Boxing: Jerry Quarry, an uncrowned champion

It is not uncommon in the wake of the passing of a significant sports figure, regardless of the realm from which he or she came, for a degree of revisionist history to envelop the print media.

Nostalgia in America has swollen over the past two decades, and as we seek the shelter of simpler times, a linkage to old and familiar figures is magnified and often overstated.

The 1969 Mets and Jets authored astonishing and historically relevant achievements. Joe Namath was great, for a while. He forged a new alignment in football and institutionalized the greatest sports spectacular of all time when he led his Jets over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

Bobby Riggs was a Wimbledon Champion and the finest in the early 1940's era, but became even bigger after his match against Billy Jean King.

All seem bigger than life today, but in reality, they were great for an instant. Only an instant!

Yet it seems that often a great achiever forges a successful, often brilliant career, only to be engulfed by giants.

Few remember that Jerry Koosman, second fiddle to Tom "Terrific" Seaver for nearly ten seasons, won over 220 games and pitched successfully into the mid-1980's.

The New York Rangers, forever in pursuit of Lord Stanley's Cup, were positively stellar from 1969 through 1974, yet couldn't do anything about the Montreal Canadians, Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers.

An even greater example is the ABA New York Nets, winning two league championships in the mid-1970's and anchored by the great Julius "Dr. J" Erving, and the indomitable Billy Paultz, among others.

Hopelessly buried by the Knicks, the Net's success was perfunctorily noted and quickly dismissed. When was the last time the Knicks won a league championship?

Often in sports, a stereotype is applied and acquires a life of its own. It defies achievement, it defies the record and it defies fact.

All who lived through the late 1960's and early 70's remember Jerry Quarry.

Irish tough, he could box with the best and punch with the rest. Durable, resilient, always there when he should have been long gone.

The finest tribute I've ever heard paid to Quarry was by Don Dunphy before the Quarry vs. Earnie Shavers heavyweight elimination bout in December 1973.

Quarry was entering the ring when Dunphy, who rarely wasted a syllable, said of him, "He's lost only to the best."

Jerry Quarry died a few years ago. Puglistica dementia claimed his life. He was 53 years old.

Undoubtedly, his sad decline and death were precipitated by the punishment he took in the ring, particularly the batterings at the hands of Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali to an extent, and finally, Ken Norton.

The enduring image of Quarry in the minds of most sports fans is being badly battered by Joe Frazier in their return bout, and being hammered by Norton in what was to be his finale as a serious heavyweight contender.

Face first white fighter. A bleeder. Blew every shot he had.

Cruel as these characterizations may seem, these were the images that came to mind when the mainstream sports fan thought of Quarry.

Only when reminded that he was the No. 1-ranked heavyweight in the world on no few than four occasions from 1968 to 1974, defeating, often overwhelming, a pride of the finest heavyweights in the world during that span, do we elicit the response, "I never knew that."

Quarry compiled a record far exceeding that of many former and future heavyweight titleholders competing in the most ferocious and competitive era in the history of his weight class.

Quarry made his first impression upon the fight public when he held former heavyweight titleholder Floyd Patterson to a draw in 1967, with the ex-champ paying a visit to the canvas in the process.

Included in the 1968 WBA elimination tournament to "replace" Ali, the California Irishman was matched with Patterson again.

This time he earned a hard fought decision and found himself paired with the heavy hitting Thad Spencer.

Spencer, who was the solid tournament favorite, publicly forecast a knockout victory over his young opponent. However, what took place that Saturday afternoon startled the boxing world.

Quarry staggered Spencer with the first right hand he threw and proceeded to throttle his taller, heavier opponent. By round 12, Quarry had a substantial points lead and seemed en route to a lopsided decision when he rocked Thad again with less than a minute remaining in the round.

Exploding left hooks and straight rights against a now helpless Spencer, Quarry attacked ferociously, forcing a stoppage at 2:58 of round 12 and a date with Jimmy Ellis for the WBA Heavyweight crown.

Quarry eventually lost to Ellis. Boxing cautiously, he allowed Ellis to dictate the tempo of the bout. In the seventh round, and again in the 13th hem jolted Ellis, yet never really established control and Ellis earned a majority verdict.

Quarry claimed a bad back, along with the rap that he was forced to live with for the remainder of his career, "he couldn't win the big one."

The following June, Quarry got his second chance.

Against Smokin' Joe, who was nearing his glorious prime, Quarry took the fight into the Garden ring that he should have brought against Ellis.

The first round of Frazier vs. Quarry I was, arguably, the round of the year, perhaps of the decade.

Quarry out punched Frazier repeatedly, rocked him late in the round and left the big crowd delirious.

He then took the second and split the third rounds, yet the Frazier attack, combined with emerging cuts over Jerry's eyes, were too much to overcome. Quarry couldn't answer the bell for the eighth round in a tremendous slugfest in which he never gave an inch.

With two big chances missed, Quarry was already considered on the downside of his career.

The following June, he was matched against undefeated Mac Foster, ranked No. 1 in the world. Foster had secured KO victories in all of his 24 triumphs.

In the bout, Quarry was hurt early, but took the fight to Foster and stopped him in six rounds.

Again ranked first in the heavyweight division, Jerry was Ali's choice for his comeback bout after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the great ex-champion to return to the ring.

The bout was held in Atlanta and Ali opened up Quarry's right eye in the third round. Quarry never really got going and in an instant it was over.

Quarry was halted again by Ali the following year and seemed unquestionably through as a viable force in the heavyweight division.

Then in early 1973, a new knockout artist, Ron Lyle, had emerged and was viewed as a major threat to big George Foreman, Frazier's conqueror.

Lyle was undefeated, a powerful puncher and a Madison Square Garden date with the now trial horse Quarry seemed a mere formality for Lyle. Quarry never looked better, outboxed and out punched Lyle at every turn and won no few than eight rounds.

Reestablished as a top contender once again, Quarry had another Garden party in '73, this time in December against another top ranked slugger, Earnie Shavers.

Shavers had crushing power in both fists and an Achilles heel for a chin. For one of the few times in his career, Quarry was favored and acted the part.

Shavers came out bombing and Quarry met him punch for punch. The bout lasted two-and-one-half minutes and again Quarry had climbed to the top of the heavyweight ranks.

Foreman and Dick Sadler took careful note of Quarry's latest ascendancy.

A Foreman vs. Quarry Heavyweight title bout was tentatively scheduled for June 20, 1974 at Madison Square Garden, yet never was brought to contract.

Instead Quarry had to get past his old nemesis, Frazier, now well past his prime.

Quarry and Frazier were even money this time and many scribes predicted a Quarry KO victory.

On the brink of one last title shot, Quarry again left his fight in the gym. Frazier battered him worse than in '69 en route to a fifth round TKO victory.

Quarry was finally at the end of the trail. He had one last chance, another Garden main event the following June, against Norton at his ferocious best. Quarry gave it his all, throwing big punches until the end, but Norton battered him terribly after the third round, and by the middle of the fifth, the referee rescued the bloodied and battered Quarry.

Quarry had the misfortune of contending in an era of three great champions. He had defeated Patterson, Buster Mathis, Thad Spencer, Bob Foster, Lyle and Shavers. Had his back been healthy, he would have beaten Ellis, and his loss to George Chuvalo was a fluke. He thoroughly beat Lyle, who had Foreman down twice and nearly out. He halted Shavers in one round, the same Shavers who nearly stopped Holmes and did away with Norton in one round. Foster was a knockout machine until Quarry put him away and Spencer was widely regarding as Ali's successor until Quarry punished him and put him away.

Quarry would have beaten Max Baer, James J. Braddock, Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott, Patterson (even in his prime), Ingemar Johansson, John Tate, Michael Dokes, Greg Page and certainly Buster Douglas.

Mike Tyson, at his brutal best, would have had problems with Quarry's iron chin and skilled counterpunching.

Quarry would have enjoyed a comfortable reign in the early and middle 1930's as well as the late 1940's and early 1950's. He certainly would have captured WBA, WBC or IBF belt in the 1980's.

Foreman spoke volumes when he ranked Quarry on his website as the greatest fighter never to become champion. Big George said, "had he punched with Ellis and boxed Frazier he would have been champion. When I was Heavyweight Champion of the World, I purposely dodged him."

I think Quarry would have knocked him out!