A look back at Mike Quarry, a light heavyweight from the 1970s who followed his brother Jerry into the sport. Like Jerry, he would suffer from pugilistic dementia at the end of his life.
A very sad story. I recall watching Gil Clancy one time being interviewed and he said Mike had excellent boxing skills but simply didn’t have the power in his punch to take guys out. May Mike and Jerry Quarry RIP. Thanks for this episode.
Great video, your channel is the best. the 70's light heavyweight division was just as tough as the heavyweight division was. both quarry brothers suffered from this, probably could have won titles in a weaker era. this was a sad one
Jesus the way Quarry's corner handled him after he was knocked unconscious by Foster- wagging his head around and then DROPPING IT TO THE CANVAS! What the hell??
That's the way things were done back then. No one knew how to treat an unconscious fighter. I've seen plenty of times in the 30s 40s 50s 60 70s where they slapped the guy in the face and pick him up even though he's unconscious. I'm not saying it's the right thing to do it's the worst thing to do but no one knew any better. Where the hell is the doctor he should have been the first one in the ring? They use smelling salts for him to wake up when he can barely breathe as it is. Medicine has come a long way.
@@msw8966 I've seen a lot of that too. Not to let a head drop should be common sense. -Totally on the mark about the doctor should be first in the ring.
@@tsb7911 I guess cornerman didn't have common sense back in those days.... I think they should have stopped fights way earlier and they did back in the day have you ever watched Ike Williams versus Bo Jack! Holy shit! The man was unconscious in the corner for about 15 seconds getting hit with the hardest punches imaginable and no one stopped the fight finally the referee had enough sense to before Jack died!
The stories of Jerry and Mike Quarry are a cautionary tale for anyone thinking about competing as a boxer, amateur and professional. For those seeking a way out of poverty, boxing still remains a path toward fame and fortune.
Don't you find it strange that it is both? Another brother has Parkinsons. It wasn't just boxing that caused this. Something genetic happening there. Boxing probably just hastened the inevitable. I don't believe it was all boxing. You had guys like Dempsey, wepner, and several others who were fine as wine then you got these two brothers who looked a lot alike getting it?
That was an excellent comment. Some boxers and NFL players develop dementia. Some don't. As a side note, The Quarry brothers were Irish. And Muhammed Ali had enough Irish in him that he visted his relatives in Ireland. Maybe there is a connection to where the gene pool comes from? And maybe not.@@craigridley7369
I sparred with Tommy Evans long after he beat Mike Quarry. That was Tommy's claim to fame but now I realize he beat a well worn Mike Quarry. Another great documentary Rich!
Good one A lot of these guys had it tuff in later life I love the fight in all of em these are so much more than boxing stories these are a beautiful look into the rise the falls and the in-betweens of a fighters life Thank you very much for your hard work in remembering these men and there work God bless all of you
Great boxing family, loved watching his hugely exciting brother , reading Jerry's biography they were a product of there environment, a brutal violent father who wanted his sons to fight, with the mantra " theres no quit in a quarry " there was other brother's well as Jerry, Mike and Bobby, who boxed as well, very sad how most of them ended up , drink , drugs,, broke , legal problems and worst of all severe early dementia, much as I.love boxing, makes you think , no amount of glory, fame , Money, is worth ending up.like that
Thanks for another fantastic program, Rich! I always felt bad for Mike Quarry. That statement in the beginning, about the "killer instinct", is really a metaphor for Mike's boxing career. He was a talented athlete, and didn't really want to box to begin with. With his skill, he perhaps would have at least played college baseball, and lived a much different life. Not that he was an unknown, but I enjoy that you pay homage to some of the lesser-known fighters. The whole Quarry story is so sad, a father leading his sons into a brutal world that he himself could not conquer.
I worked as an editorial assistant on a book about one of Mike’s wives. Transcribed a bunch interviews about her life with him. After boxing he was basically a six year old mentally. He’d leave the house for hours and disappear and had to be monitored at all times. Very sad.
Another terrific doc, Rich! The sport is filled with too many stories like this from every single era. The Quarry brothers, the Moyer brothers and many, many more put it all on the line in their careers and paid a terrible price. They should be remembered for their courage and dedication to the sport. Thanks for doing this Rich. It’s important to recognize these guys.
Mike Quarry was right about himself not having the killer instinct, i seen in the fights they shown on here that he had his opponents stung and danced away without capitalizing on it.
I think there’s a boxer you’d like very much. He’s from Spain and his name is Jose legra. He was nicknamed the pocket clay for his style comparison to Ali. He was extremely talented, interesting defence and was wild with his punches. But he had something like 144 fights with 128ish as wins. I think you’d enjoy him. Enjoyed the video and thank you for this documentary
You make absolutely astounding documentarys! Your voice and style is absolutely perfect, every boxing fan should be subscribed to your channel it's fantastic. Keep up the amazing work 👍☘️
I’ll watch this later, but I want to recommend anyone interested in Mike to read “A Fight to the End”-a 2006 article written in the immediate wake of Mike’s passing in the LA Times by Bill Dwyer. Draws heavily from Ellen Quarry, Mike’s unlikely wife, and her recollections about life with Mike.
Mike was a good boxer and also tough like brother Jerry but I’ll never forget his first loss for the LH title vs Foster in which he was brutally knocked out. I was truly afraid for his life
Thanks for sharing I really enjoy this I remember watching both of these guys. Very sad ending I really didn't know they ended up the way they were. God bless them and there families
It's always a terrible mismatch when one guy can punch and the other lacks any power. As you can tell after the KO, Foster was genuinely concerned about Quarry's well being. It may be forgotten that Foster was a nice guy. After his career, he worked as a security guard in New Mexico. He was very well liked.
Very sad to see Mike go the way of Jerry. You can almost sense his heart isn't in it in his mid to late fights. Incredibly informative Rich and and thanks for sharing!
My and my brother were into boxing for many years....he was 11 months older than I was. We are very close too. But when we were training and sparring, we would really go at it. The people that would hang around and watch would always say it was like being at the fights when we would spar.....So I somewhat get what it was like for the Quarrys, except my brother and I were fairly evenly matched....I was welterweight and he was lightweight........But we were always amateur....Though I would get in the ring with most anyone....I really loved it. But I just didn't have that killer instinct like Mike Quarry said. I also was involved with Mixed martial arts ....I just loved the training....and the confidence that gave and the kind of shape it gets you in....So thankful that its not something I needed to do to make a living....
that fight against Rossman is so sad to me because you can feel how hard Quarry was trying to turn back the clock and manage to fight back but the difference in conditioning and youth is evident. And as he gets beaten up against the ropes you can see his body squirm and want to quit but he's there solidly taking it all hoping, praying for an opening that didn't come.
Both Jerry and Mike Quarry had different styles. Jerry was a boxer/brawler whether he beats his opponent to either a decision or a knockout while Mike was a boxer who boxed from the outside to take a decision. Good video Rich.
My goodness what a sad tale. The poor man did not even have control of his mind and at an age when most people are still learning machines. It a leason to be learnt for sure
Great documentary but in a lot of ways tough to watch. I spoke to Mike in the early 80’s and he seemed ok. He told me the best guy he ever fought was Pierre Fourie of South Africa. I love Boxing,but to see what happens to some of these guys is very sad. For every Leonard or DeLahoya there are a hundred guys like the Quarrys and Phil and Denny Moyer. In the end, the human head was not meant to be continuously hit.
I don't disagree with that. However, many people take on dangerous fights and made far less to do it. Look at the military for an example. How many people come back with severe mental issues/PTSD that prevents them from securing a job. Not to mention physical disabilities.
The reason quarry was so underated,is because there were so many rated boxers had that had won championship s and there were at lot of quarry type boxers back then
These are the story's that break my heart the most. Its almost as if the Quarry brothers were cursed by boxing instead of being blessed by it. Hard to say why these incredibly sad endings happen the way they do. One thing is for sure though. Its truly sad what the sport will do to some men. Great job as usual Rich. Another banger. 💪🇺🇸💪
Another wonderful effort Rich. I remember when he came to Sydney for his last fight against Bunny Johnson. The word about was that his behaviour was quite bizarre before the fight and what you said about his saying that he was in England after the fight is very true. He was a well and truly shot fighter by this time. RIP Mike Quarry.
talented fighter without the power needed in that division jerry was one rugged guy with extreme power he conquered many big heavyweights in his first 6 years as a pro. Both were nice guys mike especially,
Thanks for this Rich. Mike is a fighter I know little about. I'd only seen part of his Bob Foster fight. I'm going to try to find his Chris Finnegan fight, as I followed his brother Kevin, who had a trilogy with Alan Minter. Really appreciate this content. Bless up bro 👊
14:47 mike is fighting like henry armstrong at that moment he keeps putting his head on the opponents shoulder to keep distance in check and threw some good hooks thats cool
love your work rich- you are a real assets to boxing history and story telling in a empathetic way- you clearly love boxing and boxers- its great to watch your productions
Super documentary, Rich. I saw the Quarrys fight several times each on TV during each phase of their respective careers. Mike's boxing always impressed me. And yet, my first thought of him is how he went down by Foster's left. Like he had been shot. I was unaware of his demise later in his life. Thanks, again.
Hey Rich What a great job you did on Mike Quarry!! I'm amazed at how often they would fight, and it really wasn't that long ago. Boxing has come along ways in these years. Mike really was talented no doubt!! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us. Did Rob Quarry turn Professional?
Rich the Fight Historian. Love your videos. Correction Jimmy DuPree was more than a fringe contender. He was the #1 ranked light heavyweight for over a year and Foster was stripped for not defending his title against DuPree.
Rich, I’m from Kentucky. What about doing a video on Darrin “School Boy” Van Horn. Two-time IBF World champ and was at 20-years old, an IBF World Champ and a full time student at University of Kentucky. 40-0 at that time. Unreal.
This is an amazing piece with an insightful perspective that few people ever get to see. In my youth I trained at Gill Clancy's gym in Manhattan. Hil was also a trainer for both Mike and Jerry. They were the pride of the gym when they were around. Later in life I became a manager that saw how awful this unregulated sport chews up talent and spits it out. I'm ashamed to say I still watch boxing knowing that if you're good enough to stick around for a long time chances are what's ahead of you is some form of Parkinson's or dementia. Thank you for this wonderful video.
Thanks for another quality video Rich. A lot of money gets shared between a very few in boxing. There's a need for a retirement program for boxers with 10+ years in the sport so they are not cast aside with nothing.
Another Great video. It was very sad the way things worked out for Mike and his brother Jerry. Both very talented and courageous warriors. I know more a bout Jerry than I do Mike. Jerry was a very bright man in his younger days and was a good commentator, when ringside. He also felled some big trees in the Heavyweight Division at a time when it was going through it’s Golden Era. This isn’t to detract from Mike, who had a very good career in his own right. Also was Jack Palance one of the ringside commentators, at his fight with Bob Foster? Who besides being an all time great warrior, was I believe a sheriff. In his home state.
So so sad. Utterly sad. And yet we find ourselves alone in this life for the most part. we are drawn inmany different directions. It is unfortunate that those who could have done things besides the things that lead to their own destruction, find themselves alone without those that were supposedly there to support them on their way up.
So true Todd! I'm only in my 30s, but I completely understand what being alone feels like. Both my parents stopped talking to me, my ex girlfriend of 3 years dropped me about 5 years ago, and my career is a joke etc... I keep plugging along, but often feel like my best days are behind me. Life is a struggle for most men, unlike women. No one is gonna come save us, we can only depend on ourselves in this cold world.
Football and boxing are high risk. Intentionally taking all of that head trauma in sparring for no reason was simply terrible. I've often heard it said that the punch, or power, is the last thing to go. I've seen plenty of fighters with solid chins lose the ability to take shots. I can't understand what level of ignorance had to exist to be repeatedly knocked out by a physically bigger man from a higher decision in sparring at the outset of a career.
Jerry Quarry's management team dodged nobody but it was him who suffered. He got the best of 3 of the biggest bangers in history in Earnie Shavers, Ron Lyle and Mac Foster. He traded punches with Joe Frazier twice and won and drew with Floyd Patterson. There was no shame in coming up short vs Ali twice either. In an earlier era Quarry would have been Heavyweight king, without doubt. Mike got brutally ko'd by one of the biggest bangers in the 175lb division, Bob Foster and was just short of championship status. The Quarry brothers beating each other up, or rather Jerry doing the beating isn't uncommon In boxing. 2 brothers in our boxing club used to regularly knock sh1te out of one another and that started when they were about 11 and 12.
This is the other side of boxing you don't see or want to see with mashed brains. You can't stop boxing as it would still happen underground unregulated without proper medical care. Still tho stories like this make you wince with a touch of guilt thinking it's ok. The boxing industry should look after ex boxers especially like this & his later boxing bouts should have not been allowed.
Quarry had his moments man he could look really really good then boom out of sync. Tough guy like his older brother in an age of vicious nasty fighters.
I believe if Mike was more aggressive and actually followed up with combinations when he landed hooks/straight hands instead of just checking how his rival was doing he could have won trades more often and maybe avoided some damage. Remember kids, champions throw combinations.
Wish he had listened to his own heart, gut or whatever and retired after that brutal KO against Bob Foster the rest of his life would not had been as tragic as it ended being if he had done so; as some would say, fighters are never done with the sport but one day they wake up and the sport is done with them and when that happens they better listen, sadly a lot don't. Truly heartwrenching story, his brother's too.
And do what Exactly? Most fighters at that time took up boxing because they didnt have other options, it was usually either boxing or the military if you lived in poor neighborhoods.
@@brocklanders3616 lots of old school boxers were part-time or even full-time workers while also being fighters well into their careers, some of which came from way worse and tougher backgrounds than the Quarry brothers; at some point exiting a somewhat successful career in the ring and only have a broken body, no money and zero skills that allow to earn a living outside of it stops being just due a harsh background and becomes the result of conscious choices.
Most people are a product of their environment. If all your exposed to growing up is violence, drugs, poverty, no hope etc... You begin to adopt that mentality/way of life. Yes, many boxers did have other jobs while they were boxing. I worked in 2 bad areas of town. And I can tell ya, it's like running a race (Living life) in shackles. Yes, its possible you can still win but the deck is heavily stacked against you to succeed. Growing up disadvantaged is a real handicap, and most people don't understand the struggles growing up in the hood/ghetto.
Jerry was a tough humble man. Mike always struck me as a bit arrogant. I can recall seeing a film of him being very disrespectful to Jerry when sparring. Still as sad ending for both.
