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Sports

Gerry Cooney Fights Back!

Fanwood's legendary boxer steps out of the ring for charity events.

While he’s no longer throwing punches in the ring, Gerry Cooney is still setting KO records—on the charity front.

Once ranked No. 1 by the World Boxing Council, the six foot, seven-inch tall retired boxer spent the second week of July participating in five different fundraiser golf outings in a row, including the 11th annual Bart Oates and Rick Cerone Celebrity Open benefiting the Teach Our Children Foundation for children in Newark. For Cooney, a Fanwood resident, the non-stop schedule is his way of fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves.

“I made some bad choices in the past and now that I can help people, that’s what I want to do,” said Cooney, whose imposing stature belies his down-to-earth, modest nature. “I play a lot of golf fundraisers, but I’ve also volunteered at homeless shelters and visited sick kids in the hospital. They don’t know anything about me at first. But I show them a fight tape, and they immediately connect with me. They see themselves in the fight, because they’re fighting for their life. Life is a fight. Everybody is fighting for something. I do what I can to help. I just keep throwing it out there and hope something sticks. If I can help just one person, I’m doing a good thing.”

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Known for his crushing left hook—one of the most powerful in boxing history—Cooney, now 52, had an impressive professional heavyweight record: 28 wins (24 by knock-outs) and only 3 losses.

Born in New York City, Cooney moved to Huntington, Long Island, as a child because, he joked, he “was a troublemaker at age two.” Cooney’s childhood was fraught with violence, and he sought out the ring as a teenager. Fueled by anger for his father, Cooney fought his way to winning two New York Golden Gloves Championships (1973 and 1976) as an amateur middleweight fighter.

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“Every time I went into the ring, I was scared,” Cooney said. “I didn’t have confidence. I was insecure, and I wasn’t getting support from my father. But I could punch, and I had a lot of anger. When I won a couple of Golden Gloves, my picture was on the back page of the paper. That kept me going. If I had my father’s support, I probably would have been twice the boxer I was.”

Cooney then moved on to an incredible professional heavyweight career, winning bouts against champs Eddie Lopez, Tom Prater, and Ken Norton, who he knocked out in 54 seconds—then, the quickest knockout in a main event at Madison Square Garden.

His most famous fight was in 1982 against Larry Holmes. The fight received top billing and had a $10 million purse, the richest fight in boxing history up to that point. Boxing promoter Don King nicknamed Cooney “The Great White Hope,” because if Cooney won, he would have been the first white world heavyweight champion in 23 years. Cooney was featured on the cover of Time Magazine, and former president Ronald Reagan had a phone installed in his room in case Cooney won the fight.

Cooney went an impressive 13 rounds but ultimately lost to Holmes, followed by losses to Michael Spinks and George Foreman. He hung up his gloves in 1990—but not before making his mark on boxing history. Ring Magazine ranked Cooney 53rd of the “100 Greatest Punchers of All Time.”

Looking back, the former heavyweight contender has no regrets. Cooney lets the past remain where it is, preferring to enjoy his present friendship with Holmes instead. The pair often make joint appearances, joking and hamming it up for charity.

“I didn’t get involved with the racial stuff,” Cooney said. “It was about the boxing for me. If I could do it over, I would have trained more before I fought Holmes. I would have booked three fights in between. But my trainer wanted me to be in top shape, and I wasn’t in Don King’s empire, so I didn’t get booked for fights. If you’re a baseball player and you don’t play for 13 months and then get put into the 5th game of the World Series, you’re probably not going to do too well. That’s what happened to me. When I think about it now, I definitely would have done things differently. But who knows? If I did, I might not be here right now. My life might have changed, and I wouldn’t be sitting here today.”

Years later, it’s clear Cooney hasn’t lost his boxer’s instincts, which still keep the fighter in constant motion. He shifts his weight in the chair he dwarfs, drums his fingers on the table, and can’t help looking around to see who or what might be coming his way while he thinks about how boxing has changed since he was in the ring.

“Today, it’s all about the promoters,” Cooney said. “A guy works two jobs and spends $50 on Pay Per View to watch his favorite boxer. But then he doesn’t win, even though he should. If boxers were officiators and they were calling the shots, the right fighters would win. They’re the ones who know what’s going on in the ring. Not the lawyers.”

Always hopeful, the former fighter looks to spot a newcomer with the talent, determination, and dedication to take boxing to the next level. The sport, he admits, has been out of the public eye for a long time, due in part to the rising interest in Ultimate Fighting, the lack of compelling competition, and the loss of the industry’s best trainers.

“It used to be you watched fights every week on TV, but now it’s all about the big events and the championships,” Cooney said with a sigh. “You don’t get to see someone rise up. You don’t get to see his story. People want to follow a boxer they can believe in. Pacquiao has been keeping the sport going, but he’s the only one out there right now. I love the sport, and I believe boxing will come back. One day there will be another Tyson, another Foreman, another Cooney.”

Cooney has fought all over the world, yet the former boxer chose to settle down in Fanwood after marrying Jennifer, his wife of 17 years, who lived in Cranford. Cooney has three children, but so far none have expressed an interest in following in their father’s very big footsteps.

“If they wanted to do it, I couldn’t stop them,” he said, laughing. “But boxing is a tough sport. I’m very fortunate. I got out and I still have most of my marbles. You look at some of the other guys, and they weren’t so lucky. I train boxers at local gyms every now and then, and my advice to somebody starting out is this: go to a gym and watch the trainers. Don’t say anything to them. Just watch them. You want the ones who teach defense. People are like shock absorbers. You can only take so many shocks to the system before you give out. If you know defense, you’ll last longer. Then I’d tell them, ‘Keep your chin down and your ass off the ground!’”

When local residents recognize the celebrity in their midst, Cooney is quick to respond and seems genuinely concerned about people. Aside from his various charity events, the boxer is currently trying to re-launch F.I.S.T. (Fighters’ Initiative for Support and Training), a company he started to assist former boxers but had to shutter after finding himself stretched too thin.

“There’s just not enough time,” Cooney said. “When I was 18, a trainer told me that my career would go by in a blink of an eye. Back then, that wasn’t what I wanted to hear. But he was right. Life goes by really fast. That’s why it’s important to do things when you have the chance. I get up in the morning and spend my day helping people. Then I get to tuck my kids into bed at night. I love where I’m at. I love Fanwood. The people here are great. The school system is very good. I can raise my family, and I can do some good for people. I didn’t win the championship, but people still want me to come to their events. It’s been a long time since I was a fighter, but I’m still riding that wave, and if I can help people doing it, that’s what’s important.”

Cooney broke out into a winning grin and put his large, infamous hands up in the air.

“Besides,” the prize-fighter said with a wink, “I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do with my life.”

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