When Undefeated KO Artist Confronted Larry Holmes

Welcome back to Boxing After Dark! Gerry Cooney has quickly risen to stardom in the U.S., thanks to his recent back to back victories over Ken Norton and Ron Lyle. After years of calling for a title-shot, he's finally earned his chance to face the undefeated champion, Larry Holmes.

[@martinbrenner6664]

I didn’t like Larry Holmes as a fighter and thought he was an ass. Then I met him one night and what a kind and sweet gentleman he was to me. He shook my hand and was very polite and humble. I like him as a person now.

[@TechnoLawyer]

He’s an ass to reporters. Always hated them. Still does. He was always a nice dude to fans though.

[@martinbrenner6664]

@@TechnoLawyer He was very nice to me. I met him when I was working in a bar. I was taking out the trash and almost walked into him. I looked up and said, hey, your Larry Holmes. He said that’s right and reached out to shake my hand. His hand wrapped around mine like a glove. I was pushing a trash can and he shook my hand. He was a gentleman.

[@CULT539]

If you don’t like him as a fighter, then you know literally nothing about boxing.

[@bkjay08]

One of the great cigar lounges is in his hometown Easton, Pa. I went there and met him, just the nicest guy.

[@TechnoLawyer]

@@bkjay08 does he own the place? (I mean, it’s Easton)

[@TechnoLawyer]

For those who don’t know the full history of this, Cooney was made into the Great White Hope who would take the title back from the black man. Holmes was introduced first (a total insult to a champ), and a special phone line was installed in Cooney’s dressing room so Reagan could call him to congratulate him when he won (Holmes received no such call when he won). Was made into a total white vs black thing. Except Cooney is actually a good man and didn’t like it. Mostly just silently went along with it. After the fight, Holmes went to see Cooney, and they ended up becoming lifelong friends. You can google and find a bunch of pics of them hanging out over the years, see current pics of them hanging out as old men. Pretty cool ending to the whole thing.

[@georgenedelkoffnedelkoffu833]

Holmes can take a punch !

[@StephenForster-gl5fc]

Larry holmes never got tbe praise he deserves,a great champion

[@martinbrenner6664]

@@StephenForster-gl5fc That’s true. But he was hostile to the press and didn’t help his case any, because his feelings were hurt. Boxing is a tough business, no room for feelings.

[@StephenForster-gl5fc]

@@martinbrenner6664 if you've ever entered the ring you'll know how hard it can be,and it isn't easy when your appoinants are trying to beat the shit out of you,as you do like wise,,there's no love lost

[@viralbuthow000]

It was tough for him. As Don King said, "People will pay more to watch Ali watch Holmes fight than watch Holmes fight".

[@petergreen5337]

Absolutely CORRECT ❤

[@StephenForster-gl5fc]

g

[@julianmansell2379]

I miss heavy weights like Larry Holmes who would clean the clocks of these heavyweights of today. Good old days are gone.

[@StephenDoty84]

Yeah, I forgot how good Holmes was. Great 1-2.

[@lavalley2018]

Larry Holmes literally had everything you can want in a championship fighter, it's just a shame that he came right after one of the greatest of all time.

[@petergreen5337]

He was a great student and a champion in his OWN RIGHT .

[@integrativenaturalmedicine3897]

Well, and beat him, and beat him when he shouldn't have been in the ring, all of which is no fault of Holmes. He got a raw deal. And announcing him before the challenger? That sums it all up.

[@Dean-qq7ur]

True day! And the beating he put on him didn't help. It took me a long time to get over that

[@jdpowell72]

Cooney was talented but one dimensional. One of the best left hooks of all time, but you need more than that against one of the best of all time.

[@Ontonaut]

Reminds me a bit of Ali vs Foreman

[@SmedleyWarIsaRacket]

and with that said the fight was closer than it looked.

[@richardbarneycastle1262]

He didn't have any head movement.

[@Bankai_Musashi1]

​@@richardbarneycastle1262what heavyweight other than Ali & Joe had head movement in the 70s, Lol

[@josephphotography4127]

Its so fkd up that the sports media didnt give Holmes his flowers, but yet they give flowers to bums like Wilder. Holmes easily is top 5 all time Heavyweight Champion 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@joekulik999]

Flowers don't buy the groceries or pay the rent.

[@boogynights]

Bro Larry Holmes in the USA heavyweight today most definitely 😁

[@josephphotography4127]

@@joekulik999 🙄 wow, it really went over ur head 🤣

[@NevenKuzat-hb4xn]

True... He is top five, no doubt...

[@Brent-qu3yk]

Correct 👏 yeah Don King didn't really like Larry Holmes and that's why he never got the due he deserved and that's why he didnt surpass Marciano 49-0 record

[@Toracube]

Cooney’s left hand hooks were evil. Foreman’s ko punch against Cooney is probably boxings greatest punch.

[@michaelb2388]

Holmes left jab was like a pole

[@davidharrison3399]

What a great era in heavyweight boxing

[@StephenForster-gl5fc]

@@davidharrison3399 an era that was missed by some but acknowledge by many,it comes with age and experience

[@thetigerdriver115]

Holmes one of the baddest dudes to ever step foot in the ring.

[@snortchgortch4253]

Mike Tyson had kind and humble words after the Holmes fight. 👍🏻

[@Rayburn58]

Tyson was forntunate to fight a washed up Larry Holmes.

[@MarkSchreind]

Gerry had a great left hook, but you need to be a lot better to beat prime Holmes. Larry was a BMF

[@franciscoramirez9867]

Yea boii have a nice day everyone!

[@kyalebrooks]

The difference between 12 and 15 rounds is crazy!

[@StephenForster-gl5fc]

@@kyalebrooks Larry could not only hit but be hit and still stand and counter,,if he where around today he would be undisputed champion and none in the current division could touch him,,sadly the heavyweight division is lacking any true heros

[@michaellowe5980]

​@@StephenForster-gl5fctotally agree. Anthony Joshua wouldn't last a round.

[@paulbarrett7797]

My all time favourite boxer , grew up watching Holmes , Ali , Foreman , Norton , Shavers etc but Holmes stands out for me , he had everything.

[@kyalebrooks]

Love the content guys! They don’t make fighters like this anymore. Fighters from the 70s 80s 90s would wipe the floor with these bums right now. I think, the klitchkos and Usyk would have stood a chance back in the day but Wvlad would’ve have had held the title for 10+ years. Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Tyson, Lennox, Howe, Holyfield, Morison, Tua, spinks, Holmes, Norton…. Any one of these would thrive today!!! They fought Multiple times a year (yes all end up with CTE) buttttt…. They were showman! These pretenders fighting every 18 months now…. A mockery of the sport

[@sage6336]

Holmes was a great boxer

[@malik678]

Hated Holmes as a teenager, but as I got older I realised he was one of the best heavyweights of all time - his jab, movement and ring knowledge was second to no one. Give Holmes the praise and status he deserves whilst he is with us - one of the best.

[@dominickperciballi7274]

Cooney’s career unfortunately ended after the holmes fight

[@johngrimkowski598]

he didn't have the heart after the holmes fight.

[@venicec3310]

This one still upsets me that they had the nerve to announce the champion larry first and not last. The racism and favoritism was so blatant the president even called cooney to wish him good luck. Very cathartic watching holmes turn cooney into a bobblehead that night

[@michaelb2388]

I think there are much worse examples of racism against ordinary people that should upset us before we become too upset about celebrity sportsmen like Larry Holmes

[@jameslant7268]

@@michaelb2388spot on

[@Reese8531]

Right Prejudice Reagan even invited Cooney to the White House if he won, but didn’t invite Holmes if he won

[@topgrain]

@@Reese8531 Ronald Reagan was the same kind of bigot that Donald Trump is. A smiling, likeable BIGOT.

[@MuhammadAli-Lateef]

Holmes always tried to be charismatic like Ali but always sounded mentally challenged. But in the ring he's definitely top 3 in all time history (Ali,Louis and Holmes).

[@kriskalbfleisch5020]

Not to get techno or nothing, but facts!

[@johnkeane1419]

Not challenged, just boring and blue collar.

[@NevenKuzat-hb4xn]

You have to put big george in that company

[@ltyler01]

After winning the heavyweight title Larry Holmes foolishly tried unsuccessfully to imitate Muhammad Ali. But those who knew boxing realized Cooney wasn’t going to win.

[@nagone11]

Prime Larry Holmes was unstoppable..Cooney was ok, but Larry was quite simply great and absolutely devastating with that lightening fast jab and critical right hand. Larry had excellent movement as well..he was too much for Cooney.

[@TNKHART]

Ahhhhh, the good old days. I miss them. I don't even really follow boxing now and don't hear much about the sport.

[@williejacobs9512]

Larry Holmes was a great fighter one of the greatest along with Big George Foreman and the real deal Evander Holyfield my favorite heavyweight boxers of all times

[@adrianboyddodd8007]

I though Cooney made a great showing here. for a KO artist he was not trying to beat Holmes with single shots but was doing good body work and putting some good combinations together. He certainly deserved to share the ring with this all time great Eastern Assassin.

[@dumpsterchicken6287]

You forgot to mention the low blows

[@asmrnaturecat984]

easton

[@robertdowney1503]

@@asmrnaturecat984 Easton Assassin as in Easton, PA

[@mongoslade277]

I won't go that far in praising Cooney. He wasn't a bum but never developed his chin. Never developed his right hand. He couldn't win

[@SmedleyWarIsaRacket]

Fight was much closer than Larry thought it would ever be. ...and with that said Larry has never gotten the respect and accolades he richly deserves.

[@rafaelramirez1507]

One of my all time favorite fighters Larry Holmes. Upthere with my other favorites like George Foreman, Marvin Hagler, Wilfred Bazooka Gomez, Tommy Hearns, Salvador Sanchez and Miguel Cotto.

[@garywarner9388]

Homes was the Goat in the 80,s

[@PODTIER]

Man they both were bombing. Cooney could compete with Todays HW not named Usyk.

[@LendellWhitted]

Larry was a beast..one of the greatest of all times

[@rafprice1]

Prime Holmes was no joke.

[@toucheturtle3840]

Larry was a great champion & he proved it.

[@jtc1964x]

Holmes underrate to this day

[@Brent-qu3yk]

Big Gerry was a tuff dude very dangerous opponent one punch knock out power to bad he never got a rematch with Larry Holmes

[@lendrury2771]

Years ago i got the impression that larry was angry and arrogant but hes come to my area in Scranton PA a number of times and I had a chance to meet him and speak with him and larry is a real gentleman. He very popular in my area

[@SmoothLife.]

He’s angry because of the amount of discredit he got through out his career. I would be bitter too.

[@rashid.boulawan]

what a fight!

[@Rex4sure6425]

People hated Larry for beating Ali so bad; hell, he did also and cried after winning. Besides that pointless beef, we all love him.

[@geneellis6068]

God Bless You Larry Holmes and Jerry Cooney !

[@1gitarz]

Holmes was a GREAT fighter. Cooney had such great potential....too bad he didn't have the heart for the game.

[@willismartin9196]

Cooney, dirty as hell 😮

[@Steve-ck6mg]

Holmes was great but he encountered a prime Tyson.

[@Steve-ck6mg]

@@saltiresteel6647 As I wrote, Tyson was in his prime. It seems you are reading things that aren't even there.

[@SmoothLife.]

An old Larry Holmes with an almost 2 year lay off, encountered a prime Mike Tyson. Thats better.

[@sergeipohkerova7211]

Cooney was good but got pushed too fast. If he developed from better training and his corner wasn't trash he might have ended up better. Holmes was a good champion in a relatively weak era. Not his fault, it is what it is.

[@stevesmith2171]

Cooney was caught in a trap as far as competition. There just wasn't that much out there that was quality that he hadn't beaten already and the others had more to lose by fighting him than they would gain. Better management and training definitely would have helped. Dude was a beast.

[@TechnoLawyer]

Cooney got 10mil for his fight with Holmes. In 1982. That’s the equivalent to 32mil today. And you think his team did him wrong? That’s about the best conceivable management of a fighter to get him that cash out money early in his career, before he took any real damage.

[@mongoslade277]

Cooney had an excellent left hook, but he wasn't ready. No right hand. No chin. Pushed way to fast. Lots of good but not great heavyweights in the early 80s. Cooney fought none of them. To get a title shot and top billing bc he beat an unmotivated Jimmy Young. A washed up Ron Lyle and an old & semi retired Norton. Cooney had no chance of winning this fight but was on the cover of Time & Sports Illustrated. 🤦‍♂️

[@alexpazmino4762]

Great champion

[@andrewmoonbeam321]

Then he starred in From Dusk Till Dawn, and the rest is history.

[@alanfletcher9698]

That fight was Close Gerry Cooney almost Matched Holmes. Great Fight

[@SmoothLife.]

Competitive but not “close”.

[@Jaixx-cy2fm]

Gerry Cooney never mattered

[@sjbrooksy45]

Holmes was amazing

[@noah_4066]

What a timing!

[@bigfoot-5150]

Tyson is right, he wouldn't stand a chance against a younger Holmes. Tyson never had the ability to come back from a knockdown.

[@RamananRamanan-vo2cl]

Where difference between good and great fighters. Mike is a good boxer but not a great boxer.

[@JoshJackson-lq7tj]

Nice to see em both at the end messing about as older men

[@Rayburn58]

Larry Holmes is perhaps the greatest heavyweight champion. Larry took on all comers in a brutal heavyweight era, he dodged no one. ali dodged Holmes while he was taking on a chump like Leon Spinks among others in the mid-late 70's. He chose Spinks over Holmes becasue he knew he couldn't handle Larry. Ali only chose to fight Holmes when he was washed up and he could use that as an excuse. Holmes was a humble soft spoken man, not a big mouth showman like ali and the medai held that against him. The media couldn't milk Holmes with big money hype like they could with ali. The media and most boxing fans were against Holmes when Cooney came around and Larry fought a typical Larry Holmes fight. Holmes methodically took Cooney apart with the caution and respect Cooney deseverd with the punching power he had.

[@karriemburton9024]

Holmes had the faster hands

[@henrysniper8481]

So wrong to say if he was black he wouldn't have been anybody as a boxer. When Jay Leno asked George Foreman who ever hit him the hardest, he said without a doubt, Cooney! He said he couldn't believe how hard he was getting hit by Cooney. He thought he had better end it as fast as he could. Cooney had beaten men that had beaten both Foreman and Ali !

[@SmoothLife.]

How? Gerry beat an old as hell Ken Norton. An old Ron Lyle. He fought a much older George Forman and got stopped. Just because he hits hard doesn’t mean he’s a great boxer. Gerry was good and had a lot of potential, but let’s not act like his skin color didn’t contribute to his success.

[@LAR-hs2qt]

Maintaining the dark underbelly of Professional Boxing is ever present, especially when anyone addresses Clooney aa Gentleman Gerry Clooney the "family jewels hunter." OH, he's a gentleman alright...

[@johnspink6557]

I loved Larry Holmes. He did not get the respect that he should have gotten. He followed Muhammad Ali and Ali was very political and was promoted by the liberal media unlike Holmes who kept politics out of boxing. Larry fought every challenger that was presented and beat them. He was 48 W and 0 L when he sustained his first loss.

[@dirtyspriteisgood1857]

what a great match

[@BBQFanNo1]

I'm a big Ali fan but Holmes got way over demonized and hated because he won his fight against Ali. Holmes also needed money to survive too. It is not like Holmes had any option to back out of fighting Ali. Plus Holmes could have just given up, quit and retired from boxing never coming back to the ring again after losing his first fight and fight against Tyson but he didn't run away and quit like a coward. He went back into the boxing and fought more matches after he lost matches. That is why he should be respected much more for the inner character that he has.

[@haroldbranch7971]

wow, great fight.

[@TheBankofJosh]

Holmes was never an undisputed champion

[@larryhiggs5799]

Yes... he was.

[@Ontonaut]

@@larryhiggs5799no Holmes wasn’t undisputed champion. He was the lineal champion. But there were multiple belts held by different men. I remember Mike Weaver held one of them at the time. There wasn’t an undisputed champion until Tyson unified the belts and beat lineal champ Michael Spinks. Tyson, Douglas, Holyfield, and Bowe were the undisputed champions. Then Bowe threw away one of the belts

[@Rayburn58]

Any intelligent boxing fan or expert knows without any doubt, regardless of all the bogus title belts out there at the time, Larry Holmes was the King of all heavyweights and clearly the greatest of them all from the mid 70's through the early 80's, hands down.

[@shawna7813]

Cooney is dirty...

[@martinluckhurst9808]

One helluva fight!

[@DarrellCunningham-w8e]

Larry Holmes was a great champion best jab I've ever seen got knockdown got back up and won a champions heart confidant and if I remember was Muhammad Ali sparring partner! A Great Champion 👍.

[@JoshJackson-lq7tj]

Just shows ya the power of Tyson

[@bigfoot-5150]

Great power, no chin

[@harlemboy413]

The Easton Assassin

[@vanessajazp6341]

Holmes was never entertaining like Ali or Mike Tyson. He just went in the ring and outlasted his opponents.

[@jorgem50]

I was very young when this fight took place but I remember the great white hype that was all over sports before the fight. Sports media truly wanted Cooney to win.

[@chiccoleonori1296]

Per esperienza diretta, devo dire che i neri sono , generalmente assai, scusate l'accostamento, animaleschi nelle loro forze,riflessi, resistenza e quant'altro.Cooney è dotato di grosse spalle e lunghe braccia, ed è perciò che è riuscito a mettere in seria difficoltà Holmes, quando si ha di fronte un avversario come Cooney, di solito si perde o per lo meno a me accadeva sempre di buscarle

[@karriemburton9024]

Larry holmes by far was the better fighter

[@Rinocalandra]

Mike Tyson spent lovely words about Larry Holmes. Him talk always trash about Tyson

[@thomasmorris2245]

Larry was not in shape but Don King stopped by his home and offered him good money 💰 to fight Iron Mike - Larry did not have time to train 🚂 after the match was moved up 🆙- Plus Larry was about 50 then

[@georgemvkeever8968]

Tyson in his prime would have never beat a prime holmes

[@dubbrown5594]

True

[@TheMiketyson9]

Sorry not sure

[@martinbrenner6664]

Well, Holmes had a great jaw which everybody forgets. They just talk about his hook and his reach. So, he probably could have beat Tyson because Mike’s chin was suspect. But don’t tell him that I said that.

[@kyalebrooks]

Not a chance!!

[@1InterestedNot]

Debatable.

[@Insert.anger50]

15:04 😂😂⏰💥

[@kelseygraham6978]

We knew who he was.

[@dlennox1629]

Great fighter Larry Holmes.

[@Brent-qu3yk]

Gerry with more experience maybe could of got larry in a rematch

[@michaellowe5980]

Media hypes like Anthony Joshua wouldn't last 2 rounds against either of these guys. 2 hits to the face and he'd be dishing out the loser excuses again.

[@JoshJackson-lq7tj]

He reminds me of a guy called cliff fields from uk

[@mh2584]

Larry was my champion period

[@glennbucc7107]

Cooney just throws one or two punches at a time. Tyson will go inside and unload. I think if Cooney had that same fight style of Tyson, he would have been more successful. I am not saying he would of won the fight, but he keeps going for the TKO punch

[@karriemburton9024]

Cooney a limited club fighter who hit below the belt

[@emzid5105]

A great fight !

[@petergreen5337]

❤The PROBLEM here was boxing was TRYING to create the hype and INTEREST of the MUHAMMAD ALI era.

[@timmccafferty8949]

The most embarrassing fight I ever saw. Larry Holmes should have hurt him more, Cooney through almost exclusively LOW BLOWS and Mills Lane should have called the fight for a disqualification. Lane is the best amoung the ring refs, but, this one he got wrong. Gerry Cooney should be remembered as a DISGRACE, and never anything more.

[@tcb5141]

The great white hope 😅😅😅

[@KashifJutt-xg9br]

Tyson beat holmes like lillte goat😂😂😂

[@Rayburn58]

tyson beat a washed up Larry Holmes that hadn't fought in nearly 2 years. A 29 year old Larry Holmes would have annihilated tyson, similar to when Buster Douglas beat the hell out of tyson.

[@Andy-mi1ok]

Both have zero head movement?

[@adon31997]

Cooney was always a punching bag. Good fighter tho

[@lukemccann]

God Bless

[@vincentdagostino6431]

Don King in an elevator in Puerto Rico says to me one night about Cooney I don't know nothing about one of your White boys

[@SmoothLife.]

What?

[@karriemburton9024]

They kept hyping cooney!! And then cooney believed his own hype

[@waynemarchel9667]

Definitely in the top five all time greats,if other people think otherwise then they know nothing about boxing simple as that!!

[@georgemvkeever8968]

Alison jab stung but holmes jab was a punch

[@yavuz.b]

George Foreman would have easily knocked out Holmes if they had met in his youth, so Holmes is very lucky.

[@SmoothLife.]

Maybe. I think Holmes could outbox him on a decision though. Foreman gasses too much to last 15 rounds against a high level boxer. Let’s not forget, Larry had a solid chin on him. He could last the initial onslaught, I believe.

[@Rayburn58]

To say the Foreman would have easily knocked out Holmes shows a complete lack of boxing knowledge and history. After Ali took him apart, Foreman struggled against Ron Lyle in 1976 while he was still in his prime years. Foremans style would not have matched up well against Holmes cautious methodical approach.

[@brian2100]

homes always talking crap

[@wadecartwright4277]

Jerry Cooney was a goon in the ring average Joe 😊

[@tcb5141]

Leon Spinks, washed up when he fought Holmes

[@deanvoss7098]

He wouldn't fight George Foreman

[@luiscarlosarias2126]

Cooney?? Irish surname?

[@Vanny_Supreme]

👑