Jerry Quarry: Difference between revisions
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Quarry had two wins in early 1970 before being matched with undefeated #9 ranked [[Mac Foster]]. Quarry impressed boxing fans with a dominating win that returned him to contention. Another win later, he would fight [[Muhammad Ali]], when the exiled champion returned to boxing in October 1970 in Atlanta. Ali dominated the first two rounds, before opening a deep cut over the smaller Quarry's left eye. Referee Tony Perez stopped the fight before the start of the fourth round. Semi-retired in 1971, Quarry attained four straight additional wins, and also pursued acting and various business ventures. In November 1971 he went to London, England and fought the British Commonwealth Heavy weight champion, Jack Bodell. Jerry crushed the British Champion in 61 seconds of the first round to the cheers of Irishmen in the crowd. He was 26 years old and a millionaire despite never being world heavyweight champion. |
Quarry had two wins in early 1970 before being matched with undefeated #9 ranked [[Mac Foster]]. Quarry impressed boxing fans with a dominating win that returned him to contention. Another win later, he would fight [[Muhammad Ali]], when the exiled champion returned to boxing in October 1970 in Atlanta. Ali dominated the first two rounds, before opening a deep cut over the smaller Quarry's left eye. Referee Tony Perez stopped the fight before the start of the fourth round. Semi-retired in 1971, Quarry attained four straight additional wins, and also pursued acting and various business ventures. In November 1971 he went to London, England and fought the British Commonwealth Heavy weight champion, Jack Bodell. Jerry crushed the British Champion in 61 seconds of the first round to the cheers of Irishmen in the crowd. He was 26 years old and a millionaire despite never being world heavyweight champion. |
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In 1972, Quarry added two more wins before getting his well-deserved rematch with |
In 1972, Quarry added two more wins before getting his well-deserved rematch with Ali. He was ranked #2 at fight time. The match was part of a racially motivated 'Soul Brothers versus the Quarry Brothers' event promoted by Bob Arum of Top Rank, which included his brother Mike Quarry fighting Bob Foster for the world light-heavyweight title. Despite a better effort, Quarry again lost by TKO to a much bigger Ali in what proved a tough night for the Quarry brothers. |
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Proving his critics wrong, Quarry, now managed by Gil Clancy, again bounced back to have perhaps his best year in 1973. |
Proving his critics wrong, Quarry, now managed by Gil Clancy, again bounced back to have perhaps his best year in 1973. |
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Revision as of 14:28, 30 July 2010
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2010) |
Jerry Quarry | |
|---|---|
| File:Jerry Quarry.jpg | |
| Born | Jerry Quarry May 15, 1945 |
| Died | January 3, 1999 (aged 53) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Irish, The Bellflower Bomber |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 66 |
| Wins | 53 |
| Wins by KO | 32 |
| Losses | 9 |
| Draws | 4 |
| No contests | 0 |
Jerry Quarry (May 15, 1945 - January 3, 1999), nicknamed “The Bellflower Bomber,” was an American heavyweight boxer.
Overview
Quarry was a durable and smart counter-puncher. He had fast hands, an excellent left hook, and punched well with both hands. He also had a good chin. His major flaw was a tendency to cut easily and having the bad luck to box in the era of Ali, Frazier, Foreman and Norton. He was 6-ft (1.83 m) tall and weighed 195-lb (88 kg) in his prime, which today would be considered cruiser-weight, a division he and others helped inspire.
He was the hero to a large and enthusiastic Irish-American family, which included three other pro boxers (his father and two brothers). Quarry's father first put gloves on his son at age five.
Boxing career
Emergence
Quarry came to notice by winning the 1965 National Golden Gloves championship in Kansas City at age 19. He knocked out each of his five opponents, a feat unmatched before or since. Quarry began his pro career in march 1965, winning a decision against Gene Hamilton in Los Angeles, California.
1960s
Quarry's first loss came against veteran and former contender Eddie Machen in 1966, which was his 21st fight.
In mid-1967, the (World Boxing Association) (WBA) held a tournament to replace Muhammad Ali, who had been stripped of his title for refusing induction into the military. Quarry had three convincing wins early in that year to improve his ranking, but also had another draw, this time with former champion Floyd Patterson.
In any case, Quarry was named to the eight-man tournament field. He defeated Patterson in their rematch with multiple knockdowns, then defeated ranked tournament favorite Thad Spencer[1], which brought him to national attention. In the tournament final, highly respected Kentucky fighter Jimmy Ellis defeated Quarry to become new WBA Heavyweight Champion Of The World, replacing his good friend and fellow Louisvillian, Muhammad Ali.
Quarry, just 22 years old and still very popular, mounted a comeback and accrued four straight wins. In 1969, Quarry pounded contender Buster Mathis and was given a title shot by Joe Frazier for Frazier's New York State title. Quarry lost the fight on cuts via seventh-round technical knockout despite a tremendous performance in which he led in the early rounds. The high-action match was called Ring Magazine's Fight of The Year. Quarry did return to win two more fights that year, before a loss to Canadian George Chuvalo. After getting up, Quarry went to one knee and didn't stand until the count of 10, and was counted out. At the time, Quarry was ahead on two of the three judges' scorecards.
1970s
Quarry had two wins in early 1970 before being matched with undefeated #9 ranked Mac Foster. Quarry impressed boxing fans with a dominating win that returned him to contention. Another win later, he would fight Muhammad Ali, when the exiled champion returned to boxing in October 1970 in Atlanta. Ali dominated the first two rounds, before opening a deep cut over the smaller Quarry's left eye. Referee Tony Perez stopped the fight before the start of the fourth round. Semi-retired in 1971, Quarry attained four straight additional wins, and also pursued acting and various business ventures. In November 1971 he went to London, England and fought the British Commonwealth Heavy weight champion, Jack Bodell. Jerry crushed the British Champion in 61 seconds of the first round to the cheers of Irishmen in the crowd. He was 26 years old and a millionaire despite never being world heavyweight champion.
In 1972, Quarry added two more wins before getting his well-deserved rematch with Ali. He was ranked #2 at fight time. The match was part of a racially motivated 'Soul Brothers versus the Quarry Brothers' event promoted by Bob Arum of Top Rank, which included his brother Mike Quarry fighting Bob Foster for the world light-heavyweight title. Despite a better effort, Quarry again lost by TKO to a much bigger Ali in what proved a tough night for the Quarry brothers.
Proving his critics wrong, Quarry, now managed by Gil Clancy, again bounced back to have perhaps his best year in 1973.
When Quarry soundly defeated ranked contenders Ron Lyle and Earnie Shavers that year at Madison Square Garden, champion George Foreman refused to give him a title shot.[citation needed] Foreman, a Quarry fan, later admitted to dodging Quarry through his entire career.[citation needed]
Again disappointed, Quarry had one win before meeting Joe Frazier for the rematch many expected years earlier. Jerry tried to out-box Frazier, and scored well early in the opening round. Quarry began to fade quickly under Frazier's heavy pressure. At the end of the 4th round, it appeared Frazier knocked down Quarry with a left hook to the body just before the round ended. Already badly cut over both eyes, Quarry was visibly injured by the body punch, but tried to continue. The fight was stopped quickly in the 5th round. Former heavyweight champion Joe Louis was the referee for the bout, and looked very unsure on how to handle the proceedings.[citation needed] Joe Louis never refereed another fight.
In 1975, launching yet another comeback, Quarry had one win while being dodged by many potential opponents, many managed by promoter Don King.[citation needed] A desperate Quarry took a fight with Ken Norton on 18 days notice in April of that year, while out of training. Two other opponents had backed out and Quarry was the second alternate. Quarry nonetheless gave another remarkable effort, and appeared to hurt Norton in the 3rd, while bleeding himself from a cut. The much bigger Norton later won by TKO.
This concluded Quarry's prime years, having had many wars before the age of 30. Quarry was 50-8-4 at this time, with 32 KOs. He had two losses each to Frazier and Ali, one each to Norton, Chuvalo, Ellis and Machen. He had been ranked as high as #1 contender and won most of his matches while weighing under 200 pounds.
Quarry, who had acted in various programs on ABC to this point, did boxing commentary for ABC's "Wide World Of Sports." Still healthy and financially secure, he did commentary and acting from late 1975 to late 1977 before offers to return to the ring could no longer be ignored.
In November 1977, Jerry fought seven losing rounds against Italian Lorenzo Zanon before a star-studded Las Vegas crowd, before turning the tables and beating him by a knockout in the ninth round. Following the fight, Quarry stated he was rusty and merely needed to fight his way back into shape. However, following the fight, Quarry retired again, this time for five years.
1980s
Quarry could not remain retired, since he had been married three times and fell victim to several failed business ventures. With few other opportunities, the fighter known for his many comebacks and physical toughness decided once again to climb into the ring in 1983.
Now 37, and training for his latest comeback, he was visited by a Sports Illustrated reporter who was researching an article about health problems among retired boxers. Although Quarry appeared to be in good health, his performance on several simple cognitive tests was shockingly poor.[1] This was the harbinger for the mental decline that destroyed the last part of his life - dementia pugilistica, the atrophy of the brain from repeated blows to the head, eventually leading to an Alzheimer's-like state.
1990s
Quarry had two wins in 1983, but the fights appeared to accelerate his mental decline. He was inactive as a boxer from 1984 to 1992, but continued to decline physically and mentally. His $5-million dollar fortune evaporated and by 1990 Quarry was on social security. Denied a boxing license in most states because of his condition, Quarry found a loophole in Colorado that allowed him to schedule an October 30, 1992 bout with Ron Cramner, a cruiserweight 16 years Quarry's junior. The six round contest was Jerry's last fight and an ignominious defeat on points, although the former heavyweight contender stayed on his feet throughout.
Physical and mental decline
Within a few years, Quarry was unable to feed or dress himself and had to be cared for by relatives, mainly his brother James - the only one of the four Quarry brothers not to box professionally. Jerry's brother, Mike, who had contended for the light-heavyweight championship, was himself disabled by pugilistic dementia in later life and died as a result on June 11, 2006. Another brother, Bobby, suffers from Parkinson's disease, believed to be the result of his own, less-heralded heavyweight boxing career.
Hall of fame and death
Jerry Quarry was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995. His professional record was 53-9-4 with 32 KOs. His brothers Mike Quarry (deceased) and Bobby Quarry also were pro boxers. Mike lost to Bob Foster by knockout for the world light heavyweight title in 1972, but defeated several top light-heavyweights including Mike Rossman. Bobby fought 23 times as a professional heavyweight, once losing to contender Tommy Morrison, a fighter who had appeared in Rocky V (with Sylvester Stallone) and defeated George Foreman in Foreman's second career.
Quarry was hospitalized with pneumonia on December 28, 1998 and then suffered cardiac arrest. He never regained consciousness and died on January 3, 1999. He is interred at Shafter Cemetery in Shafter, California. A foundation was established in his honor to battle boxing-related dementia, a condition that has afflicted many boxers and brought Quarry's life to an early end. But Quarry still has a lasting legacy.
References
- ^ Boyle, Robert H., "Too Many Punches, Too Little Concern", Sports Illustrated, April 11, 1983. Article dated 1983-04-11, retrieved 2009-02-13.