“I’m going to win this combat, going to win it huge. I’ve educated laborious for this and I’ve acquired all of it collectively. I hear this Cooney child is a puncher. Hear, I’ve fought punchers earlier than and forgotten their names. Cooney is simply one other one.”
The phrases belong to late heavyweight contender Jimmy Younger and had been uttered to scribe Randy Gordon forward of the veteran’s scheduled bout with Gerry Cooney, the match to be aired on dwell nationwide tv. And Younger will get factors for telling the reality: he had fought “punchers” earlier than, a few of the largest in heavyweight historical past the truth is.
The reality was Jimmy Younger, with a report of 25-9-2, was probably the most skilled heavyweights round, having given Ken Norton and Muhammad Ali extremely aggressive tilts and boasting wins over Earnie Shavers and George Foreman, two of essentially the most highly effective fighters in boxing historical past. So one should forgive Younger for considering a scrap with Gerry Cooney didn’t symbolize something he couldn’t deal with. In spite of everything, whereas Jimmy had been across the prime tier of the heavyweight division for years, Cooney was simply the flavour of the week, a inexperienced, unproven pretender, using a wave of pleasure that had extra to do along with his pasty complexion than his precise talent as a prizefighter. Or so Younger thought.
Trying again, Cooney vs Younger was one other traditional “crossroads combat,” the stakes excessive and the results profound. This was the match that made Gerry Cooney a legit prime contender for the heavyweight title, and formally made Jimmy Younger a has-been. After this, Gerry would knock out two of Younger’s former opponents, Ron Lyle and Norton, and by that time Cooney was a sensation, a prizefighter value hundreds of thousands. But it surely was his battle with the person some felt had been cheated of a win over the good Muhammad Ali that marked the turning level and impressed hundreds of thousands of sports activities followers to crowd the Cooney bandwagon.
However earlier than Cooney vs Younger truly occurred, the reality was it represented a critical take a look at for Gerry, Jimmy Younger being a boxer to not take flippantly. Having been an energetic skilled since 1968, he had little doubt forgotten extra ring knowledge than the younger Cooney possessed. His report was spotty, and he was years from his prime and his potential to offer Ali, Norton and Foreman all types of hassle, however on the very least he figured to offer a method by which to evaluate Cooney’s potential. Nonetheless slippery and cagey, if anybody knew the right way to exploit the weaknesses of a novice professional, it was the difficult, seasoned prizefighter from the good combat metropolis of Philadelphia.
“Younger is in terrific form,” said one of many veteran’s sparring companions, Randall (Tex) Cobb, in the course of the build-up to the match. “He’s transferring actual properly. Seems just like the Younger of previous. He’s almost unimaginable to hit.”
Such statements little doubt helped to fill seats within the Atlantic Metropolis Conference Corridor, and certainly it was a capability crowd that witnessed the match, together with hundreds of thousands watching on nationwide tv. However as a substitute of a dramatic and aggressive battle, what everybody noticed as a substitute was the start of a phenomenon, the emergence of a brand new and potent pressure in boxing.
Proper from the opening bell, Cooney, 22-0 with 18 knockouts, took cost, his benefits in peak and attain permitting him to regulate the combat behind a stiff jab that compelled Younger to offer floor. The veteran fought from a half-crouch, circling to his left away from Cooney’s vaunted hook, the punch that everybody knew was the larger man’s most harmful weapon. Close to the tip of the spherical it was Younger who snapped dwelling a tough hook of his personal, however the blow had little impact; Jimmy had by no means been recognized for his punching energy.
In spherical two the tempo picked up and so did Cooney’s assault as he compelled Younger to the ropes and unloaded huge punches to the older man’s ribs. However between rounds Younger instructed his nook, “I feel I’ve acquired his quantity.”
Very quickly that sentiment proved to be a lot wishful considering as Cooney continued to stalk in spherical three, blasting away with heavy artillery to the physique. Then, halfway via the spherical, the larger man struck with a tough jab to Younger’s face, adopted by a vicious left hook and a strong proper cross. The blows landed flush and because the veteran backed away, seemingly shocked, he pawed at his proper eye the place instantly the blood was flowing freely: Cooney’s punches had ripped open Younger’s left eyebrow.
After the combat, Younger’s coach, George Benton, would insist the wound needed to have been the results of an elbow or a head butt. “No punch,” the veteran coach and former prime middleweight contender insisted, “can open a lower that vast or that deep.” However he was incorrect. Nothing however leather-based struck Younger’s face previous to it being coated with blood. Simply as Cooney’s punches had torn open the mug of John “Dino” Denis of their grudge match six months earlier than, Gerry’s superior energy had ripped a deep gash on Jimmy Younger’s face.
Damage and bleeding, Younger retreated to the ropes and crouched, hoping to evade Cooney’s follow-up assault, however a thudding proper to the physique brought about him to groan loud sufficient for these at ringside to listen to, regardless of the roar of the excited crowd. The bout become an exciting brawl as a half-blind Younger had little alternative however to battle Cooney toe-to-toe. The veteran landed some strong pictures however he absorbed many extra in return and on the bell, along with his face a masks of blood, he walked slowly to his nook, like a person turning away from some terrifying and wholly sudden reality.
Spherical 4 was a slaughter. Solely the veteran’s toughness and pleasure saved him on his ft and prevented the match from being stopped. Realizing Younger couldn’t harm him, and that the competition was all however determined, Cooney unleashed a fearsome assault, slamming each fists to Jimmy’s physique earlier than blasting him with hooks and proper arms to the pinnacle, the blows reopening the deep gash over the veteran’s eye and sending a sprig of blood over the spectators at ringside. Younger threw simply sufficient punches to forestall the referee from stopping the combat and at spherical’s finish he staggered again to his nook just like the survivor of a prepare wreck, his face bathed in crimson. Seconds later the ringside physician signaled the match needed to be stopped and a jubilant Cooney raised his arms excessive.
And so, in simply twelve minutes of motion, Gerry Cooney went from being an thrilling prospect with an enormous left hook, to essentially the most feared contender within the heavyweight division. Brutal, first spherical knockouts of Lyle and Norton would quickly observe, after which the stage was set for one of many largest and most profitable title fights in boxing historical past. –Neil Crane
