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Gerry Cooney
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Gentleman Gerry: A Contender in the Ring, a Champion in Recovery Kindle Edition

by Gerry Cooney (Author), John Grady (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 52 ratings
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Beginning in the late 1970s, “Gentleman” Gerry Cooney’s professional boxing career was marked by exhilarating fights, exciting wins, and a powerful left hook. In 1982, Cooney landed a lucrative match against world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes on one of the biggest stages in championship boxing. Yet Cooney’s bouts in the ring were nothing compared to the inner turmoil that he dealt with and eventually overcame.

Gentleman Gerry: A Contender in the Ring, a Champion in Recovery chronicles the career of a boxing legend, the challenges and triumphs of a trauma survivor, and an alcoholic’s journey to sustained recovery. Gerry Cooney and John Grady provide a detailed account of how the former contender went from an abused childhood to becoming a two-time Golden Gloves champion. More than just a biography, this book explores the challenges of surviving difficult moments and overcoming obstacles such as alcohol addiction. The authors also provide historical perspectives of the era and behind-the-scenes insight into the world of professional boxing.

Complete with photographs from esteemed sports photographer Joe DiMaggio and stories directly from Cooney himself, this book offers an unprecedented look into Cooney’s life and the lessons he learned. Fans of boxing, as well as sports enthusiasts and others recovering from addiction, will find Gentleman Gerry a must-read.
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  1. Print length
    340 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
  5. Publication date
    June 12, 2019
  6. File size
    45442 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Living in fear, Cooney learned to fight and suffered from a low self-esteem that would lead to his own alcohol addiction. Grady takes readers from Cooney’s first professional fight in 1977 (defeating Billy Jackson), through his first heavyweight title fight in 1982 (he lost to Larry Holmes) to his final fight with George Foreman in 1990 (he lost by a knockout). Ultimately, Cooney overcame his addiction and founded the Fighters’ Initiative for Support and Training, which helps find work for retired boxers. . . . Cooney’s charms manage to shine through in this uplifting story of recovery. ― Publishers Weekly

Gerry Cooney has always had to fight, both in and out of the boxing ring, and the fact that he's always done so gallantly and admirably is not lost on those of us who know him well. His story is compelling, and John Grady does a detailed job of chronicling all of it, from Huntington, New York, to Las Vegas, Nevada, where Cooney's title fight with Larry Holmes stopped the world. Cooney's story has never been told this thoroughly, this well. It makes for a great read. -- Steve Farhood, Showtime boxing analyst and former editor of The Ring magazine and 2017 Inductee, International Boxing Hall of Fame

Gerry Cooney was not only one of the hardest punchers we've seen in the heavyweight division, but also the most loving, sharing, and forgiving human being of all times. Boxing is better for Gerry—just read and see. -- George Foreman, member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame

What an experience for anyone who reads this book. Take this journey through real life struggles, in and out of the ring, of a top heavyweight contender, where you’ll become aware of the “human spirit” of a fighter. -- Jack Reiss, world championship veteran boxing referee and judge

Gerry is a hell of a man. If he would have waited one year later, he would have been heavyweight champ of the world. To me he is a great man and I always liked him and we will always be friends. -- Larry Holmes, member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame

About the Author

Gerry Cooney is a former boxer who emerged as the #1 contender for the heavyweight championship of the world. Ranked #53 on The Ring Magazine’s “100 Greatest Punchers of All Time,” Cooney fought all-time great champion Larry Holmes in one of the most memorable and anticipated title fights in boxing history. Cooney currently co-hosts “At the Fights” on SiriusXM radio with Randy “The Commissioner” Gordon.

John Grady is a licensed professional counselor, licensed alcohol and drug counselor, dually certified supervisor in mental health and addictions, university lecturer, and author.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07QZ7BWGB
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (June 12, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 12, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 45442 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 340 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1538111004
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 52 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
52 global ratings
Review is from Joe DiMaggio/Photographer
5 Stars
Review is from Joe DiMaggio/Photographer
Many of us grow up with some baggage. Gerry Cooney was born a fighter and during his formidable years had more baggage than most. He fought his way to the top of the heavyweight ranks. He not only fought his opponents but had to fight many of the people around him as well as his own demons and did a remarkable job. Gerry will go down in the history in the heavyweight divisions as one of the smartest, most productive with the least amount of damage in his career. He’s grown to be a philanthropic wiz kid, beat all his addictions including golf. John Grady, in my opinion, as a first time author, was able to tell Gerry’s story like no one else could and did a great job. Grady had to go in the ring and spar with Gerry and Grady came out with a draw - pretty impressive! I’ve known Gerry for almost 4 decades and it was a privilege to work with Gerry and John contributing photographs I have made of Gerry over the years for Magazines such as SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and TIME MAGAZINE as well as virtually all the boxing magazines. Joe DiMaggio
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Top reviews from the United States

Louis611
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2023
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Details his fights as well as his psychological issues regarding his father.
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LSmith
4.0 out of 5 stars Good bio on a good boxer
Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2019
Gerry Cooney was one of the most exciting contenders for the heavyweight boxing title in the early 1980’s. This was during an era when that title was one of the most prestigious in all of sports. While there was much written in newspapers about his rise to contender, his loss to one of the greatest champions, Larry Holmes, and his subsequent lack of bouts, there was an inner darkness in Cooney’s life. That darkness is addressed, as well as his career, in this memoir written with John Grady.

As a youngster, Cooney suffered abuse, both physically and mentally, from his father. When he became a teenager, Gerry (which is what he is called throughout the book – never “Cooney”) sought refuge in boxing. That became a wise choice as he had a very successful amateur career which translated into similar success in the professional ranks, culminating in a bout for the heavyweight championship with Larry Holmes. While Holmes won the bout with a technical knockout in the 15th and final round, Cooney won much praise for his performance. However, he had very few fights after that one for reasons varying from his lack of trust of promoter Don King to his managing team looking for bigger paydays, to Cooney’s personal battle with alcohol and drug addiction.

The latter issue plays a very big role in the shaping of Cooney’s story, as well as the abuse he took from his father as that is mentioned throughout the book. At times, the same points are repeated multiple times, but they are included to illustrate how much these issues affected Cooney in his personal and professional life. Grady’s background as a mental health and addiction counselor provides valuable insight into the troubles Cooney faced. With the balance of material on both Cooney’s personal and professional lives, this is a very good book for fans of boxing or memoirs.

I wish to thank Rowman and Littlefield for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
2 people found this helpful
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Robert Mladinich
5.0 out of 5 stars A cautionary tale
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2019
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Gerry Cooney was an incredibly talented boxer who never got to realize his full potential because of a host of childhood demons that resulted in him seeking refuge with drugs and alcohol. Thankfully, he embraced sobriety over three decades ago and is living a fulfilling and rewarding life that includes an abundance of service to others. His travels and travails are well chronicled in this compelling biography.
One person found this helpful
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Monica Funigiello
5.0 out of 5 stars So inspirational
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2020
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Such an inspirational book that tells the real life story of someone who struggles with addiction... highly recommend to everyone!!
One person found this helpful
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Steve
1.0 out of 5 stars Author wasted way too many pages repeating himself.
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2021
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Was a big Cooney fan in the day….wish he’d written the book. The author repeated himself at an irritatingly high level! You’ll be beaten over the head with repeated facts! I’ll now never forget Cooney was 6’6”….or that Ken Norton would be a future hall of famer …or countless other things he feels we need to be reminded of! Often! Book could have been about 50 pages shorter if an editor had actually done there job!!
One person found this helpful
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michael matteson
2.0 out of 5 stars Overwritten
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2020
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I had high hopes for this. Finally a book about Gerry Cooney! Alas, this is so over written by Grady that at times it's unreadable. Hopefully, someone else will do a biography of Gerry without the author trying to turn it into this mess
2 people found this helpful
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Oliver W. Tuthill Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Service
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2020
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Book came quickly and was in excellent condition. Highly recommend.
One person found this helpful
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Peter Wood
3.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Fighter--A Lackluster Book
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2019
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I am a BIG Cooney fan, but this book was a disappointment. The redundancies, the melodramatic prose, the numerous psychological references, and the authorial intrusions marred what should have been an excellent book about an interesting life and career.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Ian Johnston
4.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable
Reviewed in Canada on May 19, 2022
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A very enjoyable well written book
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Wicken
5.0 out of 5 stars A refreshing read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2023
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I waited a long time to read this book, and didn’t disappoint. I was 10 years old when Gerry challenged Larry Holmes for the championship. Before the very tough fight and only now do I recognise exactly what a tough fight he was having, both in boxing and in life.
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Scott Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars An exceptional inspirational book about a heavyweight legend
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 26, 2022
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A great read, an incredible story and an inspirational message
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MADDOG
5.0 out of 5 stars Good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2021
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Enjoyed this book
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Dr Ribs
1.0 out of 5 stars Just so badly written
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2020
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I always liked Gerry Cooney, and was excited about the book however......it is so badly written I had to skip over vast swathes of it. amateurish, self indulgent, over-wraught writing, the whole story ruined......should never have passed a decent editor
One person found this helpful
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