Gerry Cooney
This 2014 contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. Such statements should be clarified or removed. (January 2015) Gerry Cooney Statistics Real name Gerry Cooney Nickname(s) Gentleman Gerry / Great White Hope Rated at Heavyweight Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) Reach 81 in (206 cm) Nationality American Born (1956-08-04) August 4, 1956 (age 58) Manhattan, New York, United States Stance Orthodox Boxing record Total fights 31 Wins 28 Wins by KO 24 Losses 3 Draws 0 No contests 0 Gerry Cooney (born August 4, 1956) is a retired American professional heavyweight boxer from Huntington, New York. Despite relative inexperience, his exciting wins and size, aided by expert promotion, propelled Cooney into a lucrative bout with world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes in 1982. Cooney performed creditably before his corner retired him in round 13, and was regarded as having made a brave and determined effort. He was also sportsmanlike, stepping back after inflicting a low blow that might have been followed up with a contest-ending left to Holmes's jaw by a less scrupulous fighter, though such gentlemanly conduct was seen as typical of his general lack of professional instincts. A view of him as tactically naive in defence was reinforced when former light-heavyweight Michael Spinks defeated Cooney in five rounds. In his final bout, he demonstrated his exceptionally hard punch by staggering powerful George Foreman, but was unable to capitalize on it; again showing himself deficient at basic self-protection, Cooney suffered a devastating second round knockout that ended his career.