Jerry Quarry

[ThatOne]

V Lennox Lewis

Evander Holfyfield

George Foreman

Wlad Klitschko

Chris Byrd

Mike Tyson

Riddick Bowe

Tommy Morrison

[HomicideHenry]

All the above, save Morrison, would have beaten Quarry.

[Goodnight, Irene]

All the above, save Morrison, would have beaten Quarry.

I'm thinking the same thing, though he'd have his chances with Byrd &, perhaps, Young.

[The Great John L]

Good chance of beating Foreman and Klitchko, competitive with Holfield, and I would have him a prohibitive favorite over Morrison.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Good chance of beating Foreman and Klitchko, competitive with Holfield, and I would have him a prohibitive favorite over Morrison.

If you put the odds up high enough, I'd take Morrison. He'd run Holyfield & Klitschko both a merry chase for some time, but lose to each. I don't rate his chances against Foreman as handsomely as some.

[dempseyfire]

Quarry would destroy Morrison, who was not in his class.

Beats Byrd, and Klitschko

Would lose to the Bowe that beat Evander the first time but beats any other Bowe who ever fought (why I don't like placing Riddick in mythical matchups)

50/50 fight with Holyfield.

[BoxBuzz]

dempseyfire, it appears that you and I agree that Bowe was one of the most gifted yet least disciplined talents to come along.

I also think Quarry was one of the true greats. Can you imagine Bowe's talent, with Quarry's work ethic?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Quarry is over-rated, sometimes.

[BoxBuzz]

Can't argue with that, but I'd say he's under rated more often than over rated. Perhaps not in this board, but then the folks here are quite informed. Such as yourself for example.

[yancey]

Quarry would destroy Morrison, who was not in his class.

Beats Byrd, and Klitschko

Would lose to the Bowe that beat Evander the first time but beats any other Bowe who ever fought (why I don't like placing Riddick in mythical matchups)

50/50 fight with Holyfield.

Agree with much of what you say, but cannot see him being 50/50 with Holyfield.

[BoxBuzz]

yancey, Quarry was just a bit emotional, he liked to see his work reflected in the other fighter. For as good as his work ethic was he could be overly "persuaded" by the immediate feedback. E.G.: Even if Quarry was having an effect on Frazier, Ali, Chuvalo for example, these guys did not show it. I think that made a difference with Quarry. When he could tell he was getting to someone he could feed on it and it helped him. If he was somehow convinced he was getting nowhere he could be negatively affected. (You have to use the VERY best as a benchmark here like Ali Frazier Holyfield etc to fault him because he was still damn good at the mental strength) However Holyfield would be one of the ones that could give him the blues that way. A good actor could sometimes sell Quarry, and the best of the best weed that attribute out of their psyche. I'm not sure he quite did the amount of gardening needed in that area.

Chuvalo was a bit of a fluke, however IMHO Quarry would have made it up that nanosecond faster if he was just a bit more enthusiastic about his handiwork that night. Quarry was right on the edge of greatness and I see this as his Achilles heel more than any chink in his fundamentals or overall toughness.

[dempseyfire]

yancey, Quarry was just a bit emotional, he liked to see his work reflected in the other fighter. For as good as his work ethic was he could be overly "persuaded" by the immediate feedback. E.G.: Even if Quarry was having an effect on Frazier, Ali, Chuvalo for example, these guys did not show it. I think that made a difference with Quarry. When he could tell he was getting to someone he could feed on it and it helped him. If he was somehow convinced he was getting nowhere he could be negatively affected. (You have to use the VERY best as a benchmark here like Ali Frazier Holyfield etc to fault him because he was still damn good at the mental strength) However Holyfield would be one of the ones that could give him the blues that way. A good actor could sometimes sell Quarry, and the best of the best weed that attribute out of their psyche. I'm not sure he quite did the amount of gardening needed in that area.

Chuvalo was a bit of a fluke, however IMHO Quarry would have made it up that nanosecond faster if he was just a bit more enthusiastic about his handiwork that night. Quarry was right on the edge of greatness and I see this as his Achilles heel more than any chink in his fundamentals or overall toughness.

I think this is over-played however. The only fight I can recall Quarry really letting his emotions get the best of him and falling apart was the Ali rematch, and come on the guy right before he fought had just witnessed his brother getting executed by Bob Foster, something I think would affect anybody.

Quarry took big shots from M. Foster and Lyle without breaking down and brawling. He regrouped and boxed the crap out of both of them. Against Frazier he really felt he could win taking the fight to Frazier. Yes it turned out to be the wrong gameplan but Frazier's famous durability was not common knowledge . . his struggles with Bonavena were still fresh in people's minds and Quarry came into the fight percieved as the guy with 'greater' durability and chin than Frazier.

Point being, Quarry was a great boxer who could stick to his gameplan to a T, and whose 'Irish temper' is something that gets over-stated when discussing his merits as a fighter IMO.

[BoxBuzz]

dempsey, I'm not sure we disagree, but perhaps we do, I'm really talking about very subtle nuances regarding the best of the best. He was not sloppy in this way at all, but when assessing the differences between the top echelon it is very small differences indeed that bring on different outcomes. He ranked remarkably highly in the qualities we are talking about. And the only way you can see fault is when compared with the handful who may have exceeded him in these abilities.

I don't want to make more of it than it is and I appreciate your counterpoint here.

[dempseyfire]

dempsey, I'm not sure we disagree, but perhaps we do, I'm really talking about very subtle nuances regarding the best of the best. He was not sloppy in this way at all, but when assessing the differences between the top echelon it is very small differences indeed that bring on different outcomes. He ranked remarkably highly in the qualities we are talking about. And the only way you can see fault is when compared with the handful who may have exceeded him in these abilities.

I don't want to make more of it than it is and I appreciate your counterpoint here.

Fair enough.

[Robinson]

Lennox Lewis
I can't see Quarry lasting past 5 rounds, though
he does have a punchers chance, though it is
unlikely.

Evander Holfyfield
Holyfield and Quarry have a good exchange, trade
well, this would be best when Holy was a 190lber.
In any case in the end Holy stops Quarry after a fun
fight.

George Foreman
In spite of the press then and now suggesting that Foreman 'ducked'
Jerry. I see Quarry stopping and smashing him after a
gallant Quarry does his best to tag Foreman. This goes for
both versions of Foreman.

Wlad Klitschko
Wlad will keep Quarry at a distance with his lengthy jab,
and will be cautious through out. If Quarry does not land
that shot, it is a late stoppage win for Klits..cuts no doubt.
Wlad is alot more cautious than his one shot losses he suffered
in the past.

Chris Byrd
Byrd stays on his bike, and pops in and out, frustrating Quarry.
Quarry is unable to land anything clean, and does not look that
good against the frustrating Byrd style. Quarry is frustrated though
in ok shape after he drops the decision.

Mike Tyson
Tyson bombs Quarry out in two rounds sadly. Quarry though
brave, tries to bang with Tyson, attempst to catch him with
his cross and left hook. Tyson too elusive, and powerful
drops Quarry.

Riddick Bowe
Bowe keeps Quarry at the end of his jab, and soon finds the
cross. Quarry tried and occasionally does catch Bowe, but it
is nothing serious. Bowe manages to stop Quarry after 3 rounds.

Tommy Morrison
Morrison could out gun Quarry and stop him. BUt in my opinion
I think the fight in some ways plays out like the second Quarry-Patterson
fight..though Morrison is stopped. Both men graze the canvas, but
the Duke's chin is there to be hit, and Quarry lands that cross to KO
him/

[BoxBuzz]

Robinson, you may want to check your verbage on the Foreman/Quarry affair. I think I know what you mean but you produced a type-O I think.

Hard to imagine a guy like Quarry only having luck with one in this bunch. Interesting take though.

[Robinson]

Thanks Mr Buzz.

I agree, and the worse part is that Quarry is always in there to fight.
And against some of these guys, that courage is dangerous to ones
long term health.

[The Great John L]

Good chance of beating Foreman and Klitchko, competitive with Holfield, and I would have him a prohibitive favorite over Morrison.

Now that I have a few minutes:

Lennox Lewis

This is bad matchup for Jerry. When he was on, Lewis had a very good jab and bone jarring power. Quarry would have been unable to get inside, and he would not have had the quickness to counter as he did so well against some of his larger opponents. Lewis by TKO inside of 4.

Evander Holfyfield

Quarry matches up well against Holyfield and I would see this as a very good struggle, with a slight advantage for Holyfield due to his better durability. Holyfield by competitive UD.

George Foreman

Quarry matches up well with George, who didn’t present the quickness problems of an Ali, and who wasn’t the most disciplined fighter to step into a ring. While Quarry schooled the very similar Lyle, this would have been a tougher fight because George fought more aggressively than Lyle. George is the favorite in this one, but if they fought 5 times, a prime Jerry probably could have taken 1 or 2 of them.

Wlad Klitschko

The jab and clutch style of the monster sized Klitschko would have made him the favorite, but I think Jerry could have landed a few counters that would have shaken the confidence of the bigger man. Like Foreman, this is a tough matchup, but I would say that Quarry takes two out of a three fight series.

Chris Byrd

Byrd is quick and hard to hit, but he also tended to get into exchanges, which would give Quarry the opening he needs to make this a very tight matchup, although I still favor Byrd.

Mike Tyson

As good a fighter Quarry was when he was an underdog, the best version of Tyson is probably too much for him, as Quarry gets stopped early.

Riddick Bowe

Bowe did not fight like Lewis and always seemed to have defensive problems. While I favor Bowe, Quarry outworking the much larger Bowe doesn’t seem unlikely, though I would have Bowe winning 2 of a 3 fight series.

Tommy Morrison

Morrison’s weak chin would be his downfall here, in an exciting war. Quarry by stoppage inside of 3 rounds, although he might taste the canvas.

[The End]

Fascinating, rarely do I see Quarry in these type of match ups.

I suppose the Byrd fight could go either way.

Bowe is a bonehead, so I think that could go either way.

Morrison I guess has a punchers chance, but I believe that his chin will crumble down the stretch.

[dempseyfire]

Why all the favoring of Byrd? Byrd looked like crap vs guys his size who were as quick as him (see his fights with Castillo, Oquendo, and his lone foray into light heavyweight-and he'd been at that weight for awhile)

Quarry would knocked Byrd out.

[hurlock]

quarry beats byrd easy & morrison,holyfield would be too crafty & dirty,he could possibly outwork bowe.
people forget how hard & vicious smokin joe was,he could take lumps & keep coming,the foreman loss flatterd george as fraziers resistance had badly waned.

[Goodnight, Irene]

quarry beats byrd easy & morrison,holyfield would be too crafty & dirty,he could possibly outwork bowe.
people forget how hard & vicious smokin joe was,he could take lumps & keep coming,the foreman loss flatterd george as fraziers resistance had badly waned.

Nonsense, on the final point.

[The Great John L]

quarry beats byrd easy & morrison,holyfield would be too crafty & dirty,he could possibly outwork bowe.
people forget how hard & vicious smokin joe was,he could take lumps & keep coming,the foreman loss flatterd george as fraziers resistance had badly waned.

Nonsense, on the final point.

Why is that? Do you believe that the post Zaire Foreman was degraded?

[Goodnight, Irene]

Yes, I do --- even if it was more mental than physical, he wasn't quite the same fighter. Some men recover upstairs from their first loss, others don't. Foreman didn't.

To say Frazier's punch resistance had, "waned badly" by the time he fought Foreman the first time is retro-thinking. No one was saying that at the time, &, while I admit it probably wasn't understood at that moment Frazier may've lost a step, people go overboard when saying he had fallen significantly since his prime performance against Ali. Frazier was near to his peak when first he lost to Foreman.

[The Great John L]

Yes, I do --- even if it was more mental than physical, he wasn't quite the same fighter. Some men recover upstairs from their first loss, others don't. Foreman didn't.

To say Frazier's punch resistance had, "waned badly" by the time he fought Foreman the first time is retro-thinking. No one was saying that at the time, &, while I admit it probably wasn't understood at that moment Frazier may've lost a step, people go overboard when saying he had fallen significantly since his prime performance against Ali. Frazier was near to his peak when first he lost to Foreman.

Yes, George wasn't the same fighter, he was a better fighter after Zaire and the Lyle war. If George had lost anything from a psycological perspective, I don't see how he could have survived the war with Lyle. His determination and sheer will in that fight is what got him the win. Despite getting pretty much beaten up by Lyle, you could see that George still believed he could win, even when it looked like he was out fought. Sorry, but I just don't see any evidence of him losing a mental edge, and his subsequent fights showed the world a much better prepared and more disciplined fighter, very similar to the fat, glacier slow version of the 80's and 90's, but still with the monster physical skills and killer instincts.

I guess you don't see any contradiction in your views on these two fighters, do you? Not sure I would say that Fraziers punch resistance had waned, but he certainly looked soft for that fight, and I think the only valid excuse for Joe in that fight was that he was looking past George, and given George's limited resume going in to the fight I can see why.