You have a small period of time when you can perfect your career and become good at it. A lot of guys get distracted, which only hurts them. You must stay focused and work very hard at boxing.

Present life
Cooney founded the Fighters' Initiative for Support and Training an organization which helps retired boxers find jobs. Foreman Holmes and Lyle all stated that Cooney's left was the hardest they had ever taken. With a purse of ten million dollars for the challenger it was the richest fight in boxing history to that time.

Gerry Cooney (born August 4 1956) is a retired Irish-American professional boxer from Huntington New York best known for his loss to Larry Holmes and defeat of ex-champion/contender Ken Norton.