A Quote by Gerry Cooney

You have got to not get hit. You could be the best puncher in the world, but if you're going to keep constantly taking punches you're going to lose your heart. Once you learn how to miss the punches and then you start to punch them, you become an all-around fighter.
The best way to take a punch is to look at it. Honestly. Someone could hit you with the hardest punch that they have, but as long as you see it, it's not going to knock you out. It's the punches that you don't see that knock you out. So you could get tapped with a small punch, but if you don't see it, you're out.
I was probably the best that ever walked this earth. And I could take a punch. I could deliver a punch. I didn't have the hardest punch in the world but my punches were sharp and they were crisp. And if you took too many of them, you would be knocked out.
I lift weights, but that's not my main focus. I'm a fighter now, and I want to evolve and make myself a well-rounded fighter, so obviously I'm not going to leave any stone unturned, when it comes to submissions, submission defense, striking, knees, leg kicks, and also learning to defend everything. It's not just an offensive sport because you're going to take some punches and you're going to give some punches. You've got to be able to handle both sides of the spectrum. I've brought in a number of highly trained trainers to help me evolve, and I believe we've left no stone unturned.
At one point, I didn't really consider myself as a puncher because it was more so that the speed created the knockouts. People were getting hit with punches they didn't see and they were going down.
I was blessed with speed and a good punch. Everybody thinks I'm the hardest puncher ever. But I just think I was really fast, and my punches got to the target faster. That's what made my knockouts always seem spectacular.
Getting hit motivates me. It makes me punish the guy more. A fighter takes a punch, hits back with three punches.
What's the point of hitting pads, landing 10,000 punches, and then landing punches that are soft as feathers in the fight? I hit hard.
Boxing and chess are similar. It?s about the choice of means. Sometimes I need a pawn, a bishop or a knight to defeat my opponent. It?s about finding the best way. A good boxer has to be variable. He doesn?t just need to know how to punch. He must also know how to protect himself, how to defend, how to avoid the opponent?s punches. Only a complete fighter can become champion.
When you get hit that's when you've got to be calm. A professional fighter has to learn how to hit and not get hit, and at the same time be exciting. That's what professional boxing is about. You've got to be clever, you've got to be smart, and not get hit, and when you're able to do this, you're a fighter.
Some fighter’s waist a lot of their energy. Wait for your opportunity and when it comes, avail yourself of it. The idea of boring in and throwing punches helter skelter without reason doesn’t amount to a row of pins. Every time you miss a swing it is worse than being hit.
Your natural instinct when people are throwing punches at you is to back up. That just makes it more dangerous for you. You'll get hurt that way. You've got to teach yourself to go forward, move your feet and move your head. I'm not going to lie, that was tough for me to learn.
I think of all my iron shots as punches - not punch shots, but how much pressure I'm applying to the hit.
I've got a really canny knack for avoiding big punches or clean punches.
People are going to think and take things how they're going to take it, and I have no control over that, so it's kind of like biding time until you get your feedback. So, it's like, once the public can consume what you're putting out there, then you know. Then you know hit, miss, in between.
Boxing has always been work to me, a job. If I could say anything to a youngster taking up boxing it would be to "be smart and not take a lot of punches". It's called the sweet science for a reason. Hit and not be hit, make a lot of money without taking a lot of punishment. That's what it's about.
I'm not going to wallow in self-pity and not live my life. There are always going to be some falls in life for everybody, no matter what career you have. You have to roll with the punches and keep going.
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