Cooney on Losing End as Fighter and a Draw

Gerry Cooney, out of excuses and apologies, strove to make a graceful exit from boxing Tuesday.

Five years ago, when Cooney lost to Larry Holmes, he repeatedly apologized to the world as if he had disappointed untold millions.

There were no such presumptions as Cooney reviewed the beating he suffered from Michael Spinks during Monday night’s heavyweight bout. Instead, Cooney indulged in some refreshing self-mockery.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Cooney bleated sarcastically, his arms flung wide. “The last time, I apologized because I lost that fight through inexperience, and that hurt. I was feeling sorry for myself that I didn’t fight my normal fight and I was waiting, waiting, waiting. . . . No, I don’t have to apologize.”

After leaving the ring Monday night, Cooney refused to attend a news conference. But in Tuesday’s follow-up session with reporters, Cooney stopped ducking and tried to give listeners a summation of his failure.

“I’m not shying away from last night’s fight,” he said. “I feel like a man. It just wasn’t my night. Last time, I was a kid. The whole thing that was going on was a heavy deal for me.

“I was very tight,” he said, clenching his fist. “I couldn’t catch a deep breath. Everyone responds to pressure differently. I put too much on my shoulders, and it made me tight.”

Although Cooney refused to divulge any plans, he agreed to sum up his boxing career.

“I would say, ‘We had a lot of fun, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of injuries, and a lot of personal problems nobody understands,’ ” he said. “I feel great. I did some good things for boxing.”

The closed-circuit telecast of the fight was a box office bust, the coordinator of the closed-circuit network said Tuesday.

Lou Falcigno, who sold the live television rights to exhibitors around the country, said less than half the closed-circuit seats for Monday night’s fight were sold.

“It’s very bad,” he said. “It’s much less than we expected.”

At Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., near Cooney’s home, only 3,600 people watched the fight. The telecast of the Sugar Ray Leonard-Marvelous Marvin Hagler bout in April drew about 15,000 people to the same arena.