Gentleman Gerry

A Contender in the Ring, a Champion in Recovery

Gerry Cooney and John Grady

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.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 344 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼

978-1-5381-1100-0 • Hardback • June 2019 • $34.00 • (£26.00)

978-1-5381-5534-9 • Paperback • May 2021 • $19.95 • (£14.95)

978-1-5381-1101-7 • eBook • June 2019 • $19.00 • (£14.95)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / Boxing, Biography & Autobiography / Sports

Gentleman Gerry

A Contender in the Ring, a Champion in Recovery

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

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.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 344 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼

978-1-5381-1100-0 • Hardback • June 2019 • $34.00 • (£26.00)

978-1-5381-5534-9 • Paperback • May 2021 • $19.95 • (£14.95)

978-1-5381-1101-7 • eBook • June 2019 • $19.00 • (£14.95)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / Boxing, Biography & Autobiography / Sports

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.

Table of Contents

Foreword Randy “Commish” Gordon
Acknowledgments
Prologue
PART ONE: A SURVIVOR EVOLVES INTO A FIGHTER
1: The Earliest Days
2: The Survivor Fights Back
3: From Prospect to National Sensation
The Writing Process: A Fan Meets a Boxing Legend
PART TWO: EXPLORING POTENTIAL
4: From Prodigy to Pro
5: The Future: An Un-setting Sun
6: Fighting through the Heavyweight Division
The Writing Process: Mom, We’re Working with Gerry Cooney
PART THREE: THE TOP CONTENDER
7: Evolving into a Top Contender
8: Combating the Veteran Warrior
9: It’s (Almost) Time
The Writing Process: Healing through Giving
PART FOUR: THE LEGEND
10: The Prodigy Prepares for Battle
11: A Herculean Destruction of a Legend
12: Aftermath
The Writing Process: A Fan Hangs with Gerry
PART FIVE: JOURNEYING TOWARD DESTINY
13: Fighting Fame, Egos, but Not the Champ
14: The Dream Becomes Reality
15: Training for the Champ
The Writing Process: A Heightened Sense of Urgency
PART SIX: THE CHAMPIONSHIP QUEST
16: Fight Night
17: I Belong Here
18: You Can’t Hurt Me, Man
The Writing Process: Writing at the “Office”
PART SEVEN: ENCOUNTERING SEVERE ADVERSITY
19: Breaking Apart
20: A Brief Return to Combat
21: Dead Man Fighting
The Writing Process: God Hears All Prayers, but Sometimes the Answer Is No
PART EIGHT: LOST LEGACY FOUND
22: Preparing to Rise
23: The Preacher and the Puncher
24: Doing the “Next Right Thing”
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors

Reviews

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’s life is a cautionary tale that, with a lot of effort on his part, has taken a happy turn. . . . Gerry Cooney looks back on his life with understanding. He’s happy and satisfied with where he is today. But there’s a tinge of regret that, with all the assets he had to work with, a good career as a fighter could have been better.
— The Sweet Science

4.5 Stars: “[Cooney] pours his heart and soul into his recovery, a larger than life character in boxing. . . . a very poignant book.
— Ringside Report

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

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, boxing analyst for Showtime and 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