A biography for Gerry Cooneyhasn’t been written yet.
“I feel very blessed.”
“I saw my brother have an altercation one time. He hit a guy with a left hook to the body and a right hand to the chin. He not only knocked the guy out, but out of wind. That stuck with me. It scared me.”
“It's great playing a sport where you don't get hit in the head.”
“I am seeing all the guys, like Earnie Shavers, Tex Cobb, and Larry Holmes all the time.”
“Sometimes it takes certain people longer to get over things than others.”
“When I get finished with fighting, I hope they ask the same questions. It's not my purpose to answer them. Boxing is the art of self-defense. I knock 'em out the first chance I get.”
“I feel like a pro now. Before I fought Holmes, I felt like a rookie.”
“Boxing was not the sport that I thought is was due to all the politics.”
“I don't fear Holmes, but I think he's a good fighter. He has a lot of pride. But I wouldn't be fighting him if I feared him. It's going to be a tough fight. People say with all the hoopla out there, I won't be able to handle it. I believe the pressure's on him. I'm just going to do my thing.”
“For every athlete, the roar of the crowd goes away, and we have to learn how to turn the page.”
“I learned a lot from the Holmes fight. I learned about styles and the pressure. I'm more prepared now.”
“Joe DeGuardia, I love that guy. He's not a superstar promoter yet, but he will be. He was a fighter himself; he's staying the course with these guys. He's developing some good fighters out there. I really applaud him whenever I get a chance to.”
“I'm a happy guy. I just want to see people laugh and smile.”
“I see Mike Tyson as too strong for Spinks.”
“I don't care about the critics. I took a lot of nonsense. I got stuck with silly labels like 'White Hope.' What about other guys like Tex Cobb - they never had those labels?”
“Roberto Duran was the kind of guy who was a true fighter and you hardly see guys like that anymore.”
“The past is yesterday. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.”
“I think I make people laugh, and that's good in life.”
“About 99 percent of fighters end up broke. F.I.S.T. helps them turn the page and find new goals.”
“I had personal problems. I was spending 50% of my life on my family, 50% on boxing. Neither was getting anywhere. It was killing me. So I had to break away from fighting.”