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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 17, 1982)
Page 10 Portland Observer, June 17, 1982 SPORTS PORTLAND OBSERMER Long live the King! by A l McGilberry He came to Los Vegas unloved. The media favored Cooney four to one to win the crown. They said he was old and only fought stiffs and pretenders. Time Magazine ignored him completely. Sports Illustrated put him on the inside flap. He was the heavyweight cham pion o f the world that very few peo ple loved or admired. They always came to see the opponent, not espe cially the fine skills he possessed. What did he have to prove? He had defended the crown 11 times. He had fought 39 times profession ally and had never been beaten. He beat A li, Norton, Young, Weaver, Shavers, a ll comers and was de- claredthe winner everytime. He is a great champion but not loved by the people who report sport. But tonight was different; he was fig htin g before one o f the largest crowds in boxing h isto ry, and he would prove to a ll doubters the skills and professionalism o f Larry Holmes. The crowd roared a fter Cooney was announced; they hissed and booed fo r L a rry but he knew the rights would soon be his greatest moment o f triumph. Cooney prayed before the fig ht like Rocky would do on the movie screen, but Holmes came in to the ring to work and refine his craft on the enemy, Gerry Cooney. The bell rang and the fight began everyone expecting to see the new kid on the block beat this seasoned veteran o f many ring wars. Reflections on the fight Beginning o f th e end . . . Cooney seemed clumsy and ner vous. Holmes was co nfid e nt and cautious u n til the second round when Cooney fell, when L arry re treated and didn’ t try for the knock out I knew then that punish plan was in operation. Punish him he did, for 12 rounds, displaying all the skills o f his trade. It was beautiful. In the 13th round they stopped the fight; he could stand that pun ishing jab and right hand no longer. Cooney surrendered. It was great to see a man who has paid his dues and learned his trade the hard way stand victorious to the world. A ll men must now acknow ledge his greatness and the record he has achieved. We w ill write later about the low blows, the bad scoring and the racial slurs that still ring among men in the '80s. I just want to savor the T.K.O. and enjoy this time ju s t to say, “ Hail and Long Live the King o f the Ring, Larry Holmes.” World Cup Projections B razil, the Federal Republic o f Germany (West Germany) and A r gentina are the best bet to win the World Cup in Soccer. However, be cause o f the way the matches are scheduled it is impossible fo r Brazil and Argentina to meet in the final round because one o f the two will be eliminated before that. The 24 teams w ill compete from June 13th to July 11th. The teams are divided into six groups and the top two teams in each group w ill play in the second round. Winners o f fo u r groups from the second round w ill qualify for the semi-fin als in Barcelona and Seville (Spain) July 8th. The third-place playoffs and the final game will be played on July 10th and 11th. Group I: Italy, Poland, Peru and Cameroon. Italy and Poland have a good chance to reach the second round. Ita ly and Peru have had a scoreless game, and Peru was score less with Cameroon. Peru was late in organizing its team because many o f its star players were playing abroad. Rumors are out that Cam eroon used witchcraft to stop Peru. Group II: West Germany, Algeria, C hile, A u stria . West Germany should finish first, with Austria sec ond. Chile should do well and A l geria did well in the e lim ina tio n rounds, but we predict West Ger many and Austria, one, two. Group I II: Argentina, Belgium, Hungary, El Salvador. Argentina, the current title holder, will wind up first. Hungary has a slight edge for second, but Belgium has a good chance since it surprised Argentina in the opening game. El Salvador’s only claim to fame is that it is there. After all, El Salvador and Honduras did win that right over the U.S. and Canada. El Salvador has already been beaten by Hungary 10 to 1. G roup IV : E ngland, France, Czechoslovakia, K uw ait. The French and Czechs have to be con sidered. Kuwait is reported to have spent a lot o f money on its team— but that is not enough. Group V: Spain, Honduras, Yu goslavia, Northern Ireland. Spain will try very hard since it is the host country. Look for Spain and Yugo slavia to make the second round. Northern Ireland w ill make a seri ous e ffo rt, but Honduras doesn’ t have a chance. Group VI: Brazil, Soviet Union, Scotland, New Zealand. Brazil should be in first place. We pick the Soviet Union fo r second, but Scot land has a chance. New Zealand is just along for the ride. Our picks fo r the finals are Argentina, Brazil, West Germany; but the U.S.S.R. and Poland must be taken into account. The whole world is watching, but the results will not be in until July 11th. You don’t need a credit card to get our deal. -U M The Memorial Coliseum was jam packed (4,196) for the Holmes vs. Cooney showdown. They all (mostly) came to see the cancellation o f Larry Holmes’ re gime and the beginning o f some thing new—Cooney’s dethronement o f the reigning ruler. But what this crowd witnessed was the dotal de struction o f the myth that we knew as Gerry Cooney. Cooney fought valiantly but w ith few skills com pared to the master that 1 now know as Larry Holmes. Holmes entered the ring at Cae sar’s Palace a sturdy 9-S favorite. It should have been 20-1. This was not a performance by L a rry Holmes, but one by a superbly conditioned, intelligent, and masterful Holmes. In the past. Holmes’ condition at times left something to be desired. This time he was as sleek as a Tiger and quick as the mongoose. 1 picked Cooney by KO and was shocked by the Larry Holmes o f Fri day night. My thoughts were that the thun derous left hook o f Gerry's would eventually close the door on Holmes. And i f not then Cooney would win a 15-round decision, having kept in mind the fact that there hadn't been a white champion in over two decades. I was wrong on the left hook. Not just wrong but so drastically wrong that 1 did n ’ t see one all night. And, as sad as it was, if Holmes had not com pletely destroyed Cooney, and if a decision had been reached, the Gerry Cooney just very well may have been sitting on that throne today. Two judges, appar ently blind or just plain cheating, had Cooney only two points down. And remember Gerry was penalized three points for low blows. These grand old men, who mas querade as judges, were doing all w ith in their power to change the course o f this fight. For their actions last Friday night at Caesar’ s Palace they should be banned from boxing for life. The Sports Editor o f the Observer took a great deal o f heat from the community for his recent selection o f Gerry Cooney to defeat L arry Holmes. Calls o f all kinds cascaded down to our Killingsw orth office. “ Are you w orking fo r the Ore gonian or the J o u rn a l!” cried Von Ray. "M a n , before you make such stupid selections,” said Bob Don aldson, “ ask someone who knows.” These and many more were received and we're glad because it lets us know that our work is being read. On all events o f this magnitude there’ s bound to be a diverse array o f thoughts, and there certainly were. The Los Angeles Sentinel, the leading black newspaper in the U.S., had the follow ing thoughts from their staff members: Brad Pye, J r.— "G e rry Cooney by a knockout within six.” Chico C. Norwood—“ I f Holmes doesn’ t knock Cooney o ut, then Cooney w ill take it in a decision. There’ s more pressure on Holmes because he’ s black. Cooney is a l ready the toast o f white America.” Theo " N ix ” Thom as— "T h e coon, Gerry Cooney.” Ken M ille r—"G e rry Cooney in 10.” Th« «nd. Phyliss Bailey—“ I f I were a bet ting man, I would place my money on Larry Holmes.” Faith C. C hristm as—" I want Doug W illiam s o f the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win. but after seeing Larry Holmes cute little daughter, I've got to go with him. But (hen, what do I know?” Phil Rhoten— "G e rry Cooney's going to whip that n---- ’ s a--.” And remember this was all from the staff o f the L.A. Sentinel. JIM FISHER VOLVO 1972 Volvo P1800Cpe 4 cyl 4 spd w/overdrive. 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