Gerry Cooney vs Gerrie Coetzee 1982

[Robinson]

Its late 1982, Gerry Cooney has lost to Larry Holmes and after weeks
of being down has managed to find away to get motivated again
inside the gyms. He and his management want to make a come back
and show he was no paper contender...

South African Gerrie Coetzee has just stopped four capable journeymen
after his controversial loss to Renaldo Snipes. Looking for a big fight
in the USA, so that he may be propelled back into title contention again
he needs a fight that will give him exposure...

December of 1982, Las Vegas.

Cooney is in top shape and has been destroying sparring partners and
romancing the press with his regret at letting everyone down in his bid
to beat Holmes.

The South African wrongfully becomes the face of a racist nation in the
great south of the dark continent. Both white men, though some how Cooney
finds himself in the role of great American hero again.

12 rounds title eliminator.

As they weigh in

Gerrie Coetzee, 6'2.5, 221lbs, (28-3)

Vs

Gerry Cooney, 6'6, 227lbs, (25-1)

Both men have been training hard and want to prove themselves to the
interested though negative media.

How do you guys see it ? Who wins it and how........

[Robinson]

"Both these guys are bums that would not even rank as sparring
partners in Joe Louis day, Coetzee is a glass chin with a right hand
and Cooney is an empty chest with a left hook. I would be suprised
if it goes the distance."

Bert Sugar says leading up to the fight as he sucks on a cigar and sprouts
his armchair knowledge before an interested team of reporters.

[AngryGoon38]

I think that Cooney would win by Late Round stoppage.

I'll say TKO11 for Cooney.

He was Really Good in this time period.

Coetzee was quite good as well...Cooney would be just a tad bit too much though i think.

Very competitive for 6 rounds,then Cooney overpowers em too much from there.

[HomicideHenry]

"Both these guys are bums that would not even rank as sparring
partners in Joe Louis day, Coetzee is a glass chin with a right hand
and Cooney is an empty chest with a left hook. I would be suprised
if it goes the distance."

C'mon now, if Louis could get dropped against Buddy Baer, who wasnt close to being Cooney, then what makes you think Cooney couldnt even be a sparring partner for Joe?

[My2Sense]

I'd give Coetzee the edge in this one. At least he beat a live body and won a big fight or two in his career. Cooney was mostly hype IMO, a protected fighter who only feasted on a few washed up fighters and failed every time he tried to step up. Plus Coetzee had the better and more proven chin IMO. Anything can happen with a left hook like Cooney's, but if Coetzee is motivated, I'd say he finds a way to get inside that hook and send over some bombs to Cooney's iffy chin. Cooney never knew what to do when he was pressured.

[Goodnight, Irene]

I'm split between the takes of Sense & The Goon.

Difficult to call. I'm going to sit right on the fence at ringside, kick back, & let the chips fall where they may.

[Robinson]

"Both these guys are bums that would not even rank as sparring
partners in Joe Louis day, Coetzee is a glass chin with a right hand
and Cooney is an empty chest with a left hook. I would be suprised
if it goes the distance."

C'mon now, if Louis could get dropped against Buddy Baer, who wasnt close to being Cooney, then what makes you think Cooney couldnt even be a sparring partner for Joe?

Bert Sugar said it when the fight was announced. Not me.
hence the quotations.

[Dart340]

Depends on whether Cooney really wants to win or not. He clearly wouldn't have been intimidated by Coetzee after fighting Holmes under the spotlight. I think if he comes out with bad intentions, Coetzee gets stopped. If Cooney doesn't apply consistent pressure and tries to "box", he loses the power advantage and Coetzee wears him down with better boxing technique.

Tough fight to call, I think, but would've been one of the most interesting hypothetical fights of the 80's.

[ringsider]

Cooney would clobber him...... and stop him in about 5-6 rounds.

[Nile4000]

Gerrie would beat Gerry, more of the proven commodity, but Gerry would make it a good fight while it lasted.

[dempseyfire]

It would have been a fun fight . . at least until round 5-6 . . both hard hitters, very fast starters, both faded down the stretch, although all we really have to go by with Cooney is the Holmes fight, as every other fight of his ended early. Coatzee has the better chin I think, but both can be hit and hurt. I'm really not sure who'd win this one. It would've really given a good indication of where Cooney really was as a fighter . . .did he simply overachieve in lasting 13 rounds with Holmes, or did he have the mettle to be a lasting contender vs guys who wern't 60 years old?

[slakka]

Coetzee in midcareer blossomed tremendously under L-A wizard trainer Jackie McCoy and what a shame he didn't get with him as a kid.

Coetzee hit harder than Larry Holmes who staggered Cooney sideways to the canvas lummox like from a thudding shot to the upper forehead early in there 82 battle.

I like Coetzee early!

[bennie]

The fight could easily have been made because Coetzee was based in the States round that time. I fancy the big Boer. Coetzee put in better 'big fight' performances, overall, than Cooney.

[slakka]

Lost in Coetzee's evaluations can be what he did in this performance, its quite an awesome display if I do say so myself.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw5h7ExGcoo

[drunkenpiper36]

Coetzee had the better career. But for both physical and stylistic reasons I'd go with Gerry over Gerrie.

[The Great John L]

Coetzee by blowout.

[Bodyshot3]

Coetzee mixed it with more live opponents and won a decent-ish proportion of these fights or was very, very competitive. And he was very unlucky against Pinklon Thomas and dealt with Mike Dokes big time.

Seem to remember that like most big punchers he had hand major problems requiring surgery (which held him back) but amongst the American heavies of the 80s who ruled the scene he was the overseas fighter who was most respected for his ability to occasionally crash their private belt-swapping party.

Bruno put a tin lid on the Boksburg man's career in 1986 but I am fairly sure that the 1982 version of Coetzee would have seen off Frank and found a way to beat Cooney as well.

[energie]

gerry cooney would have stopped gerrie coetzee in 82