BoxRec

It almost happened. Cooney was almost set to fight Weaver but Holmes was considered linear and a big payday for Gerry. Looking back, I think Weaver would have beaten Cooney.

50-50 bout in my opinion.
Cooney Could've went straight on all-out full on going for Broke and taken out Weaver early, ala-Dokes-Weaver I.
Or Weaver could've withered what Cooney dished out early and taken the big guy out in the later rounds, ala-Weaver-Coetzee, 1980, tko13 bout.

Cooney in 5. Weaver wasn't that good.

Would the Cooney who challenged Larry Holmes have defeated a prime Mike Weaver?

Cooney would wear Weaver down with body punches and knocking him out in 6 rounds with his devastating left hook.

Both were good punchers and Weaver won and lost some slugfests. This is pretty close to a pickem fight but Gerry did seem to fold up in wars.

Weaver by 11 round kayo. He has much more experience than Cooney, and while Gerry has a shot, It not going to be that huge window of opportunity that many think he has. I think Mike weathers the storm early, and casually takes Gerry apart.

2 of my favorites from the 80s
Weaver was such a slow starter Cooney takes him out in first round.
No question in my mind

Cooney takes out my main man- and it pains me to say it.

If Cooney is going to do it he has to do it inside of four rounds. Which he is capable of doing, but rumors always circulated of just how vulnerable Cooney was behind the scenes when he sparred with some of the more capable heavyweights of his own time period.

Now either it was all crap said after the fact when he lost to Larry Holmes, or it's the truth, or some bits are embellished. Allegedly, Greg Page (I think) was able to knock Cooney around pretty easily in sparring.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm ... story.html

For example, Teddy Brenner commented after the Spinks fight that it was blatantly obvious that Cooney's sparring partners must not have been allowed to hit him because Cooney folded over pretty quickly as if he never was toughened up in preparation for Spinks.

Then again, let's be honest that was the alcohol drinking cocaine snorting version of Cooney who was inactive so Brenner was probably well off the mark when he made such comments.

Weaver, inconsistent as he was, had a tougher road than Cooney and I think that would make him quite a live underdog who could be quite a formidable challenge to the 6'7" Irish American. It really depends what version of Mike Weaver showed up.

This is one of those fights I would be on the fence about although I will say if Cooney was to have ever won a title it would have been against Mike Weaver for the WBA strap but Bob Arum made sure that it never happened.

Jesus Christ Almighty God bless you all

Weaver was a chinny slow starter, Cooney would use it. Cooney by KO1.

Did Weaver weave much?