Why didn't Gerry Cooney fight in national level touranments?

[Joson]

I know Cooney ran up a 55-3 amateur record, including two prestigious New York Golden Gloves titles. But he doesn't appear to have fought in any national level Golden Gloves or AAU tournaments. I find that odd.

Can anyone explain why that was?

[Caractacus]

were any of his amateur fights outside of the New York City area ?
I think it may have been because his father had been really sick around that time,
and he did not want to travel outside the area.

[Tony1244]

He was pretty good at avoiding competitive fights as a pro. Looks like the same story here.

[Caractacus]

Bull cr*p

[Joson]

were any of his amateur fights outside of the New York City area ?
I think it may have been because his father had been really sick around that time,
and he did not want to travel outside the area.

In 1975 he fought on the US squad that boxed the Soviets at MSG. All heavyweights. As best as I know, that was Cooney's only amateur bout on the national or international scene.

Cooney did win the 1976 heavyweight New York Golden Gloves, open class. Is NYGG regarded as a local or regional tournament? If it's the latter, then he should have proceeded directly to the national Golden Gloves tourney that same year. But he didn't.

I can understand why Cooney didn't fight on the national level in 1975 and 1974, given that he lost NYGG fights to the Davis brothers. As for Gerry's 1973 NYGG middleweight championship, that was novice class, not open. So that year he'd be strictly local.

[Nile4000]

Didn't his father die around this time? Plus, he probably wasn't beating guys like Jimmy Clark, Michael Dokes, or Marvin Stinson in the National AAU's anyways.

[JMac]

Back then, the NYGG winners didn't fight at the National GG's like they do now. I'm not sure why. NY should have had a local AAU tournament that would have led to the national AAU championships. If he didn't fight in the local, I don't know why.