Jerry Quarry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jerry Quarry | |
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| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Jerry Quarry |
| Nickname(s) | Irish, The Bellflower Bomber |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Nationality | American |
| Birth date | May 15, 1945 |
| Birth place | Bakersfield, California |
| Death date | January 3, 1999 (aged 53) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 66 |
| Wins | 53 |
| Wins by KO | 32 |
| Losses | 9 |
| Draws | 4 |
| No contests | 0 |
"Irish" Jerry Quarry (May 15, 1945 - January 3, 1999), nicknamed “The Bellflower Bomber,” was called by some[who?] the best heavyweight boxer never to win a world title.
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[edit] Overview
Quarry was durable and smart, had a good punch, and had a chin that was legendary in terms of taking punches. His major flaw, however, was a tendency to cut easily, which brought some of his fights to an early end and affected his performance in others. Quarry had a good left hook, was a good body puncher, and a smart and quick counterpuncher. He was 6-ft, 0-in (1.83 m) tall and weighed 195-lb (88 kg) in his prime, which today would be considered light-heavyweight or cruiserweight, a division he helped inspire.
He was the hero of a large and enthusiastic family of supporters, which included three other pro boxers (his father and two brothers). Quarry's father first put gloves on his son at age five.
[edit] Boxing career
[edit] Emergence
Quarry come to national attention by winning the 1965 National Golden Gloves championship at Madison Square Garden at age 19. He knocked out each of his five opponents, a feat unmatched before or since. Quarry began his pro career in May 1965, winning a decision against Gene Hamilton in Los Angeles, California. He had 14 fights that first year, with 13 wins and one draw (against ranked Tony Doyle). Soon after, he stepped up to bouts with better competition.
[edit] 1960s
Quarry's first loss came against veteran and former #1 contender Eddie Machen in 1966, which was his 21st fight. He followed that loss with a string of victories to become a ranked heavyweight in 1967. Quarry had seven wins in 1966, but that loss, along with two more draws, made him look questionable to some as a contender.
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, he was named to the eight-man tournament field and surprised to become its star. He defeated Patterson in their rematch with multiple knockdowns, then tournament favorite Thad Spencer[1], which brought him to national attention, before an upset loss in the final bout to Jimmy Ellis. It was said[who?] he had an injured back for that fight, but tried to tough it out. Ellis would not give him a rematch, although it was considered a narrow victory.[citation needed] The Spencer and Ellis matches were in 1968. 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. Although Ellis had defeated Quarry, Frazier viewed Quarry as better than Ellis and agreed to meet Quarry before meeting Ellis, who was an inactive WBA beltholder, to unify the titles. 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 controversial loss to Canadian George Chuvalo. He had taken a knee after a knockdown and rose at 10 and was counted out. Quarry was unhurt by Chuvalo and clearly leading on points.
[edit] 1970s
Quarry had two wins in early 1970 before being matched with undefeated #1 ranked Mac Foster. Quarry impressed boxing fans[who?] 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. The first two rounds were very close, but Quarry again lost due to cuts. Semi-retired in 1971, Quarry attained four straight additional wins, and also pursued acting and various business ventures. 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[original research?] rematch with Ali. The match was part of a racially motivated 'Soul Brothers versus the Quarry Brothers' event set by promotor Don King, 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[original research?] in 1973.
When Quarry soundly defeated 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. Their fight was again close before Quarry suffered a rib injury[citation needed] and once again lost by TKO.
In 1975, launching yet another comeback, Quarry had one win while being dodged by many potential opponents, many managed by King.[citation needed] A desperate Quarry took a fight with Ken Norton on 18 days notice in March of that year, while out of training. Two other opponents had backed out and Quarry was the second alternate. Their fight was another close, high-action war, but Quarry again lost by TKO due to cuts.
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. He had never been knocked out as a professional.
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 intense rounds with Italian Lorenzo Zanon before a star-studded Las Vegas crowd, beating him by knockout. Quarry then retired again, this time for five years.
[edit] 1980s
However, 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.[citation needed] 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.
[edit] 1990s
Quarry had a win in 1983 before suffering a tough KO loss that 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 30th, 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.
[edit] 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, but himself was disabled by pugilistic dementia in later life, died as a result on June 11, 2006. Another brother, Bobby, suffers from Parkinson's syndrome, believed to be the result of his own, less-heralded heavyweight boxing career.
[edit] Hall of fame and demise
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 died in January 1999. 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.
