Gerry Cooney vs. John 'Dino' Denis

Gerry Cooney 222 lbs beat John Dino Denis 215 lbs by TKO at 1:14 in round 3 of 10

• Date: 1979-11-09
• Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA
• Referee: Tony Perez
• Judge: Artie Aidala
• Judge: John Maschio

"Gerry Cooney has thrust himself into the heavyweight title picture. The unbeaten Cooney, from Huntington, NY, set himself up for a possible heavyweight title bout with a 3rd round TKO of veteran John 'Dino' Denis of North Attleboro, Mass. Cooney turned Denis' face into a bloody pulp with a series of punches to the head in the 2nd round and then put Denis flat on his back with a crushing left hook that sent blood streaming down his face. Referee Tony Perez stopped it with 1:44 left in the 3rd round." -United Press International

Post fight comment

• "I didn't think I would take him out that early, but when I cut him I knew it was a matter of time. I led with the left in the last round because he was moving sideways. He walked right into it." -Gerry Cooney