BoxRec

So instead of fighting Larry Holmes in June '82, he fights Mike Weaver.

How would he do against Weaver?

Would he have a couple of easy defences?

Would he beat Gerrie Coetzee, Dokes and Page?

Slow starting Weaver was tailor made for fast starting Cooney. I think it would be a
KO in 1 or 2 rounds.
He could beat Coetzee and Page. I think Dokes gives him the most troubles. But it all depends if after beating Weaver would Cooney dive into alcohol and drugs like he did after losing to Holmes

Cooney was scheduled to fight Mike Weaver,
(Cooney was the number one WBA contender)
But Weaver's management chose him to defend against the number two contender
James "Quick" Tillis instead.
They(Cooney's managers) offered Tillis "One Million dollars" stepping aside money,
but Tillis fought Weaver anyway and that fight turned out to be very dull from what I remember.

Always wonder how Cooney would have done against those guys myself. They all, had their strengths and weaknesses and were inconsistent.

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑12 Jun 2026, 06:42 So instead of fighting Larry Holmes in June '82, he fights Mike Weaver.

How would he do against Weaver?

Would he have a couple of easy defences?

Would he beat Gerrie Coetzee, Dokes and Page?

If Mike survives the first couple of rounds, he kayoes Gerry from 6-10. If Gerry manages to win, can't see him beating a motivated Page, or Dokes. Possibly Gerrie, but that wouldn't be a given.

Nile4000 wrote: ↑18 Jun 2026, 10:40

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑12 Jun 2026, 06:42 So instead of fighting Larry Holmes in June '82, he fights Mike Weaver.

How would he do against Weaver?

Would he have a couple of easy defences?

Would he beat Gerrie Coetzee, Dokes and Page?

If Mike survives the first couple of rounds, he kayoes Gerry from 6-10. If Gerry manages to win, can't see him beating a motivated Page, or Dokes. Possibly Gerrie, but that wouldn't be a given.

I wonder how much the Holmes fight took out of Gerry physically and mentally. He wasn't just some bum with light skin, he gave Larry a decent test.

He could beat all three. Weaver got more dangerous the fight lasts. Coetzee big puncher but would pick Cooney. Dokes would have been the toughest in my opinion.

Pretty much agree. Could see him winning or losing any of these. Still can't believe after he fought Holmes, that he never fought guys like or Witherspoon, Thomas, Page etc. Never fought any of them.

I definitely think the Gerry Cooney that fought Holmes could've beaten some of the other titlists of the era.

A fight between him and Berbick is 50/50 to me. Same as a fight between him and Thomas.

I think Spoon probably beats him, but it could be close.

Cooney would've probably beat Mike Weaver, Gerrie Coetzee, Greg Page or Bonecrusher Smith.

He's probably 50/50 with the Tony's.

Ambling Alp II wrote: ↑18 Jun 2026, 20:09 Pretty much agree. Could see him winning or losing any of these. Still can't believe after he fought Holmes, that he never fought guys like or Witherspoon, Thomas, Page etc. Never fought any of them.

There is probably a very good reason he didn't.

Cooney's biggest win was the one round KO of Ken Norton.
In-between that fight(May-11-1981) and the fight with Holmes(june-11-1982).
Cooney had been scheduled to fight.

Lee Canalito
Scott LeDoux
Earnie Shavers
Joe Bugner

all those fights fell through for some reason or another
(Cooney injuring his shoulder in training etc)

Caractacus wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 12:29 Cooney's biggest win was the one round KO of Ken Norton.
In-between that fight(May-11-1981) and the fight with Holmes(june-11-1982).
Cooney had been scheduled to fight.

Lee Canalito
Scott LeDoux
Earnie Shavers
Joe Bugner

all those fights fell through for some reason or another
(Cooney injuring his shoulder in training etc)

Was Lee Canalito any good?

Nile4000 wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 13:06

Caractacus wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 12:29 Cooney's biggest win was the one round KO of Ken Norton.
In-between that fight(May-11-1981) and the fight with Holmes(june-11-1982).
Cooney had been scheduled to fight.

Lee Canalito
Scott LeDoux
Earnie Shavers
Joe Bugner

all those fights fell through for some reason or another
(Cooney injuring his shoulder in training etc)

Was Lee Canalito any good?

He was a lousy actor who appeared in Paradise Alley. I can honestly say he was about as good of a boxer as he was an actor. Never stepped up a level from the time he started until he retired.

Caractacus wrote: ↑12 Jun 2026, 14:50 Cooney was scheduled to fight Mike Weaver,
(Cooney was the number one WBA contender)
But Weaver's management chose him to defend against the number two contender
James "Quick" Tillis instead.
They(Cooney's managers) offered Tillis "One Million dollars" stepping aside money,
but Tillis fought Weaver anyway and that fight turned out to be very dull from what I remember.

I still do not understand how #2 Tillis got the mandatory over Cooney.
But Cooney could of beat Weaver early.

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 14:08

Nile4000 wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 13:06

Caractacus wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 12:29 Cooney's biggest win was the one round KO of Ken Norton.
In-between that fight(May-11-1981) and the fight with Holmes(june-11-1982).
Cooney had been scheduled to fight.

Lee Canalito
Scott LeDoux
Earnie Shavers
Joe Bugner

all those fights fell through for some reason or another
(Cooney injuring his shoulder in training etc)

Was Lee Canalito any good?

He was a lousy actor who appeared in Paradise Alley. I can honestly say he was about as good of a boxer as he was an actor. Never stepped up a level from the time he started until he retired.

Is he the guy that plays the Big Lug Kid Brother?

gilgamesh wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 14:25

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 14:08

Nile4000 wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 13:06

Was Lee Canalito any good?

He was a lousy actor who appeared in Paradise Alley. I can honestly say he was about as good of a boxer as he was an actor. Never stepped up a level from the time he started until he retired.

Is he the guy that plays the Big Lug Kid Brother?

He played Victor Sylvester Stallones lil brother

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 14:29

gilgamesh wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 14:25

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 14:08

He was a lousy actor who appeared in Paradise Alley. I can honestly say he was about as good of a boxer as he was an actor. Never stepped up a level from the time he started until he retired.

Is he the guy that plays the Big Lug Kid Brother?

He played Victor Sylvester Stallones lil brother

Yeah that's the character I was thinking. I knew that guy was a dog sh*t actor

Have only watched that movie once. Terry Funk playing "Frankie the Thumper" is probably the best acting in the movie. I actually didn't realize that was Terry Funk for a little while upon seeing him. Had to see the character multiple times before it hit me that I was looking at Terry Funk.

gilgamesh wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 14:31

tiny_acres wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 14:29

gilgamesh wrote: ↑19 Jun 2026, 14:25

Is he the guy that plays the Big Lug Kid Brother?

He played Victor Sylvester Stallones lil brother

Yeah that's the character I was thinking. I knew that guy was a dog sh*t actor

Have only watched that movie once. Terry Funk playing "Frankie the Thumper" is probably the best acting in the movie. I actually didn't realize that was Terry Funk for a little while upon seeing him. Had to see the character multiple times before it hit me that I was looking at Terry Funk.

Terry Funk was not terrible as an actor. He was never going to be a leading man but played a tough guy pretty well

who were the biggest punchers that Michael Dokes had faced before winning a title ?
(Like Cus D'Amato once said "Everyone has a plan....until they get hit in the face".)

Dokes fought a few guys that weren't bad before the Weaver fight but not really any big punchers. Lynn Ball had some power, but Dokes stopped him in the first round.

Gerry Cooney was like 8 or 9 inches taller then Lynn Ball.
Dokes wouldn't have been able to go in at him like he did.
( look at the expression on Dokes face before the fight, he must have done some good sh*T in the locker room)

yeah, we can only speculate what would have happened. The truth is we really don't know how good Cooney was. Before he fought Holmes, he scored some devastating kos against guys who were way past. He had a few fights after the Holmes fight where he looked good, but not against top guys.
The Holmes fight itself is the best evidence we have. He did do better than most of Holmes' opponents did.

Best guess is if Cooney went for the WBA title, he may have won it but would not have had it for a long time. He would be lumped in with Dokes, Weaver, Coetzee, Witherspoon, Thomas etc.

yeah, but people would have called him "Champ".

March 1977
Leo Canalito vrs Bill Jckson (looks like Canalito would have been "wide-open" for a Cooney 'left hook)
btw what kind of dufus manager would let his fighter (Jerry McIntyre)go into the ring with a head full of hair like that ?
because It's an exlamation point" for every jab and punch.
but in a couple more years at least he could tell his friends and family that he once had " fought"
the HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WORLD !

One year later...(1978)