Gerry Cooney 1982 v Either of the Klicthcko brothers

[Bricks]

......over 15 rounds....

[gilgamesh]

Wladimir stops him in 11 rounds
Vitali stops him in 8

and they're pretty dominant throughout.

[dempseyfire]

It's a pick'em with Wlad, but I'd edge Cooney. He's practically as big as Wlad and Klitschko's timidity is actually going to hurt him here as Cooney's biggest Achilles Heel is his chin but he's not going to be aggressive enough to keep Cooney from being aggressive.

Vitali survives some shaky moments to stop Gerry around the 8th-10th.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Three pretty mediocre guys for the most part if you ask me.

I think both bros beat Cooney.

[man]

difficult fight for wlad. could be a sanders for him.
tall tough cookie with no respect spells challenge
for his psyche ... which is exactly why vitali would
win that one IMO.

speaking of sanders ... that was quite a tough one
in the early going for vitali ...

[orbtastic]

Depends which Wlad it is. The version now would be far too cautious and wary and just get behind the jab and control teh distance. An earlier version could struggle with Cooney's size and that huge left hook would be dangerous

[Bricks]

Lol b4 i give my view, can anyone imagine how huge a fight like this might have been if for arguments sake (and fantasies sake) cooney had become World Heavyweight champion in 1982, and the soviet champion of the time had been one of these brothers as they are now and they had agreed to fight! It would eclipse Rocky 4 for hyperbole.

People used to complain in the 80s and early 90s of the lack of White Heavyweight hopes.

Vitali and Wlad may be white but they sure as hell dont look like blue collar americans!

I think Cooney does very well with Wlad, rocks him along the way and wins a close but clear decision with Wlad spending a lot of time running and grabbing.

I think he does less well with Vitali. Vitali stops him in 11.

[BoxBuzz]

The BroKlits have at least paid dues. Did Cooney ever really prove himself to be anything but a possibility? He feasted on a trio of over the hill gang members, and then got splattered like a bug against the bus windshield, by the trio of Spinks, Holmes and Foreman. I'm not sure just how much "there" was there.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Yeah...cos Cooney wouldnt beat the guys Vitali and Wlad have, "paid dues," with, and each Klitschko bro would beat Holmes, right?

Neither of them would win as many rounds from Holmes as Cooney managed to...guaranteed.

[loaded_gloves]

Cooney would cripple Wladimir, crush him with a fast scary KO.

Vitali doesn't hit hard enough to budge a fragile, obese, 40 year old Shannon Briggs, so he's not taking out Cooney. Cooney stops Vitali on horrific cuts in rds 8-10. Vitali struggles with Cooney who boxed at a good pace versus a young, fit Holmes, as opposed to Vitali who was huffing & puffing with the pace of a pair of fat 40 year old men in Lewis and Sanders.

the 80s guys were a complete other level to The klit boys and their opposition.

[Ezzard]

Oh my...

[Goodnight, Irene]

Cooney had no chin and Vitali no punch. It would be interesting to see what Cooney's reaction would be to his punch.

[Ezzard]

Vitali probably hits harder than Mike Spinks.

[Boilermaker]

Vitali probably hits harder than Mike Spinks.

But do you think that the version of Cooney that faced Mike Spinks was anywhere close to his best form?

[Ezzard]

Do you?

I think Cooney was, for a brief time, a spirited banger who put more into his fight with Holmes than most of the 80s slobs put into their entire careers.

But Cooney probably didn’t have the best set of whiskers and Vitali easily hit hard enough to expose him.

[loaded_gloves]

Seriously flawed argument. Michael Spinks threw waaay more punches in the 5th round than Vitali can throw in 5 rounds. Also, it shouldn't needed to be pointed out that Cooney was severely rusty and perhaps not match-fit in 1987.

I think Michael Spinks can do way more damage than Vitali anyway. He would have put brittle men like Corrie Sanders and Shannon Briggs on the floor.

[Ezzard]

Loaded

Mike Spinks was never a top heavyweight. He had a great game plan to beat a portly Holmes. A man with a spare tyre around his middle. He then picked Cooney because he hadn’t been in a ring for quiet some time.

It was a great achievement by Spinks. One my faves from the 1980s. But I doubt Spinks would beat David Haye let alone Vitali/Wlad.

Mike was a better fighter, a much better fighter, but not a better heavy.

[bollox]

The Cooney of the Holmes fight beats them both

[BoxBuzz]

So Cooney can beat a prime Dino Dennis, a washed up Young, Lyle and Norton, and based on this add the Klitschko's in their primes to his resume?

I'm gonna need to chew on that awhile.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Loaded

Mike Spinks was never a top heavyweight. He had a great game plan to beat a portly Holmes. A man with a spare tyre around his middle. He then picked Cooney because he hadn’t been in a ring for quiet some time.

It was a great achievement by Spinks. One my faves from the 1980s. But I doubt Spinks would beat David Haye let alone Vitali/Wlad.

Mike was a better fighter, a much better fighter, but not a better heavy.

Either was Vitali Klitschko.

[Ezzard]

Loaded

Mike Spinks was never a top heavyweight. He had a great game plan to beat a portly Holmes. A man with a spare tyre around his middle. He then picked Cooney because he hadn’t been in a ring for quiet some time.

It was a great achievement by Spinks. One my faves from the 1980s. But I doubt Spinks would beat David Haye let alone Vitali/Wlad.

Mike was a better fighter, a much better fighter, but not a better heavy.

Either was Vitali Klitschko.

I’d back Vitali against any of Holmes’ challengers. I’d be worried about Witherspoon. That’s it.

[loaded_gloves]

Ezzard

If you doubt Michael Spinks could kayo David Haye then I really don't know what to say to you. I can't imagine what you see in David Haye. A musclebound guy who can throw very few punches and did little damage at heavyweight.

David could not have lasted 15 with the Larry Holmes that Spinks fought twice. It's tasteless putting Haye's name in the same sentence as a warrior like Spinks.

Vitali Klitschko is no top heavyweight, and lacks one singular win over an A class heavyweight.

[loaded_gloves]

I’d back Vitali against any of Holmes’ challengers. I’d be worried about Witherspoon. That’s it.

I'd worry about the stamina problems Vitali exhibited versus two overweight 40 year old men in Lewis and Sanders, and his injury prone body and cut prone face, when engaging opponents who weren't fat slugs he could potshot at his own pace.

Ken Norton, Mike Weaver, Earnie Shavers, Trevor Berbick, Renaldo Snipes, Cooney, Tim Witherspoon, Bonecrusher Smith, Carl Williams and Michael Spinks over FIFTEEN?

Woo. We're not talking non-hitters like Chisora and Johnson here. These aren't beached whales like (insert any Klitschko challenger here). These guys went all night, in wars. WARS.

[Ezzard]

Other than Spoon and Norton the rest are a decent set of candidates. But I wouldn’t back a single one of them to beat either K bro. They might get one-shot lucky against Wlad. That’s it.

Holmes was fat when he beat half of them.

But…I don’t want to denigrate anyone.

[Ezzard]

Ezzard

If you doubt Michael Spinks could kayo David Haye then I really don't know what to say to you. I can't imagine what you see in David Haye. A musclebound guy who can throw very few punches and did little damage at heavyweight.

David could not have lasted 15 with the Larry Holmes that Spinks fought twice. It's tasteless putting Haye's name in the same sentence as a warrior like Spinks.

Vitali Klitschko is no top heavyweight, and lacks one singular win over an A class heavyweight.

Spinks could KO Haye. But I do doubt it.

Haye is an average heavy with speed and power...gun shy against a heavy opponent with power. If Spinks can fight a guy with little mobility he can win. Vitali and Wlad have enough mobility and the reach to win pretty easily.