I agree WS.
Cooney did not have a overly muscled body...(he was 6'7 after all) but for someone with an "awkward, gangly, unathletic frame"....he was one of the hardest punchers in recent heavy weight history. Even Holmes admits that Cooney hit him harder in that fight than any other fighter he ever faced, with the possible exception of Ernie Shavers.
As for Cooney's performance that night.....although he was inexperienced, he fought his heart out and was actually ahead on two of the judges cards late into the fight.......in fact if the fight had been 12 rounds, instead of 15, he might have won. (I believe he also lost 3 points for low blows).
Most experts agree that if Cooney came out and tried to knock out Holmes, (like he did everyone else he fought up to that time) instead of trying to pace himself for a 15 round fight, he would have had a much better chance of winning.
He had a pretty good chin as well that night (his corner stopped the fight after the knockdown in the 13th round, but he was back on his feet) and absorbed everything Holmes threw at him and came back for more.
He was never the same after that fight.....and admitted that the guilt he felt "at letting people down" made him lose the zeal he had for fighting.
It pisses me off when I hear people refer to Cooney as a bum. Having fought a bit myself, I know the courage it takes for anyone to get into the ring....much less to fight at a championship level, which Cooney was able to do....
