Holmes-Cooney: through their eyes

[JAB5239]

Nice perspective from both fighters.

"Through Their Eyes: Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney - Irish America" https://www.irishamerica.com/2020/06...-their-eyes-2/

[Willie Pep 229]

Thanks for sharing . . . Always had a problem with Cooney - no matter how good he might have actually been I couldn't see jt, to me he will always be the true Great White Hype.

[LITTLE JOE]

Good read and thanks. I was just a wee lad for Frazier vs Ali 1 and only have vague memories of the prefight hype. In my lifetime, the buildup to Holmes vs Cooney may have been the most intense and extensive that I can remember. I so wanted to see this fight on closed circuit but that wasn't happening. Dad had short arms and long pockets. LOL !

[JAB5239]

Thanks for sharing . . . Always had a problem with Cooney - no matter how good he might have actually been I couldn't see jt, to me he will always be the true Great White Hype.

His psyche just seemed so fragile during that time. He had the tools to be a top fighter for a long time, just not the frame of mind. Just my opinion.

[QueensburyRules]

- -It was the always regrettable DKing who whipped up The Great White Hope promotion such that the FBI had snipers on nearby rooftops ready for any trouble. One of dozens of low points for boxing.

[JAB5239]

- -It was the always regrettable DKing who whipped up The Great White Hope promotion such that the FBI had snipers on nearby rooftops ready for any trouble. One of dozens of low points for boxing.

King was just capitalizing on something that had been used time and again since Jack Johnson won the heavyweight championship. What's regrettable was the publics gullibility buying into such a promotion. What was most regrettable was President Reagan having a phone put in Cooney's dressing room to call him if he won. The fight was a mess from the get go with plenty of people being accountable for it playing out the way it did.

[BattlingNelson]

Thanks for sharing. Good read.

The black and white thing was awful and I was like wtf can this be a selling point in the US still...??? Well I wanted Holmes to lose as he had beaten my hero Ali so bad that I had tears in my eyes.

Anyway the fight turned out to be a classic. Maybe the best one Holmes had after Norton.

[Ben Bolt]

I think this old HBO documentary told the story pretty well.

I was a Holmes fan at the time, but the documentary had me sympathize with Cooney.
Last time I heard him spoke, he was in a good mood, but also concerned about
suffering of memory loss.

If not the best fight, so the biggest event in the 1980s.

[HOUDINI563]

Cooney was brought along by his management for a million dollar payday. Very carefully picked bouts vs easy opponents. He was not in any way ready for Holmes when they fought.

[JAB5239]

Cooney was brought along by his management for a million dollar payday. Very carefully picked bouts vs easy opponents. He was not in any way ready for Holmes when they fought.

He knew that years later. Every fighter thinks they're ready to fight for a title. Some are. Most are not.