BoxRec

ATLANTIC CITY, N. J. — Peace finally came to Gerry Cooney with nine seconds left in the fifth round late Monday night when referee Frank Cappuccino stepped between Cooney's helpless vulnerability and Michael Spinks' relentless aggression and waved the blows away.

Cooney seemed relieved by the decision. At long last, he could take a deep breath. At long last, he could relax. In his heart, he felt an unusual serenity. Winning the fight wasn't nearly as important as getting it over with. Gerry Cooney doesn't like to fight. His prolonged inactivity demonstrated his reluctance. He fought because his father pushed him to it and because his mammoth body warranted it. Now, he doesn't ever have to fight again--forever.


"I was very tight, very stiff; I couldn't catch my breath," Cooney said Tuesday, reflecting softly on the defeat he'd suffered as if it had happened to another man, a man he wasn't likely to meet again. "I was a step behind all night. I couldn't relax. I kept trying to take a good, deep breath so I could relax. I kept waiting for that to happen. But it didn't. I was uptight." Cooney shrugged his audaciously wide shoulders and pursed his lips like a little boy having to apologize to the teacher: "Everybody handles pressure differently" . . .

Fear is an emotion we all confront--some better than others. The nature of boxing is such that fear has an almost palpable presence. There's fear of physical punishment, fear of failure, fear of humiliation and, by extension, the worst fear of all for a boxer--that his manhood will be mocked. The wiser fighters admit their fears and incorporate them into a psychological profile of self-awareness. Spinks has talked sensibly about his relationship with boxing, saying, "It's life-threatening, I'll tell you. It's terrifying at times. But it's what I do for a living."

...


http://articles.latimes.com/1987-06-21/ ... rry-cooney

Michael Spinks must've come to a similar realization as Cooney after the Mike Tyson fight. He probably knows pretty much exactly what Cooney was feeling that night.

Is it a good idea for a by stander to offer a professional fighter orange juice directly before, during or after a big fight?

anyway what goes around comes around I guess.....that "freeze" was passed on to Spinks who experienced it with Tyson.

gilgamesh wrote:Michael Spinks must've come to a similar realization as Cooney after the Mike Tyson fight. He probably knows pretty much exactly what Cooney was feeling that night.

That's what I was thinking.

Il Duce wrote:I saw the same thing the night Muhammad Ali fought Larry Holmes.

Muhammad had 'nothing', and knew he was about to get embarrassed in front of a 'Ga-Zillion' people.

The difference was that Spinks was at his flat out prime and Muhammad Ali was done.

Oh, and Spinks was coming off a 30-0 win streak. He wasn't in the midst of a three of four fight losing streak after winning 54 of his first fifty six fights.

Il Duce wrote:

ThatOne wrote:

Il Duce wrote:I saw the same thing the night Muhammad Ali fought Larry Holmes.

Muhammad had 'nothing', and knew he was about to get embarrassed in front of a 'Ga-Zillion' people.

The difference was that Spinks was at his flat out prime and Muhammad Ali was done.

Oh, and Spinks was coming off a 30-0 win streak. He wasn't in the midst of a three of four fight losing streak after winning 54 of his first fifty six fights.

That's Not True,

Muhammad Ali said he was in the 'Best Shape of his Career, since 1971"

He said it, and Muhammad Ali 'never lied'.

"The best shape of his life." He was in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease and was taking diuretics because he couldn't lose weight naturally. I doubt he was fit enough to seriously train. For his next fight he weighed 236 1/2 pounds which is nineteen or so pounds more than what he weighed for the Holmes fight. Angelo Dundee said "he looked like Chubby Checkers".


I really don't know how Muhammad Ali got bootstrapped into this topic because only a dolt would question his mental toughness in the ring. His mental toughness is probably why he is the way he is today.

Il Duce wrote:Dolt,

I expected 'lamebrain' or 'knucklehead'.

Your response is simply a 'ribald wallow' in the ugly phase of your life.

If Muhammad Ali said he was 'in the best shape of his life'.

How dare you say he was a 'LIAR'.

If he said that he was delusional. He was being flummoxed by a speed bag during training.

Il Duce wrote:I saw the same thing the night Muhammad Ali fought Larry Holmes.

Muhammad had 'nothing', and knew he was about to get embarrassed in front of a 'Ga-Zillion' people.

When you talk about Ali, you come across as a bitter old man.

Il Duce wrote:

keithmoonhangover wrote:

Il Duce wrote:I saw the same thing the night Muhammad Ali fought Larry Holmes.

Muhammad had 'nothing', and knew he was about to get embarrassed in front of a 'Ga-Zillion' people.

When you talk about Ali, you come across as a bitter old man.

I understand your feelings, and acknowledge your truthful response.

I'm sorry if I across that way, or present a 'harsh' argument.

I honestly think he was delusional enough to think he could win.

Il Duce wrote:Hah,

I think it was "8,000,000" other thoughts that entered Muhammad's head.

And the multiple Rolls Royce cars, and new mansion in New Jersey.

Philanthropy, was not a glimmer of a thought in 1980.

Can I just ask. Have you got anything good to say about Ali?

ThatOne wrote:

Il Duce wrote:I saw the same thing the night Muhammad Ali fought Larry Holmes.

Muhammad had 'nothing', and knew he was about to get embarrassed in front of a 'Ga-Zillion' people.

The difference was that Spinks was at his flat out prime and Muhammad Ali was done.

LOL, don't let your feud with Il Duce push you into silly statements like this. Spinks prime was at Light Heavyweight. He wasn't as far gone as Ali, but his knee's were shot.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:

ThatOne wrote:

Il Duce wrote:I saw the same thing the night Muhammad Ali fought Larry Holmes.

Muhammad had 'nothing', and knew he was about to get embarrassed in front of a 'Ga-Zillion' people.

The difference was that Spinks was at his flat out prime and Muhammad Ali was done.

LOL, don't let your feud with Il Duce push you into silly statements like this. Spinks prime was at Light Heavyweight. He wasn't as far gone as Ali, but his knee's were shot.

You are right. I forgot by that time Spinks had a great deal of mileage.

Cooney was what he was, an average fighter with a good left hook and a big body.

I doubt any version of Cooney would have beaten Spinks.

hhaehre wrote:I doubt any version of Cooney would have beaten Spinks.

Or anybody else he lost to. Other versions of Norton, Young and Lyle is the only thing that changes Gerry's record.

SaadOffTheDeck wrote:Other versions of Norton, Young and Lyle is the only thing that changes Gerry's record.

Yes, Cooney was very cleverly matched up to his big payday. Good move to put him in with Spinks and Foreman also. While he predictably lost those fights they didn't go on too long and he sure picked up a couple of very nice paychecks. All things considered Gerry had a fine and very lucrative career, especially for a guy who didn't even like boxing.