Editing Gerry Cooney (section)

==Professional career==
{{main|Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney|Michael Spinks vs. Gerry Cooney}}
Known for his big left-hook and his imposing size, the tall, lean Cooney had his first paid fight on February 15, 1977, beating Billy Jackson by a knockout in one round. Nine wins followed and Cooney gained attention as a future contender, although his opponents were carefully chosen. He moved up a weight class and fought future world [[Cruiserweight boxing|cruiserweight]] champion [[S. T. Gordon]] in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]], winning by a fourth round disqualification. Cooney had 11 more wins, spanning 1978 and 1979. Among those he defeated were Charlie Polite,  Eddie Lopez, and Tom Prater. These were not rated contenders, however.{{citation needed|date= January 2023}}

By 1980, Cooney was being featured on national television. Stepping up, he beat one-time title challengers [[Jimmy Young (boxer)|Jimmy Young]] and [[Ron Lyle]], both by '[[knockout]]s.' The Young fight was stopped because of cuts sustained by Young.<ref>Boxing 101, [http://www.worldboxing101.com/2012/05/25/gerry-cooney-vs-jimmy-young-vhs-classic-rewind/ "Gerry Cooney vs. Jimmy Young: VHS Classic Rewind"], May 25, 2012</ref> By then Cooney was ranked number 1 by the [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] and eager for a match with champion [[Larry Holmes]].{{citation needed|date= January 2023}}

In 1981, he defeated former world heavyweight champion [[Ken Norton]] by a knockout just 54 seconds into the first round with a blisteringly powerful attack.<ref>Boxing 101,[http://www.worldboxing101.com/2012/05/31/gerry-cooney-vs-ken-norton-vhs-classic-rewind/ "Gerry Cooney vs. Ken Norton: VHS Classic Rewind"], May 31, 2012</ref> This tied the record set in 1948 by [[Lee Savold]] for the quickest knockout in a main event in [[Madison Square Garden]]. Since his management team was unwilling to risk losing a big future pay day with Holmes by having him face another viable fighter, Cooney did not fight for 13 months after defeating Norton.<ref name="worldboxing2">Boxing 101, [http://www.worldboxing101.com/2012/04/30/gerry-cooney-still-a-gentleman-30-years-later-part-one-the-championship-fight/ "Gerry Cooney, Still A Gentleman 30 Years Later: Part One - The Championship Fight"], April 30, 2012</ref>

The following year, Holmes agreed to fight him with the fight held June 11, 1982. With a purse of ten million dollars for the challenger, it was the richest fight in boxing history to that time. The promotion of the fight took on racial overtones that were exaggerated by the promoters, something Cooney did not agree with. He believed that skill, not race, should determine if a boxer was good. However, if Cooney won, he would have become the first white world heavyweight champion since Swede [[Ingemar Johansson]] defeated [[Floyd Patterson]] 23 years earlier. [[Don King (boxing promoter)|Don King]] called Cooney "The Great White Hope." The bout, held June 11, 1982  drew attention worldwide, and [[Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney]] was one of the biggest closed-circuit/pay-per-view productions in history, broadcast to over 150 countries.

Cooney was knocked down briefly in the second round, and was fined three points for repeated [[groin attack|low blows]] against Holmes. After 12 rounds, Holmes finally wore him down. In round 13, Cooney's trainer Victor Valle stepped into the ring, forcing the referee to stop the fight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldboxing101.com/2012/06/11/larry-holmes-vs-gerry-cooney-vhs-classic-rewind/ |title=Larry Holmes Vs Gerry Cooney: VHS Classic Rewind &#124; Boxing 101 &#124; Sports Media 101 |website=Worldboxing101.com |access-date=2016-10-02}}</ref> Two of the three judges would have had Cooney ahead after the 12th round if it weren't for the point deductions.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Holmes|first1=Larry|title=Against the odds|date=1998|publisher=St. Martin's Press|isbn=9780312187361|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/larryholmesagain00holm}}</ref> Holmes and Cooney became friends after the fight, a relationship that endured for them. On December 14, 1982, Cooney fought Harold Rice, the heavyweight champion of Connecticut, in a four-round bout. No winner was declared, so Cooney told the crowd following the bout: "This is only an exhibition. I'm sorry if I disappointed anybody. I'm trying to work myself back in shape so I can knock out Larry Holmes. Everything is OK. I felt a little rusty, but that is normal. It has been a while. I felt good in front of the people."<ref>[https://newspaperarchive.com/lowell-sun-dec-15-1982-p-56/ Boxing: Cooney rusty in exhibition match], ''Lowell Sun'', December 15, 1982, p. 56.</ref>

After a long layoff, Cooney fought in September, 1984, beating Phillip Brown by a 4th-round knockout in [[Anchorage, Alaska]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122673/2/index.htm |title=After 28 months away from the ring, Gerry Cooney made a - 10.08.84 - SI Vault |access-date=2009-10-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025121117/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1122673/2/index.htm |archive-date=2012-10-25 }}</ref> He fought once more that year and won, but personal problems kept him out of the ring.<ref>Boxing 101, [http://www.worldboxing101.com/2012/05/01/gerry-cooney-still-a-gentleman-30-years-later-part-two-life-after-boxing/ "Gerry Cooney, Still A Gentleman 30 Years Later: Part Two - Life After Boxing"], May 1, 2012,</ref>

Although Cooney had only fought three official bouts in five years following his loss to Holmes, in 1987 he challenged former world heavyweight and world light heavyweight champion [[Michael Spinks]] in a title bout. Cooney appeared past his prime and Spinks, boxing carefully with constant sharp counters, knocked him out in round 5. Cooney's last fight was in 1990. He was knocked out in a match-up of power-punching veterans in two rounds by former world champion [[George Foreman]]. Cooney did stagger Foreman in the first round, but he was over-matched, and Foreman knocked him out two minutes into the second round.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=pyWTDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA281 Gentleman Gerry: A Contender in the Ring, a Champion in Recovery]</ref>

The losses to Holmes, Spinks, and Foreman exposed Cooney's Achilles' heel: his inability to [[clinch (grappling)|clinch]] and tie up his opponent when hurt. In the Foreman fight, he rose from a second-round knockdown and stood in the center of the ring as Foreman delivered the [[coup de grâce]].  Cooney was also notorious for his poor footwork.<ref>{{YouTube|Yu0eynE2s1A}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Gerry Cooney: Is He Great White Hope Or Great White Hype?|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/05/27/Gerry-Cooney-Is-He-Great-White-Hope-Or-Great-White-Hype/2162391320000/}}</ref>

Cooney compiled a professional record of 28 wins and 3 losses, with 24 knockouts. None of his 10 to 15-round fights went the distance.  He is ranked number 53 on ''[[The Ring (magazine)|The Ring]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time".