Many boxing fans, including myself, believe Quarry had the tools to become a champion. Unfortunately, he fought during an era when the heavyweight division was stacked with talent, including Ali, Frazier, Norton, Ellis, and Foreman. Quarry came close multiple times, but he never achieved his dream.
Jerry Quarry came from a family of fighters. He, his father, and two brothers boxed professionally. His younger brother Mike was a top contender in the light-heavyweight division, posting a career record of 63–13–6.
Jerry began his career at just eight years old and won several trophies as a junior amateur. But after contracting Nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys), he stopped boxing for years. Then, Jerry made a comeback, fighting in over 200 amateur bouts. In 1965, at age 19, Quarry won the National Golden Gloves championship and turned pro shortly afterward.
Quarry was undersized for a heavyweight, standing six feet tall and weighing between 195–200 lbs. But his lack of size did not stop him from becoming a top contender. He was the #1 contender on three separate occasions during his career.
After twenty fights, Jerry’s record stood at 17–0–3. Then he suffered an unexpected loss (unanimous decision) to Eddie Machen. But he then came back strong, winning his next six fights before fighting to a draw with former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson. Five months later, Quarry defeated Patterson in a 12-round decision in a rematch.
On April 27, 1968, in his first shot at the title, Quarry fought Jimmy Ellis for the vacant WBA title. His record going into this fight was an impressive 26–1–4. But before the bout, Jerry sustained a severe back injury that developed into gangrene. The injury greatly affected his performance, and he lost a 15-round decision. Then, after a seven-month layoff, Quarry returned to win five bouts in a row, giving him an impressive 31–2–4 record. That success earned him another title shot for the NYSAC belt. His opponent was “Smokin” Joe Frazier.
On June 23, 1969, the Frazier-Quarry fight took place at Madison Square Garden. Quarry gave Frazier all he could handle for six rounds. But Frazier took control in round seven, opening a severe cut under Quarry’s eye. Even though the fight went only seven rounds, it was voted as the Fight of the Year by Ring Magazine
It was a disappointing loss, but Quarry came back strong winning his next two fights–one with a first-round knockout and the other with a second-round knockout. But those contests were followed by an unexpected and controversial loss to George Chuvalo. Quarry was well ahead after six rounds, but Chuvalo, who was not known for his punching power, knocked him down in the seventh round. Quarry rose at the count of four but then took a knee. He rose again just before the count reached ten, but referee Zach Clayton ruled a KO.
Quarry won his next four fights before losing to former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali. Ali dominated that fight. Quarry suffered a nasty cut over his left eye, and the referee stopped the fight before the start of the fourth round. Again, Quarry returned strong, winning his next six fights and setting up a rematch with Ali. But, again, Ali dominated most of the fight, winning by TKO in the seventh round.
Every time it seemed that Quarry might be a washed-up fighter, he’d prove people wrong. He won his next six fights, including an impressive unanimous decision over a much bigger Ron Lyle, who stood 6’3″ and weighed 220 lbs. Ten months after defeating Lyle, Quarry faced top contender Ernie Shavers with his impressive 46–2 record and 44 knockouts. Quarry shocked many people by knocking out Shavers in the first round.
That win set up a rematch with former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier. Frazier dominated the fight, opening up bad cuts over both of Quarry’s eyes. The final result was a fifth-round TKO.
It was the beginning of the end for Jerry Quarry. He won his next fight before losing another fifth-round TKO to Ken Norton. In what was becoming an all too familiar occurrence, Quarry was once again severely cut in this fight. Although Quarry was still relatively young–just shy of 30 yrs old–it was apparent that the punishment had taken its toll. It was time for him to retire.
But, as all too often happens with boxers, Quarry came out of retirement two and a half years later. Although he won with a 9th round TKO, he was unimpressive, and it was also clear that his skills had diminished. Quarry retired but then made a second comeback six years later. He won two fights as a cruiserweight before retiring for the third time.
Despite being diagnosed with dementia and getting denied a boxing license in most states, Quarry stepped back into the ring nine years later at age 47 1/2, losing a six-round decision. His dementia continued to worsen until he could no longer care for himself. His brother James (the only brother who didn’t box professionally) became his caretaker.
On Jan.3, 1999, Jerry Quarry died at just 53 years of age. Upon Quarry’s death, Joe Frazier said, “Jerry was a very tough man. He could have been a world champion, but he cut too easily.” Quarry was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995.
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