired boxers of all races find jobs. He has always tried to distance himself from the racism of the Holmes vs. Cooney promotion. In fact, he and Holmes have become very good friends over the years. In retirement, Cooney has also been heavily involved with J.A.B., the first ever boxers union.
He is also involved with the program "Hands are not for hitting" which helps to stop domestic violence.
He now resides in Fanwood, New Jersey Fanwood is a borough located in Union County, New Jersey. ...
In the episode of the Simpsons $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling) he is the official greeter of Mr Burns' Casino who gets punched out by Otto Mann. $pringfield (full title: $pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)) is the tenth episode of The Simpsons fifth season. ...
Mr. ...
Otto Mann (born January 18, 1963) is a fictional character on The Simpsons, voiced by Harry Shearer. ...
Boxing Style Cooney was known to have an orthodox style of boxing, good jab, big-left, and a barely used right. Most of his fights ended in quick knockouts, which although benefited him tremendously in the beginning of his career, left him unprepared for his fight with Larry Holmes. Despite having the devastating left, it was not enough to compensate for his moderate stamina and lack of experience against true contenders.
Cooney's left-hook is often called one of the most powerful punches in boxing history. Both Foreman and Holmes had stated that Cooney's blow was the hardest they had ever taken. It is also notable that Holmes had also previously fought Ernie Shavers, and at the time, stated that Shavers was the most powerful blow he had ever received. It is also notable that Ernie Shavers had lost a 6 round TKO to Ron Lyle, whereas Cooney finished him off in the first round. Ernie Shavers was a heavyweight boxing contender during the 70s. ...
Cooney was also known for not typically throwing punches at the head, mainly aiming for his opponents chest, ribs, or stomach.
Quotes Boxers are a tight-knit group of people. They have been beat up so bad that they are very leery of others
Boxing was not the sport that I thought is was due to all the politics.
Growing up training, I use to get up so early I would wave to the garbage men going by. So, I had this relationship with Blue Collar America and I really liked it. I felt that lots of those people looked forward to me winning.
I am seeing all the guys, like Earnie Shavers, Tex Cobb, and Larry Holmes all the time. Randall Craig Tex Cobb (born October 10, 1953) is an American prizefighter and actor. ...
I am spending lots of time with the youth of America, like I told you earlier, and only wish when I was a kid, that I had someonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page to talk to.
I grew up in a big Irish, Catholic family. My dad was a pretty rough guy. So one of my brothers left home when he was 15 and found his way to the gym. It gave me the opportunity to go and spend some time with him and work out in the gym.
I have seen some women who can fight, but I don't think there is a place for me to see women in there getting punched around.
I was a small kid from Huntington, Long Island. I never imagined that anything like that would happen to me.
I was disappointed for not succeeding in my attempt to win the title against Holmes. I had never lost a fight before that.
If you look at my career, towards the end you will see I was fighting like once a year. I was not part of the Don King top heavyweights, so I was kind of kept out. His guys were getting three to four fights a year and I could only get one.
In my fight with Larry Holmes it was a 15-round fight. That night in the ring it was 115 degrees under the lights. So, even if it was 12 rounds it was pretty hot out there, no matter what you did.
Muhammad Ali was the kind of guy you either loved or hated, but you wanted to see him. I happen to really love him. He brought boxing to another level and always made you laugh. For other persons named Muhammad Ali, see Muhammad Ali (disambiguation). ...
Roberto Duran was the kind of guy who was a true fighter and you hardly see guys like that anymore.
Get in, get your money, know when to quit and get the hell out. You don't want to be a whore all your life.
The bad press came because they thought I should fight more. I couldn't get the fights because if I would sign to fight one of King's guys I would be signed to him. I chose not to do that. In hindsight, that might have been a mistake.
The track stars from years ago couldn't really compete with the runners of today, because training is so different.
You have a small period of time when you can perfect your career and become good at it. A lot of guys get distracted, which only hurts them. You must stay focused and work very hard at boxing.
You know I have a very busy, hectic life. I am married and have two beautiful children. I still am in the fight game and spar about 30-40 rounds a week in New Jersey at a gym called Rocky Marciano's.
We are in the learning stages of my organization, so we are taking it slow, to be able to help the fighters with the best options we have out there.
Trivia - Gerry Cooney is 6`6 feet tall (although some sources say 6`7), and boasted a reach of 81 inches.
- He is one of the most powerful punchers in heavyweight history.
- He was undefeated his first 25 fights.
- He runs an organization known as FIST which helps rehabilitate retired boxers, as well as give them necessary training to get jobs.
- Out of his 28 wins and 24 KO's, 9 of them were in the first round.
- Knocked out former world heavyweight champion Ken Norton in 54 seconds. The first punch in the fight "Buckled the knees of Norton." Norton got Cooney into the corner and threw punches at the mid-section. Cooney managed to push Norton into the corner and threw devastating blows to Norton's head. Norton wasn't able to keep his hands up for the last six punches. It is widely considered to be among the most devastating knockouts in boxing history.
- Has a brother named Tom Cooney who is also a boxer.
- Won two Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championships.
- Lost by a thirteen round TKO to Larry Holmes when his trainer stepped into the ring and declared the match over.
- Is widely considered to have the best left hook in boxing.
- Appeared in the 1998 film Mob Queen as Mickey the Baker.
Sylvester Stallone in Rocky. ...
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