Norton-Quarry, one of the best heavyweight fights ever

[saad]

Yeah, this fight was on ESPN classic a few days ago. I've only seen Quarry in against Ali and Frazier where he's either a punching bag or he's being taunted mercilessly or both. I always wondered why he kept getting big fights. This Norton fight was great. He landed a ton of solid blows on Norton and ate a lot of leather himself. Unfortunately he had ttoo many fights like this.

[Jaclem]

Saad - it's a shame that the Quarry fights you mention are the only ones you saw, and that it's true for so many fans. Quarry was a very good fighter , and he outhustled, outboxed and outpunched the dangerous Ron Lyle in fast ten round fight, knocked the air out of the inflated record of Mac Foster (Who?) who was undefeated at the time, and of course he kayoed Shavers in one after he took a couple of good shots himself. Too bad these fights have hardly ever been shown in reruns. It's just that the guys at the very top were too good for him. He didn't have much reach, for one thing. He did have guts and a great chin, two factors that may be good for a career, but not for one's health. the bad chin guys go down and don't get hurt that much. Look at Quarry in Frazier II and you'll see one reason his last years and early death were so tragic. As much as I loved the Mickey Ward-Gatti fight, i really worry about their future..one of the conflicts of being a boxing fan. :(

[saad]

He also was 1-0-1 against an aging Floyd Patterson and he defeated Buster Mathis. And for all the beatings I mentioned he was stopped on his feet in all except for a knockout loss to Chuvalo. That must have been a hell of a fight with two tough chins head to head.

[Jaclem]

that knockout by Chuvalo was one of the most peculiar any one has seen. Quarry went down from what seemed to be in inconsequential punch, didn't look even dazed, but just sat there on the canvas while being counted out. I've never heard any comments by Quarry about it. If any one has, please log it in. No reason to think Quarry would tank it, and if he did he would have done a more convincing job. That fight alone, plus his kayo of Doug Jones, got Chuvalo into the top ten where he stayed for a long time.

[phil]

I either have the full fight or just te last round.......

I'm sure Quarry went "crazy" when the ref "counted 10"........I don't think he accepted it!

Phil

[fatcity]

Its true that Jerry was far from being just a punch-bag. I have a tape with his 1st round ko victory over Shavers and Jerry was just awesome on this night, he looked a completely different fighter to the one who fought Ali the second time. Quarry gave Frazier a great fight in their first encounter and same again in their second although he didn't look in such good shape in the second bout.
I think Quarrys story is one of the saddest in boxing, I have some fights on which he is commentating (in late 70s) and he seems in great form, elequent and witty, he was actually a great commentator.
I'm sure that it was Jerrys ill-advised comeback fights in the 80s that really sent him over the brink, especially his last fight with a guy called Cranmer I think, when Jerry was about 46.
At the end of the day the fault lies with the promoters who allowed a man to fight when it had already been highly publicised that he was suffering from Brain damage.
I really believe that were it not for his last three fights Jerry Quarry would still be alive today.

[saad]

I just watched the Quarry-Shavers fight on ESPN Classic. Quarry just mugged him. Great performance. Every Jerry Quarry fight I've ever seen was entertaining as hell. Dick Schaap interviewed Gil Clancy for ESPN and Clancy said that boxing was not the reason Jerry Quarry was in poor health. He said it was due to Alzheimer's which anyone can get. He's got to be in denial because when Schaap asked him if any fighter stayed too long, he said Mike Quarry did.

[6 Pack]

were those decisions with Paterson controversial?

[Jaclem]

I didn't see either Patterson fight, but observers I know and written reports, as I recall, had one, maybe both fights close and thought patterson won at least one of them. Quarry did put Patterson down (who didn't?) in the first one, I think, and that was his margin of victory. Hope someone can give us more information . Has anyone seen any replays or does tape exist?

[phil]

Both fights are available off dealers.

Phil

[ronnyrains]

boxing fans: QUARRY DID GO NUTS, ON CHUVALO,AND IT DID NOT SEEM LIKE HE WAS DOWN A FULL 10 SECONDS, ONLY GETTING DECKED 6 TIMES THRU-OUT HIS CAREER, JERRY DID NOT HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN THAT DEPARTMENT, AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE "9" WHENEVER THE OPPORTUNITY EXISTS, HE ONLY LOST 2 OF THOSE,HERES ONE FOR YOU IF YOU WANT TO TALK CONTROVERSY!! PATTERSON WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN A DRAW VS QUARRY AT COLISEUM (1ST BOUT). HAD QUARRY NOT SLIPPED IN THE 7TH ROUND WHICH WAS RULED A 2-POINT KNOCKDOWN FOR FLOYD!COME ON GET OFF JERRY'S BACK, HE WAS AN ALL-TIME GREAT FOR SURE !!

[Jaclem]

ronnyrains-
thanks for the additional information on jerry quarry, but who's getting on quarry's back? it seems to me that this forum has mostly talked about how good he was,especially as he fought in an era of such tough heavyweights. I don't recall his weight when he was fighting and I'm too lazy to look it up but if he could make cruiserweight now he'd give that division the life it needs, with a real quality champion, as I think he'd mop up the floor with anyone in there now.

[Guest]

JACLEM: READ UNDER JERRY QUARRY ALLTIME GREAT, AND YOU WILL SEE WHAT I MEAN,OBVIOUSLY THOSE GUYS WEREN'T AROUND WHEN JERRY WAS FIGHTING, HOW MANY GUYS CAN SAY THEY PLAYED THEMSELVES ON "I DREAM OF JEANNIE" AND "BATMAN". WHEN THEY ARE ONLY 22 YEARS OLD. QUARRY WEIGHED IN AT ABOUT 183-203 DURING HIS CAREER, HIS HIGHEST 209 3/4 VS "SCRAP IRON" JOHNSON IN 1975. AND YES I DO BELIEVE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN A PROTOTYPICAL "CRUISERWEIGHT"