When Gerry Cooney
fought Larry Holmes (39-0) in Las Vegas for the linear world heavyweight championship in 1982, there were police snipers on the rooftops surrounding Caesars Palace, watching for trouble in the racially charged atmosphere. Thirty-six years later, Cooney says he was so focused on the task in front of him that he never gave it a thought.
"Gentleman Gerry," one of the most-popular heavyweights of his time, joined us on The Ringside Boxing Show to talk about his mercurial career, his difficult upbringing, his amazing golf game (he was once a 3 handicap who has scored two aces and more than 30 eagles), and the popular boxing show he does twice a week with Randy Gordon on Sirius XM Radio.
Cooney is looking forward to the publication of his forthcoming biography, "Gentleman Gerry Cooney: Going the Distance," which will be out in December.
Our in-depth interview with Gerry Cooney is preceded by expert analysts Travis Hartman, Rizwaan Zahid, and John J. Raspanti, who tell us who's going to win the Canelo-Golovkin rematch, marvel at Amir Khan's otherworldly speed and exasperating penchant for mistakes, and tell us why Shawn Porter was able to edge Danny Garcia, and where both fighters now stand in that talent-stacked welterweight division. They also address a stunning report that USADA drug testing has turned up only one dirty fighter in 1,501 tests over the past eight years.
Dennis Taylor is host of The Ringside Boxing Show, editor/publisher of www.ringsideboxingshow.com ("The Thinking Fan's Boxing Site"), and co-author (with John J. Raspanti) of "Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward Boxing Trilogy," an Amazon bestseller.