Jerry came along at a time when the heavyweight division was loaded with talent and he fought them all. In this era he would probably be a long reigning champ. May God Bless you Jerry Quarry and may he grant you eternal peace.
Sorry but Quarry was a cruiserweight at best. He should not have been fighting heavyweights especially since he wasn’t fast for a cruiserweight, not much head movement and that’s why he took so much punishment during his career and ended up with brain damage.
@@Kungs. It's a riveting but brutal sport, especially during and before Quarry's era, when there were 15 rounds. And much more punishment was taken by fighters, with many lapsed judgements in the referee stopping the fight much too late. But nothing in comparison to the days of Jake Lamotta, Jack Dempsey, or John L. Sullivan. Today, Jess Willard would not have suffered needlessly, and Rocky Marciano would not have gone undefeated due to his split nose against Charles.
@@johnratican3824 John, it's basically apples and oranges. I would say that a lot of the fighters way back when had more endurance, basically because there was more motivation and more on the line concerning their livelihood. It was make or break for many. And many were willing to give up their mental and physical health to make a buck. There are not as many entering the fight game as there used to be because there are so many other avenues to pursue. The same can be said for the sport of bodybuilding. The game of boxing was far more brutal and sadistic back then, but so unmorally entertaining in the gladiatorial aspect, and we all realize that it has no place in today's society, along with Sinatra and Martin's womanizing and sexism, smoking, and overflowance of booze. But, it was fun while it lasted, especially if you got to experience it, and I caught the tail end of it, now being 66. We passed our peak quite a while ago, culturally speaking, in so, so many ways, especially with music. Today everything is so bland, homogenous, and repetitive. No originality because there is no where to go. In boxing, 10 or 12 rounds do not compare to 15. Those last 3 rounds made many champions what they were.
Had the cruiserweight division existed in those days, Quarry would have had a much better chance of winning a title, because I'm convinced it was for fighters like himself that that division was created in the first place years later.
Quarry was no joke. He knocked out all five of his opponents in KC Golden Gloves in 1965. The only fighter to ever do that in the history of the tournament.
Excellent, excellent observation by you Francis. There are very few boxing fans, if any, who know that stat about Jerry Quarry. I thought I was the only one. And while we are talking about unique Jerry Quarry facts, consider the following...... Elvis Presley was on stage at the Hyatt Hotel in Las Vegas in 1970. He had a massive audience in front of him and was in the middle of a song performance. All of a sudden Elvis stopped - stopped for about 10 seconds. And while people in the audience were looking at each other wondering what was wrong, Elvis pointed into the crowd and said "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are in the company of greatness. Sir, please come up to the stage." Elvis had picked Jerry Quarry out of the crowd and called him up to the stage.
a bit like Gerry Cooney just came up a bit short against the very best opponents...... a legendary boxer tho & who can forget his turn in Land of the Giants !
The LORD hold you in his Glory Jerry Quarry this fight was one of your greatest. You single handedly took down one of the deadliest punchers in Boxing history.
Quarry was a good man and a tough, brawling, hard hitting fighter loaded with heart. He cut easy, and that was one of his weaknesses, but it mainly took the elites of the era to beat him. His later life and demise was sad due to all the vicious fights he had and the toll they took on him. RIP Jerry RIP Smokin' Joe
@@HeatherGarcia-di9seI met him in the early '80s. Jerry was a helluva guy. He was both warm and witty. At this time he didn't show any signs of the dementia pugilista, that would tragically plague him later on. I was a huge fan and he was most gracious. A wonderful memory. R.I.P. Jerry Quarry
yep, that's how I know TYSON would've kicked a lot of ass back in the 70's, people are criticle because he lost to HOLYFIELD & LEWIS, that still doesn't mean TYSON cant kill FRAZIER, FOREMAN or NORTON on any given night ,
Foreman's a bad matchup for Tyson...old man Foreman wanted Tyson and said so on Letterman...post prison Tyson wasn't interested...the fight woulda made big money, i think
Quarry was the ultimate enigma. He beat all the great fighters of the the golden era of heavyweights, except the absolute cream of the cream. Yet, he is almost never mentioned as a great heavyweight in boxing history.
@@billydurham4143 True. HE fought during the golden age of the heavywiefght, which made him an extra, but he was a very good fighter. He destroyed Shavers and Lyle, yet fell short against the big four, often on cuts. It seems Shavers and Lyle are more praised than Quarry, today. I appreciate him more now than ever.
@@billydurham4143 Jerry's big mistake against Frazier was trying to slug it out rather than box. Against Clay he should have done a number on him as he did against Shavers, rather than try to out box him. Oh, I still think he should have had the decision against Jimmy Ellis.
@@lorimcquinn3966 Ali was the cream of the cream. The 70s greats were all beating each other. Many had similar number of defeats as Quarry. Ali, Foreman and Frazier had a bit better records. None were undefeated, or even had just a loss or two.
Everybody at the time thought Shavers would win. Shavers was coming off a first round KO of Jimmy Ellis and was being primed for a title shot. Quarry had lost to Frazier and Ali and was expected to be a reltively easy notch on Shavers' KO belt. Quarry upended everything.
The fact most heavyweights of the time period ranked Earnie Shavers as the hardest and most dangerous puncher of the time period says a lot about Quarry's win. Quarry was also able to beat a a much larger and stronger Ron Lyle. If I recall Lyle came close to beating both Foreman and Ali.
@@KingJachai so true, Ali did toy with Lyle and it was still a little risky because it got him behind in the scoring a little bit but when Ali got serious he took Lyle on out. Ali was not a power puncher but he can unleash power every now and then and that's what he did on Lyle
Chris Warren He wasn’t even trying. Literally rope a doping him without even being on the ropes. Ali was in NO type of danger. Lyle landed ZERO meaningful punches, I doubt if Ali even came out of that fight with a headache. Tough fighter, but couldn’t hold a candle to Ali. Get over it.
Quarry had great skills ,work ethic,and amazing stamina,unfortunatley for him his era was also heavyweight boxing's best era as well.H e couldn't beat the best of the best but he always gave 200%!!
@ Marvin Murakami. Fought until he was 47 years old. He would be dead 6 years later. How sad it was to watch his HOF induction and not even know what he was doing there. He cared for by the only brother of the four who didn’t box.
I clearly remember that Shavers was glowing with confidence, even cockiness, as they warmed up in the ring before the fight began. Shavers was about 33-0 with 31 KO'S, and all he saw across the ring was a slow looking white guy with relatively short arms. Without question, he expected to decapitate Quarry in a round or so, I don't recall seeing a fighter so full of confidence as Shavers was pre-fight. Nothing wrong with being confident, but this was over confidence,...and he learned a valuable lesson that night. You could see why Shavers had so many knockouts, it was no fluke. He was young here, and he fired that over hand right like a major league pitcher. He had an extraordinary build in that his upper body was short but powerful. He had long arms packed with power and the key was the delivery. When you have all that upper body strength, and the coordination and speed to go with it, that's the trifecta that knocks people out. He missed Jerry with a couple of right hands that looked like trouble. The problem was that he was too sure of himself in this fight. I've seen that happen many times. These guys are all tough and the difference often isn't much. It can come down to preparation, mental attitude, concentration, distractions, or as on this night,....over confidence. That's why the best still lose once in awhile. Shavers didn't bite down and focus, he didn't give his opponent the respect he deserved. That's all it took because Quarry had the talent. Shavers unknowingly gave Quarry the edge he needed and the rest is in the books.
Wow! The amount of great men that Shavers beat and those great names that couldn't put him away. Here Quarry takes him in 1 round. That's impressive. It's true what they say - "styles make fights".
If shavers would have taken his time to set up that right when Holmes was hurt he could have finish him but he was so wild he fell down swinging and Holmes recovered he was hurt bad.
Holmes was clean knocked out by Tyson but not by Shavers. Shavers caught Holmes with a perfectly timed and devastating right hand, and I don't doubt it felt like the hardest punch he'd been hit by. But no way in hell did Shavers hit harder than Tyson at his best.
@@rafaelreyes9 You do realize he was giving away an average of 15 pounds to almost all the top heavyweights he fought? Quarry was a pretty damn good fighter to have mixed it up with those guys at that time, I would say.
@@MrJC7071 Yes, unfortunately that is the price we have to pay when we go after our dreams. I remember reading once, "Life is an exciting adventure or nothing at all".
Judging by the way Shavers kept walking into Quarry's wheelhouse, it appears he had absolutely no respect for him or his punching power. Looks like a pretty painful mistake.
He didn't have to worry about Shavers punches as Shavers never stood a chance to get off a punch against a well rounded firm boxer. Quarry was just in the wrong era.
@@EinsteinKnowedIt Foreman knew how good he was and ducked him even after a 1 million dollar offer. A small coubter puncher willing to fight on the backfoot is Foreman's worst nightmare, especially if he can bang and trade againsy Ron Lyle and Shavers.
@@youngrody2386 okay so Foreman ducked Quarry. I think Iron Mike of 1985 would have been well advised to do the same. Michael Sphinx and Larry Holmes are both no Quarry.
Shavers had street fights. Hit anywhere and everywhere. Never seen him obey the rules once. Disgrace what he got away with. When you hit hard and low like him you will have a good record at knocking guys out.
For Quarry to beat Shavers in that manner says alot. Shavers was always held in the highest regard. That win is legendary. Quarry had great strength and heart. A great fighter.
Knowing the outcome of this fight, you can see that Shavers is in trouble long before he gets hurt. Quarry was starting to measure him with counter shots, and he really tattooed him with that quick and devastating counter that nobody seemed to see. Shavers was hurt but it took a few seconds before the announcer realized it and he still seemed oblivious as to why and when he got hit. And once Quarry had him hurt, he finished brilliantly. Would love to have seen this Quarry fight Norton - who Shavers kod jn 2 - instead of the Quarry who took the fight on short notice. Bad luck for Quarry that he came along with Frazier, Ali and Foreman.
I agree! Even being under trained he had some solid rounds against Norton. I don't think that Jerry could beat Ali and Frazier. But I give him a really good chance against Foreman, had they fought after the Shavers fight.
Jerry was a great heavyweight boxer who came along at a bad time as far as any hope he had to win the heavyweight crown. He could move, good defense, beautiful combinations, could take a punch but he just lacked sufficient ability when up against the elite heavyweights of that great era, Ali, Frazier, Foreman. RIP Jerry Quarry.
What's even more insane, Shavers was on a 32 fight win streak going into the ring, winning 31 of them by knockout. Boxers back then were something else
clip11 I think of it like smoking cigarettes, some people can smoke 20 a day and live to 95, some can die of cancer in their 30s. Jake La Motta is still alive and well, while Wilfred Benitez is in an institution because of his dementia.
@@poweroftheriff my grandfather survived the Great Depression, fought in WW2, was a prisoner of war for 3 years and 8 months in Changi, to the Japanese. Smoked 80-100 cigarettes per day for at least 30 years, and drank like a fish to get over his trauma. He died at the age of 97, 2 months short of his birthday. I've never met a man who has survived so much. He was physically active for all of his life, and ate a good diet. But fuck his experiences took a mental toll, and yet he kept on going
The more I read about and see of Jerry Quarry the more respect I have for his awesome fighting skills and his punching power...this video epitomizes what a powerful man he was...the video speaks for itself...the man was a fighter from a very young age trained by a very tough fighter...he took many blows to the head, as did his younger brother...the both suffered the long term consequences of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy...really a very story at the end, but Jerry's spirit endures
Look at Quarry's punches. All neatly placed with power and precision. Jerry's two biggest problems were cuts and being managed by his father, who contracted him to fight far more often without restful periods. The record proves it that Ali and Quarry were the most active heavyweights by far in the Golden Age of the heavyweights. No wonder Quarry shared the top bill as Ring Magazine's most popular fighter with Ali for three years. Skin color, in this case, had little to do with it. Quarry could fight. Period.
munchkie, you are right about one thing ali and quarry were both very busy fighters who fought a lot which is why ali probably started suffering from parkinsons and quarry suffered from senile dementia.
Parkinson's is genetic. if it was from blows to the head, Frazier Chuvalo Marciano and other brawlers like Bonavena (if he lived long enough) would have it.
I believe that the "assessment" of "billthestinker" above is the most accurate. Quarry an experienced and very tough man with some "decent power" got Shavers in trouble and that's all she wrote!
I didn't know about this fight. Shavers was said to be one of the hardest punchers ever. It looks like he grabs Quarry behind the neck and pounds him with a few uppercuts. I guess this upset Quarry as he quickly beat the **** out of Shavers shortly after this.
Blah Playhard he had the hardest punch in the history of heavyweights but didn't have a good chin, nor did he have good defense. was more of a bomber than anything.
Good eye blah ! Yes, Shavers hit him with a bit low then held Quarry's head and threw uppercuts in the clinch ! This did piss off Quarry's and he seriously beat Shavers Black ass like it was 1840 ! ( or maybe 1740 ).
Blah Playhard Shavers did the grab behind the neck move against Jimmy Ellis and scored a first round knockout. If boxing had any integrity as a sport that result should have been changed to a no contest as it clearly is a cheat move.
The peak of Jerry's career was the first round in the first fight with Frazier, where he outboxed Joe solidly. He just did not have the punching power to be a true great, and that's what prevented him from keeping Frazier away for the entire fight. If there was a cruiserweight division back then, he could have dominated that class for a long time.
My Dad trained with Quarry a little in his prime, and said Quarry was a heavy heavy hitter....without question. But had trouble with getting in top notch shape. Also taking fights with short notice and having then no time to train
1:17 That was the quick counter right from Quarry that did Shavers in. Talk about a delayed reaction, didn't really notice Shavers being bothered by it until he finally backed up on the ropes several seconds later-lol. Nice win for the Bellflower Bomber! ;-)
Jerry Quarry was an underrated boxer and one of boxers great counter punchers. I think if he hadn't bled so easily he would have won more fights. How he ended up is a personal tragedy. He deserved a lot better.
Because Shavers was still in the fight, the fight got stopped after he landed that beauty of a left to Quarry's midsection. The worst stoppage I've seen all day
@@thomasbays8292 Quarry broke his left hand on Shavers head in this fight and it never healed.When Quarry was training for his next fight against Joe Alexander at Nassau Coiseum I went out to his training camp on Long Island.I saw Gil Clancy heavily wrap his hands and I saw the middle knuckle on his left hand was distended out a full inch. It never healed and he had no power in his left hook.His best punch.His career went down hill from then on.Rest in Peace Jerry.
Jerry was a tough fearless fighter. He peaked in a age of legendary great fighters. He had a great left hook and never gave up. He bled too easily and this was a problem. .. ''I remember Jerry as the "Bellflower Bomber" when he had a show down with Joey Orbillo in Los Angeles. Jerry was all heart he is missed. RIP
Jerry Quarry, fought in the Golden Age of Heavyweights. Lost to Ali, Frazier and Norton. Beat Lyle and Shavers. Would be Champ today. Truly a hard luck fighter. RIP Champ you are missed.
Wow. After so many years, now I get to see it. Quarry KO1 Shavers. Earnie, the reputed hardest single puncher in HW History. Hats off to Jerry. A Brave fighter.
Jerry had a very good Chin. And he paid for it in a horrible young death. In this fight Earnie Shavers caught him with a few very good punch's but, Jerry knew he had to get him out of there early. And he did. I think this was the last fight Shavers had before he cut off his hair. Anyways it was a good fight. I would have liked to have seen Shavers go against Joe Frazier in 1973-1975. I really think Joe would have got him.
One of Shavers' signature moves was to grab an opponent behind the neck, back up a step and then throw an uppercut. It was a devastating set-up that seriously debilitated an opponent leaving him open to other finishing punches.
I used to wonder why Quarry would keep going up against these greats and getting cut so much, only now do I realize how much heart he had because he fought at a time of so much talent and never ducked a fight. A great fighter in my book. RIP and God Bless this wonderful man.
I did see the Quarry punch at 1:17. Funny thing is that the crowd didn't react to it, and the announcers didn't note it either. It got in there fast, a sneaky right. Next thing you see is Shavers backpeddling and covering. Hard to believe that punch turned the tide of the fight. Two great warriors. Shavers took a lot of hard shots and survived longer than he should have. Quarry was a superb counter puncher. This fight would have been mighty interesting if it lasted a few rounds.
One big punch, followed by a couple more solid blows can take down a really good fighter, and you can never tell when one big punch might get through. You can't tell who will win until they start throwing punches and the rounds start clicking along. Even the best fighters walk into a punch that sends them to bed early. Jerry had a good punch and if he could land a couple, well, it could be a real fight. He was a real tough, give it all he had fighter. He had no quit in him. RIP
Yes, particularly with heavyweights. You must respect any man that gets in the ring with you. If even the most lightly regarded fighter connects, flush and square, it's "good night Irene."
Ali says Shavers was the hardest hitter he fought , Forman says Quarry , when asked why not Shavers big George replied , " I never fought him " and didn't want to . When you throw in these 2 along with the also savage hitting Ron Lyle , none of these 3 were ever HW Champions during the 70s , just goes to prove just how tough and Competitive the HW Division was then , and how Great Ali truly was .
"Now, I know you've never boxed..." WRONG!!! I fought Golden Gloves for 5 years back in, you guessed it, the 70's, when it actually meant something. Had 60 some-odd fights. My brother had over 100 fights and made it to Nationals one year. And guess what? He trained the ultimate journeyman/"opponent" Ross Purrity, the guy who went over to Kiev several years back on short notice and STOPPED your hero "Wlad" Klitschko. Boy, did you step into this one. Eye deep.
Shavers was the hardest hitting fighter we've know, yet Quarry took his shots without even trying to block them and still knocked Earnie down. One tough SOB.
If Quarry had a good manager/trainer team from the start of his career he may have become a champion for a short time.His family were involved in his career to the point bad choices were made.I think Gil Clancy trained him to late in his career.Quarry was an excellent boxer who could punch like a mule kicks and slug it out when he had too.
George J McHugh I totally agree with you! If Jerry had someone like Lou Duva, Angelo Dundee, Ray Arcel guiding his career from the get-go after Jerry`s Golden Glove Career in which he kicked much ass and broke many a jaw, Jerry would have been a true legend. The same could have been said of Iron Jawed George Chuvalo.
Right Chuvalo in the early years of his career went to Detroit to learn and train.However his wife did not like it there so he went back home.I really think he had the edge over Ali in their first fight.
Quarry was in the mix to fight Foreman,but when he seen how Quarry beat Shaffer he said that knockout cost you a fight with me i ain't going to take a chance with your punching power.
@@kaseywinbornery5258 because hes pointing 2 the fact that heavyweight division has traditionally been dominated by blacks idiot 4 yrs people were talking about the great white hype dont pretend 2 be naive about this Im not even saying that blacks are better heavy weight boxers then whites but the reality is heavy weight has been run by blacks thats why they say Andy Ruiz first mexican heavy weight holder dont make it into something its not.
yeah- sometimes I forget the boxing law that Ali cannot get caught , if he does its an illusion. Just ask Bugner . What I saw was a trick, what I heard was a bomb in Fort Meade, and he had worked on a plan to jump on his foot
Prime Ali had no inside game, the cracks were there for anyone to exploit, And Frazier was perfect for that. He can charge right into you even if you were a hard hitting slugger with a good jab. You can say whatever you want about how Ali would be able to dance around Frazier, that style would eventually get him on the ropes, get himself banged on the hips and lose his ability to dance and become flat footed lik Quarry did to Ali. That's what happemed on the first fight, and both were still at top notch condition. Also, Marciano was an inferior fighter to Frazier, but he's got a puncher chance nonetheless 🤷
I'm 21 and I believe that Quarry, Shavers, Frazier, Foreman and all those guys from that era would smash todays heavyweights. ''Move on''? The first step to becoming a knowledgable boxing fan is learning your history.
He wouldn't had said it with such emotion. At the time, NO ONE expected Frazier to go down so easily. We ALL were shocked. Even today, I STILL can't believe it.
Jerry quarry was a cheater! punching when a guy is down he was notourous for it! undertstand? shavers would have annialated him if he wasent hit when he was down.
Rocky over Jerry...Jerry wouldn't have been able to hurt him, but Marciano would have steamrolled over him eventually as the fight wore on and Jerry accumulated hurt.
I disagree, I think Jerry COULD hurt Marciano. I just think it wouldn't matter :) guys managed to hurt Marciano in his days. Marciano would come back and annihilate them. Marciano might get caught, but he'd get up and get Quarry out of there. So, I agree Rocky wins no doubt about it, but don't sell Quarry short on his ability to hurt and drop guys :)
Yeah, probably a fair call to a point...Jerry could certainly hurt and drop a guy very handily. But I cant recall a time when Marciano was legitimately hurt...momentarily staggered yes, but not hurt where he had to properly hold on to survive...where the other guy had him as a sitting duck to open both barrels on. That's how Jerry would need to get him to put him away. Marciano even commented after his career was over that he was never hurt in the ring. I see a Quarry/Marciano fight as similar to the Frazier one...Jerry would bounce a few hard ones off the Rock which might slow him momentarily...but he was tougher and more durable than Joe. I take nothing away from Jerry...he could really thump, but up against the human juggernaut that was Marciano, he would only enjoy moments of slowing him up rather than seriously hurting him enough to finish him. :-)
gsimon123 I think Jack Dempsey at his best beats Marciano. Dempsey was vicious, big power, chin. Now that would be a fight to see. Both around same size, I just think Dempsey would have been someone Rocky would struggle with.
Tommy Pierce I actually don't know Dempsey! One of the greats that I have yet to see some of his fights. I do enjoy the internet for the fact that great fights throughout history are available to be watched. Back in the day you'd have to listen on the radio or go and check it out live. No replays or anything. I'll have to check Dempsey out I have heard he was indeed a beast.
Ali said that he thought Marciano was better than Joe Frazier. yes Ali was fast and could take a punch. we will never know, but Marciano had the killer instinct and was more than determined. after Marciano sparred with Ali, Angelo Dundee asked him, " Well, how do you like my kid" Marciano replied " He's Good, but I would have killed him in my prime". and as far as that comment on Marciano fighting no one? the Black fighters back in the day were tough. Ezzard Charles, Joe Louis, Archie Moore, Jersey Joe Walcott, were tough guys even when older. fighting Marciano would be like taking a steak off his plate. you would be fighting for your life.
jimmyd10100 Yeah but it's not just that Louis, Moore and Walcott were old - it's that they were way past their best. Charles was also past his best. At his peak Charles was one of the best Light Heavyweights of all time.- maybe THE best. But though he achieved much as a Heavyweight it was never his natural weight.
No one can beat a prime Ali or Johnson. Rocky was too tiny, 5 ft 11 185lbs, while Ali was 6 ft 3 & a half 215 and Johnson was 6 ft 1 & a half and weighing about the same.
GamerzDailyFix It's also about reach. Marciano had a 68 inch reach whereas guys like Ali and Foreman had 78 inches. and Johnson was at 74 inches. That's a big disadvantage.
When I tell people that Marciano could never beat Ali. They call me a racist. Then I say that Marciano couldn't beat Quarry to take the racism out of the equation. Well this video is proof. Marciano fought no one. Quarry beat Earnie Shavers.
Walcott and Moore both knocked him down with nothing punches. Walcott was one of the worst heavyweight titlists ever as well. Moore and & Ezzard were heavies who were old and moved up in weigh. Sorry dude, I know boxing history. Marciano fought no one. And the fighter that he really ducked was Cleveland Williams, who was made to take a dive on the under card of one of Rocky's fights. Why? because Rocky was champ and Cleveland Williams was 26-0. And if he won on the same card as Rocky people would call for a fight between the two. He took a dive vs a nobody to kill the clamoring. Came back and knocked the same guy out later legitimately.
I'd have to agree with you Christopher. With all due respect to Marciano and his family , I don't think he would have ranked too high in this era. Muhammed was never really the same after the 3 year layoff. If he was , he would have made Frazier look bad in their first bout. Match up him and Tyson in their primes - same thing - Ali would have frustrated Mike half to death. That's how I see it anyway.
***** We can agree to disagree then. When I watch Marciano I just see primitive skills - power , stamina, ability to get up from a knockdown and come back - also mental toughness. Guess we'll never really know. He's the sentimental favorite cuz we like the idea of someone retiring undefeated.
Read all of it then get back to me. Feel free to check my facts on boxrec dot com. Like I said earlier, I brought up Quarry because I don't want racism to be the excuse for exposing that Marciano's record is fraudulent. So I went on boxrec website to see if I'm right. Rocky fought horrible competition. I don't care if RM was purple, that's simply the truth. Quarry didn't. In fact, Ken Norton called Quarry a racist because Quarry actually complained that black heavyweights were ducking him in the 70's. Quarry fought a REAL career. Marciano didn't. RM fought anyone around 190 pounds and blatantly ducked heavier, for example, Cleveland Williams. Here's what I noticed, Cleveland's 1st loss is mysterious 4 round decision loss to an absolute "nobody" (Sylvester Jones)that he would fight again and easily knockout just 9 months later..hmmmmm. Cleveland's first loss also, just happened to be on the under card of a Rocky fight card...hmmmm. My guess is that they gave Cleveland a loss so that no one would clamor for a fight with Rocky. Here's the link: boxrec.com/show_display.php?show_id=13752 Why is it that every fighter over 200 pounds and could possibly challenge for Marciano's title lost???? Except for the one who was in his 2nd fight and the one with a horrible record whom no one would give a shot any way, all legit heavies lost. Question?? Why is Cleveland Williams fighting a 4 round fight when he's 27-0? No one with 27 fights is still fighting 4 rounders. Again, 9 months later Williams ko'd the same guy,Jones, in the 7th of a 10 round fight with Marciano no where near the fight card. Ok now let's look at Quarry..Quarry lost 9 fights but really only lost 8 if you want to be honest about how good he was. His last loss, he was 47 years old and hadn't fought in almost 10 years. Of his 8 other losses, he lost to Ali (twice), Frazier (twice) and Ken Norton, Eddie Machen (Quarry's 1st loss when he was 17-0-3 vs Machen who was 48-8). He lost to Jimmy Ellis for the title in an elimination bout. And George Chuvalo, who outweighed him by 16 pounds! That's 3 of the top 4 70's heavyweight making 5 losses. He didn't fight Foreman. And 2 other top heavies. And 1 heavy contender who was much larger than him. Now check this out: EVERY FIGHT Quarry lost (AND his 4 draws), he was fighting someone who outweighed him. But Quarry himself outweighed Marciano by 10 pounds or more in his fights. Quarry was actually undefeated himself, vs fighters of equal size. And of those fighters, they had much better records than the one RM fought. So yes Quarry beats Marciano.
Maybe because I was a young teenager in the 70s and use to watch fights on a Saturday or Sunday Wide World of Sports and Sports Spectacular BUT the fighters of the 70s especially heavyweights seem so much better than today’s fighters.
Quarry knocks Foreman out. The only fighters who could beat Quarry were Ali and Joe. If Jerry shows up in shape which he didn't in many fights he beat all the others fighters.
I don't think Jerry could beat Foreman. Joe Frazier ,Ken Norton and George Chuvalo had beat Quarry and Foreman destroyed them all. Jerry Quarry knocked out Shavers, but Foreman is completely different story. Still, I think Jerry Quarry could dominate any other boxing era
Anthony Rangel The Truth is, Quarry, Chuvalo, And Bonavena would have all beaten the Short, stubby, !85 lb Rocky Marciano who was a great fighter for his time and all he beat were old, past their prime Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, Archie Moore, Jersey Joe Wolcott. He Retires and in the wings were hot, young fighters like Floyd Patterson , Eddie Machen, Zora Folley and Ingo Johansen who would have beaten him being faster harder hitters.
+barry onefull What are you talking about? Jerry Quarry above all had a terrific record. And he fought and beat many powerful fighters in their prime. He fought with a broken back against Jimmy Ellis, gave Joe Frazier a botch of a time in their first fight, and was competitive with Ali in their first fight. He came out of retirement on 18 days notice to fight Ken Norton and almost had him down a couple of times. Rocky Marciano fought men in wheelchairs. Joe Louis would have handed Marciano over to funeral directors had they fought in Joe's prime. Same thing with Walcott and Moore. A record of 49-0 doesn't mean shit if it is all stuffed with cadavers.
I have all the respect in the world for Jerry Quarry, and his memory... His problem was he was a natural light heavyweight carrying twenty to thirty extra pounds, and took far too many punches.
Amazing how skilled this group of heavyweights (mid-60s- late-70s)were compared to the current crop. Bigger yes, but no combination punching like back then and now so slow. Thanks for posting,I forgot how good it was then. Maybe because old syle trainers dying out+inactivity,one fight every 2 years .
Joe Frazier was asked if Jerry Quarry had fast hands could he have been the champ. Frazier said believe me Jerry Quarry did have fast hands. His own father would make him and his brother Mike fight each other. Mike's undoing was his KO against Bob Foster.
I really thought back in the day that Rocky was based on Quarry vs Ali (Balboa vs Creed) But I was thrown for a loop when it came out years later that the Rocky character was based on Chuck Wepner. Quarry fought all the elite heavyweights of the 60's and70's and won quite a few! Much respect and RIP Jerry
Rocky wasn't based on Wepner or any other real-life fighter. Stallone was inspired by the fact that Wepner, given virtually no chance against the great Ali, nearly went the distance with him. He saw that as a "metaphor for life" and wrote the story of a down and out fighter getting a shot not only at the title but also to prove himself. Wepner was incidental. Rocky being from Philly, running the stairs and punching meat was inspired by Joe Frazier. To your point about Quarry, he was unfortunate his career coincided with those of Ali and Frazier. He may well have been champ otherwise.
I really enjoyed watching Shavers fight. But every time he had a chance for a title fight, he lost. Always made me sad when he did. Still one of my all time favorite boxers.
Good comment. In many ways, Shavers was like Quarry. Both had their unique talents and attributes, but both had flaws that prevented them from excelling at the highest level of the sport. Like a baseball player that dominates AAA, but can't cut it in MLB. That was Earnie Shavers and Jerry Quarry. Shavers had impressive power, but tended to be wild, leaving himself exposed. He had low stamina, so he had to knock you out. Quarry had deceptive power and an iron chin. But Jerry had T-Rex arms, poor defensive technique and cut easily. Neither fighter was a paragon of discipline. You can hide these issues when fighting certain contenders, journeymen, tomato cans and bums. It becomes harder as you reach the top level.
Quarry was a very hard puncher-counter puncher with fast hands, even the great George Foreman said he avoided fighting Quarry because of his counter punching ability.
@frank47hammer : Great info, thanks! My dad liked Quarry quite a bit as well, especially because he came to fight AND was from SoCal. Another poster referred to him as the Bellflower Bomber, which is funny--I'd never heard that one. But Jerry was a terrific fighter, not just a slugger but an educated boxer, who fought the best when the division was at its strongest and gave 'em all hell. RIP Jerry.
